Introduction
Step by step the work in progress of a mosaic.
The idea, the design
- City lights – By Charlie Chaplin, 1931… The last scene of the movie.
I make the draft on silverplated pergamino… Yes, because we don’t settle mosaicists of any tissue, we just want this!
Lime, print
There is always a great feeling of loss when you find yourself in front of white space to be filled. It’s always the same thing: the blank sheet of paper for the writer, the clean canvas for the painter…the fresch lime to the mosaicist.
I tracing the footsteps of drawing with pen and ink, then I print it directly on slave lime.
With a pin I hole the design to eliminate air bubbles formed between the pergamino and the lime: their presence could compromise a good drawing print. Gently I remove the tissue from lime.
Marble, cutting This is my color palette. The marble that I’ll use will be: Asiago White, Marquinia Black, Trani light and dark. With the hammer and the leghold trap I beginning cut the marble stick to more and more small pieces.
An important working tool are tongs. They’re used to cut and shape in more precise ways the marble tesseras.
The first tesseras on…. Ther is always a sort of discretion and great respect in violating the lime with the first tesseras
The eyes are the most challenging and difficult to make and then it is from here that beginning the mosaic. Tessera by tessera, I’ll continue with the main lines of the drawing.
Work in progress At this stage, the processi s very slow and it takes a loto f patience.
Me company Perlina the dog and Biky the cat.
I finished the face, now I’ll proceed with the other parts of work..
Until the last tesseras Day by day Charlie takes increasingly form. Sometimes I get the impression that he talk to me…he enters in my mind, in my thought.the tesseras. This allows me to workwith them for as long as necessary doing all the fixes that I want.
So coming to the last tesseras! The mosaic on a provisional basis is finished!
Glue and tear After drying lime with the mosaic,I dissolve the glue and lay good pasting over Charlie a canavas.
When the glue is dry then I proceed to rip Charlie from the frame by lifting the tesseras layer well glued to the canvas. Dry lime crumbles easily and I get rid of it without problems. With the help of a metal tip and a small air compressor, I clear the back of the mosaic so the ultimate can adhere well between tesseras and tesseras.
The lay
In a container I prepare the final cement glue.
I lie it well on the back of the mosaic that supported it by net building technique
Just finished I let dry perfectly.
Last steps
When the cement is harden, I moving to clean mosaic. With hot water and brush, remove the glue and canvas.
I paste Charlie on a wooden and I make a contour fund with cement.
Then I paint the contour with acrylic color black to give a film old and worn effect.
Finished work
A cleaned up at all, a bit of wax to revive the marble and my work is almost finished, it lacks only the frame.
Thanks to those who have had the patience to follow me right here!!!
