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| Upon arrival, I paired each base with the pre-broken tile and china I planned to use. |
I have just returned from a whirlwind trip to Bermuda. While this may sound exotic to most, I was working. I have a great relationship with Rosewood Tucker's Point and this trip represented my 3rd annual working sojourn to the island. I spend about 10 days creating sculptures for the hotel to display and sell in their lobby shop, Regali. The hotel provides me with a studio space to work in.
How did this come about? I was a resident on the island for 17 years, married to a Bermudian. We had our three children on the island and are still very connected to friends and colleagues. During the Grand Opening Celebration of the hotel, I was invited to display my sculptures. They were so well received, the hotel invited me to keep a few on hand to sell. I now sell more sculptures from the hotel than all my galleries combined.
When we moved to Colorado almost 3 years ago, I had to figure out a way to keep showing my work on the island with out paying enormous shipping costs and incurring customs fees on completed pieces. Simple math is that it is cheaper for me to fly over, take my materials and create the pieces on site.
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| Sculptures with completed mosaics, ready to grout. |
You may ask how I can spend only 10 days and create so much work? These days are just the time I spend doing the mosaic and the grouting. In advance of my trip, I spend time gathering delicate
china from antique dealers, auction houses and flea markets. I attend bead shows to select strands from
around the world. I source tile from Italy and Mexico. I spent over six months designing the unique
Styrofoam structures, created especially for me, and used as the bases for my
sculptures. I source dress inspirations
throughout the year. I translate dress
designs into tile. In advance of my travels, I break the tiles, cut all
the china and cover the Styrofoam bases with fiberglass and several layers of
concrete, allowing me to hit the ground running when I arrive. Once on the island, I throw open the doors of
the studio, let the fresh air and sun shine in, and get to work!
To see images of the completed pieces and from the night of the Opening, please click here. I am interested in securing another hotel venue to replicate a similar arrangement with my sculptures. Please email me if you or someone you know would be open to having a conversation.
