Saviours of the Lost Arts

In May I was invited to be part of the Saviours of the Lost Arts program run by the Brisbane City Council.

It's a celebration of craft in Brisbane with master artisans, craft enthusiasts and lovers of all things handmade held over a two week craft extravaganza and included an all-day Craft Fair in King George Square, and hands-on workshops in a variety of locations.  On May 31 I ran a small introductory workshop for a group of people to give a hands on experience with creating mosaics.

Following a short lesson on using tools they each completed a small dish to take home. A wonderful afternoon sharing something I feel passionate about and hopefully enjoyed by all!

And even more exciting for me was the invitiation by the Visitors Experience Centre to create a mosaic which was a reinterpetation of some elements of City Hall (the facade, the clock tower, the clock face) using artefacts uncovered in the restoration of City Hall

And so using objects found in the City Hall; two dinner plates, a "diamond" uncovered in the public gallery; two old gold bottles and even a tram ticket I created the mosaic you see.

The photo shows the end result - using the design of the Brisbane City Town Hall clockface as the feature I incorporated the dinner plates in the edging of the clock; the bottles became the shadows between the arches of the town hall which forms the backdrop with the 'diamond' in the centre of the clockface. The mosaic scroll is a replica of the mosaic scroll which appears in the town hall itself!

Visitor Experience Centre: Inside the Brisbane City Hall view this exciting and different restoration.
The centre includes detailed footage of the restoration; real artefacts uncovered by archaeologists. Located inside City Hall and can be accessed via the Adelaide Street entrance. Visiting times are Monday to Friday, 10am - 4pm (excluding public holidays). Entry is free.

A work in progress - my lastest piece - my own Tree Of Life!

My 1 metre diameter pond - created for Redlands Shire Council - Indigiscape Centre - for the butterfly garden.

The birdbath for butterfly garden - Baci just had to get into the frame!

Still to come is the biggest challenge so far - 1 metre tall pot...