Rio Vista Recreation Center Mosaic Mural

It's Finished 45 feet x 10 feet Mosaic Mural

2009-12-24T16:32:00.001-08:00

Installation 5 days, 2 people, 90 hours

2009-11-29T17:55:00.000-08:00

Mosaic is Completed and Ready to Ship

2009-11-29T17:49:00.000-08:00

So the mural is finished. We laid it out once more to do the final checks. Make sure the grout is cleaned off well, tiles are secure, all pieces accounted for. It's still hard to see how it will turn out because the empty spaces have not been removed. The mural will ship on Monday, November 30. Installation begins on Monday, December 7. We are looking forward to visiting Peoria again.

Cutting out the Empty Spaces

2009-11-29T17:44:00.001-08:00

All of the empty spaces from the panel are being cut out. The mural will sit on the wall similar to a bas-relief. It will rise above the wall but will remain shallow. The negative spaces will remain on the mural attached by small pieces in order to ship it safely. Once in Peoria we will cut them off completely.

Grouting Time for the 30 Panels

2009-11-29T17:38:00.000-08:00

Grouting is messy. We grouted the 30 panels with a dark gray. The grout fills in all of the gaps between the tile and acts as an adhesive.

The Mosaic Portion is Finished...

2009-11-13T17:36:00.000-08:00

We finished all of the mosaic. Now it is time to grout it and paint the negative spaces. Two more weeks of work and it will be shipped to the Rio Vista Recreation Center.

The End is Near

2009-11-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

Here we drawing on paper to get an idea of where this object would end and what the adjoining part might look like. This is the end of the mural. We hope to have the mosaic part done in a day or two. Next step is grouting the entire piece and painting the negative space.

Choosing Colors

2009-10-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

These are the last six panels ---24 complete and these are the remaining ones. You can see we are searching for the best color to work together in this large object.

Bit by Bit, Tile by Tile, Cut by Cut

2009-10-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

These panels mark the completion of 24 panels. 6 more to go we will start next week.
Next we will practice paint colors to decide what colors to paint the negative spaces.

Moving Along

2009-10-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

We are working on the 4th large object and want the colors to work well with the other objects.

More Accurate View of the Mural

2009-10-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

We stood up 3 panels that are parts of the first three big objects. This is a better indicator of what they will look like as they get a fuller view and with the light show their true colors. We did this in order to make sure the 4th and 5th large objects work well with them and to insure continuity throughout the mural

The Next Large Object

2009-10-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

This completes 18 out of 30 panels. This large object is about 7 feet tall. We have outlined it in blue mirror so that when the sun or light crosses it it will glimmer.

Half of the Panels Completed

2009-10-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

We are aiming to finish by the first week in November. The next week will be busy with grouting all the panels and then painting the negative space.
Here is our progress thusfar.

The Process

2009-09-29T17:56:00.001-07:00

Once we finish with all of the tiles, we will then grout each piece. Space has been left for bolts about 6-8 each panel and the seams. These will be mended once on the wall. The space in between the waves will be painted- but not until after the grouting is finished.
The Dalmation in the picture is Logan, he joins us in our projects keeping us company.

The Next Six Panels- almost halfway!

2009-09-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

The First Eight Panels

2009-09-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

Click on the images to enlarge. You can see the seams on each panel. These will be completed during installation. These panels represents a third of the mural completed. The pieces are created from mirror tiles, stained glass pieces, and glass tiles

More Color

2009-09-15T15:26:00.001-07:00

Starting from the far left side we are filling in the mural four panels at a time. The objects are more vivid than the calming waves and are visual translations of energy, enthusiasm, movement.

The Waves Continue

2009-08-18T18:59:00.001-07:00

We are about halfway through the waves. Now that the outline is finished we will move the mural back to our own studio where we will be working on it panel by panel instead of spread out. Next update will be in mid-September.

Filling in the Waves

2009-08-11T17:06:00.000-07:00

The outlines are complete. This took several weeks as it is important to have the structure in place and be certain the objects are proportional to one another . Now it is time to fill in the shapes. The waves are the first to be started in order to define the surroundings. In a couple of days we will start to choose the exact shades and blends for the large objects. It is exciting for us to watch it slowly come together bit by bit. At this stage a lot of cutting is involved. Every time a line intersect another they need to be carefully cut to show a smooth transition

Outlining the Mural

2009-08-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

Here is the layout of the entire 45 foot mural. We have completed about two-thirds of the outline.

The Very Beginning

2009-07-25T21:54:00.000-07:00

This is the very beginning of the creation of the mural. It's rather daunting to start large projects as we work inch by inch to cover hundreds of feet. I am working on the outline of the waves, mortaring them directly on the board. The outline is crucial to the overall fluidity of the piece. Although the design is in place specific color and line questions still remain. I am constantly reassessing the initial design to the larger scale.

Mural Design

2009-07-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

This is the final design for the Rio Vista mosaic mural. It will be created from glass tiles, mirror, and stained glass. The waves are symbolic of the integral role water has played in the creation and development of Peoria starting with the completion of the Arizona canal enabling the land to be settled and farmed. It also reflects the beautiful waterway that surrounds the Rio Vista Recreation Center.

Starting the Rio Vista Recreation Center Mosaic

2009-07-23T19:23:00.001-07:00

I started the mosaic mural in July 2009. It is 45 feet long by 10 feet high. It will be 450 square feet and this picture shows the magnitude of the mural. My husband, Shahin Shikhaliyev, an oil painter (www.ausdi.org) lies down to illustrate the size. The photo shows a redrawing of the mural that was subsequently blown up to size. After, we traced the mural on the boards.

I am living and working in Mount Rainier, Maryland (a unique arts district) just a few blocks from Washington, DC. I rented space to initially lay out this mural as my studio is too small to fit the entire piece lengthwise. Once I do the initial laying out and the outlines I will break it down and complete it back in my studio which is about 15 blocks away.