Sparrow: A mural For Loma Linda. 2023
Design Proposal
I was asked to submit a design proposal to the City Manager at the City of Loma Linda on August 17th 2022. I was given this image of the Library Wall at the Civic Center.
The Design
I created this image over a period of six weeks. The image consists of three children, thirteen birds, two squirrel and three Racoon. It is a peaceful sceen with three readers.
I recieve the green light on the 14th of October 2022
I recieve the green light on the 14th of October 2022
My studio in WA State is ready and organized to undertake six months of work
I recieve the green light on the 14th of October 2022
Ready to mount the tile mural on the prepared surface
I will take you through the creative progress from idea to fully installed with images
I will take you through the creative progress from idea to fully installed with images
Sparrow; my inspiration
Sparrow
Sparrow arrived on a cold early spring day. Sparrow lay as if dead on the frozen concrete. I picked the frozen bird up to place it in a secluded place in the garden, when there was movement in my closed fist. The rest is 'mystory'.
Sparrow at home
Sparrow lived for over two weeks in the crook of my neck and hiding behind my collar. Occassionally coming out to learn to fly. He flew away into our ivy patch with its family of mother and sybling.
Sparrow says adios
The Design
This is my final draft on the design submitted to the City of Loma Linda, CA
Enlarging the design as a tracing on a thin wooden tepmplate
The template is painted to facilitate the glazing process. If you can't paint it then glazing would be a big problem
Cutting the 65square foot template into tile shape pieces
Template on my studio table, ready to be cut up into tile sized shapes.
Imagine laying a dinner plate onto a rolled slab of clay and cutting around the plate, well, the plate is the template the slab a tile the size and shape of the plate.
Cutting the wooden template smaller and smaller
The figure of the boy completely seperated from his environment.
Materials
Seattle Pottery and Laguna Clay Company sold me clay for my Sparrow Mural. All cone 5 or above. Groggy clay, paper clay, mica clay.
This is my work horse. She was firing non stop for four months. Everything is running okay.
Using the wooden template over the cut slab to understand how to sculpt the clay to define the shape.
The high Fire tile and template
The glazed tile on my table
Half tile and half template. Working with them both symultaneously is the trick.
cone 5 ceramic tile
3000 mile round trip to mount the Sparrow mural in Loma Lind
Big Red and the camper
Passing Mount Shaster on Interstate 5
Passing Mount Shaster on Interstate 5
Our three thousand mile journey with the tile in the trailer and our home in the camper for four weeks
Passing Mount Shaster on Interstate 5
Passing Mount Shaster on Interstate 5
Passing Mount Shaster on Interstate 5
Mount Shaster is the half way mark for us.
It took four days to get from Bellingham to Loma Linda
The Library Wal. Loma Linda Civic Center
The Library Wal. Loma Linda Civic Center
The Library Wal. Loma Linda Civic Center
The Library Wall with backer board in place ready for the first tiles.
Tile in place on the wall
The Library Wal. Loma Linda Civic Center
The Library Wal. Loma Linda Civic Center
An example of mounted and grouted tile
Finished Mural, 15 days into our trip to Southern california
Tie mounted and grounted
Tile mounted and grouted
Sparrow in place at the Loma Linda library 4/12/2023