OMG! I'm so excited!

On March 3rd I got a call from a friend asking if she could give my number to someone who was looking for an artist to do some mosaic work. I said of course!

On Friday March 5th I met with the client and got an idea of what she wanted. She was looking for a room divider that would create a collaborative space in her office. She wanted it to represent water and it needed to be done by April 23rd..

All sorts of ideas were running through my head as she showed me the space. I told her I would work on a proposal and get back to her by Monday.

I met with my blacksmith friend Colin McIntyre to discuss using metal in the wall. We had some great brainstorming sessions and discussed design ideas until the wee hours of the morning.

I was ready on Monday with a miniature version of what I wanted to create. The client was in Las Vegas, so we decided to have a chat via the phone and internet. She liked what we had come up with and told me she would get back to me shortly. 

A few days later she told me she would like to move forward with the project. We met again and discussed the budget. There was a $10,000 budget range which would determine the detail of the mosaic, the type of metal used, and whether or not the metal would be blued. She told me she needed to stay on the low end of the budget for the wall, but she also would like for us to do the clouds and the furniture. 

On March 16th I received the initial design budget. This would give me the resources to create an architectural drawing of the design, and buy materials to make a sample panel of the mosaic.

Since then I have been working with different materials trying to figure out the best method. I have been pointed in the wrong direction a few times, but that is all part of figuring it out. 

At this point the plan is to use metal lathe and stucco cement. The frame of the wall will be made out of steel plates. Then 2 inch metal tubing will be designed in a wavy fashion and welded onto the plates. The lathe will be riveted onto the tubing and the stucco applied to the lathe. Then mortar will be used to adhere the tile onto the stucco. Finally the tile will be grouted over, excluding the windows where the glass will be inserted. 

The expanded metal we ordered was too spaced out. So I had to wire tie a finer mesh on top of it in order to get the cement to stick. I couldn't find the lathe, so I got a roll of mesh made of 1/4 inch squares. Today when I went back I found the correct kind of lathe, so I will return that other stuff. 

I want the metal that is showcased in the piece to be blue. We thought about using a powder coater for the metal tubing, but it may make more sense to hire someone to paint it, with blue enamel paint.

We also thought about using masonite instead of the lathe, and applying the tile with epoxy, but mortar wouldn't stick to masonite, so that went out the window.

I applied a layer of mortar onto a sample 1x1 of expanded metal with the mesh wire tied on top, but it was too thick. So today I went back and exchanged the mortar for stucco cement and a better type of lathe. I think that worked better, but will have more of an idea tomorrow.