Sometimes mysterious forces align and my artistic life takes
an unexpected and interesting turn. This happened late in May 2012 when I was
contacted by NYC interior designer Kelly Behun and commissioned to create a
black-and-white mosaic on a massive sculptural form that would become the base
for a custom dining table. The table would be part of a collection of limited-edition, high-end contemporary
furniture designed by Kelly and her assistant Alex P. White for Kelly Behun
Studio (KBS). The collection as a whole would be inspired by designs evocative of noted 20th century artists and designers and each piece would represent a collaboration
between Kelly and Alex and one or more contemporary artists/artisans sourced by KBS.
For a look into the stylish world of Kelly Behun Studio, see
www.kellybehun.com.
The mosaic project was on a fast track, less than 12 weeks
from initial contact to delivery. Detailed planning began at once. At a meeting
in NYC, I spread out a range of materials and textures in the color palette we
had discussed. Kelly and Alex were familiar with contemporary mosaics and had a
good sense of how they wanted the mosaic surface to look, though for a short
time we considered combining the unglazed porcelain tile they favored with
handmade ceramic elements and/or raku-fired tile in a complementary palette. I
worked up some sample boards showing how these materials could be combined. In
the end, however, as we saw photos of the sculpture-in-progress, Kelly and Alex
zeroed in on an undulating, sinuous design for the mosaic, and it became clear
that the bold graphic pattern would read best if we restricted the colors to
black and an off-white and kept the materials palette free of distracting
elements.
The undulating mosaic pattern in this plaza was a jumping-off point for our design. |
The table base was delivered to my Skillman, NJ studio on
June 15th. It had been sculpted in two massive pieces of solid cork (very heavy!) by
Robert Brou of Naturalism Furniture in Atlanta, GA to resemble a pair of
soft-edged tree stumps leaning toward each other. Ultimately, the two parts would be joined
across a “bridge” designed to support an oversized tabletop fabricated in rare
Macassar ebony (the top also created by Robert Brou).
I created the mosaic on adhesive film over a pattern traced from a section of the design. When the section was complete, a second sheet of film was laid over it, creating a mosaic "sandwich."
Precision cutting and fitting was the key to keeping the design uniform and minimizing installation problems. |
Each day I photographed my progress and sent images to Kelly
and Alex. We all were excited to see the mosaic grow as the tile snaked its way
around the curvy forms.
The sequence above shows the mosaic taking shape on the larger of the two bases while the smaller base, almost complete, can be seen in the background.
Signature tiles were incorporated into the mosaic.
By July 30th, the mosaic-making phase was complete and I began
attaching the sections to the base with a thinset made of Laticrete 1500 sanded
grout and Laticrete 4237 latex additive, a mixture that guaranteed a solid
installation. This is always a messy, labor-intensive process that proceeds on
its own timetable, a function of hard-to-control factors like humidity, drying
time, ease of cleanup, etc.
I began with the smaller of the two bases, moving
around the form section by small section, preparing the surface with a thin bed
of the setting material, combing over this layer with a notched trowel, then
pressing each back-buttered section into position, securing it with thin nails
between the tiles to prevent slippage. Once each side of the sculpture was
installed, I went back over it to fill in any missing tiles, then applied fresh
grout to fill in any gaps. My assistant
on this phase was Spring Paul, a student on break from Moore College of Art and
Design in Philadelphia. Spring was great to work with: careful, conscientious,
and indefatigable. Having an extra pair of hands for four long days of grouting
and rinsing and wipe-down and finishing kept the project on track.
The photo sequence below shows some steps in the installation process.
Here I have peeled away one sheet of mosaic film to back-butter the underside of the mosaic, pushing the thinset-grout mixture between the tiles. |
The section, still held together with a top layer of mosaic film, is lined up carefully against the pattern and pressed firmly into place. |
The first few sections of tile installed on the smaller base. Gaps and missing tiles would be filled in before final grouting. |
Bases ready for pickup. |
All finishing work was complete by August 8th, just one day before the mosaic was scheduled for pickup. A carpenter temporarily removed a studio door to allow safe passage of the two bases, now considerably heavier with the addition of tile and grout. Each base required four men to carry it out and to the waiting truck.
The Loggia Table, now retitled "After Burle" for the gallery show, shown here with its freeform Macassar ebony top. |
The KBS “After” furniture line received enthusiastic press
coverage in the New York Times
(September 19), in the online edition of the Wall Street Journal (September 20), in Manhattan Modern Luxury magazine (October), in Dwell (October), and in numerous design blogs. For the mosaics
community, the SKOTE video made in connection with the show was featured on
Mosaic Art Now online.
Here is the table as photographed for Elle Decor in a feature on the designer's spectacular Hamptons home. |