Lessons

Last month I completed several weeks worth of work installing a large public art installation at a local nature center.

The permanent exhibit, dubbed The Butterfly Project, features mosaic butterflies that were donated by artists from all over the world. I put out an artist call in July of 2011 and by the end of the project there were over 160 butterflies installed on 4 walls.

Over 90 artists answered the call and butterflies fluttered in from everywhere, including Russia, Cyprus and Australia...to name just a few locations.

With every new piece of art comes an opportunity to learn something about my craft, about art in general and about what not to do next time.

It's those mistakes that really become lessons...and lessons help me become a better artist.

Some lessons learned while installing 160 butterflies made of glass. (in no particular order)

1. All mosaic mesh is not created equal. Cotton mesh and flimsy, fabricy mesh is not well suited to making mosaics. Find the stiffer stuff.
2. Don't rely on the self seal strips on USPS Priority Mail boxes. Seal your packages with tape! Several packages filled with butterfly donations arrived opened.
3. Use Lin Schorr's shipping tutorial as a guide when shipping a mosaic on mesh. Mosaics secured with bubble wrap or packing peanuts may not arrive intact.
4. Avoid using small beads or millefiori to line the edges of a design. There is nothing to hold them in place and they tend to fall off during installation and grouting.
5. Some seashells need to be sealed before using in a mosaic. Dark grout can stain unsealed shells.
6. Clear glass, transparent glass and sea glass will allow the mosaic mesh to show through once installed. The mesh can be hidden better (but not entirely!) by using a white thinset to adhere to your surface.
7. Mosaic designs with large gaps between tiles/glass are harder to work with. The thinset will push up through the spaces and will need to be removed before grouting and (god forbid!) drying.
8. Designs with varying levels of thickness (due to beads, uneven glass/tiles etc) are difficult to grout.
9. A toothbrush is a useful tool for cleaning the uneven surface of a wall after grouting.
10. An icing spreader (Wilton Cake Decorating) makes an excellent tool to spread thinset on the back of the mosaic before adhering to the wall.
11. A pool noodle cut into small sections works well to spread the grout onto the mosaics after they have been installed. The noodle is flexible enough to work the grout into the crevices and soft enough not to scratch mirror and glass. It's also cheap enough to toss out after every install.