Going to pieces

This time of year is so crazy busy for me with garden work and preparing the house for summer.  May always seems to be a month where I feel like I'm running from the time I get up until the time I collapse into bed.  So... this is a quick pop in to post about the challenge for this month and my entry.

This month's theme was mosaics.  And as always happens, many great interpretations on the theme were crafted.  Here's a sampling of the entries:

Please remember to go to the PCAGOE blog to vote for your favorite 3 entries before midnight 5/7/13 EST.

Here's a larger photo of my entry: 

 

I began designing this piece in my head in the middle of March and it literally took all of April to pull it together.  The polymer clay tiles were created using various techniques.  The brilliant blue tiles were created with mica shift, the lime green back feathers were simply a skinner blend of greens, and the darker green tail feathers were a take on Lynda Moseley's controlled marbling technique.  For the green of these tail feathers I did a controlled blend of teal and emerald greens with one contrast of rust red, then I took the blended sheet and cut it into strips which I assembled bargello style before I cut all of the individual tiles.  The tray's background was created with a blend of clays and mica powders to create a look similar to Travertine marble. The hundreds of pieces were all hand cut and individually glued in place, then a grout was smoothed over the entire piece.  The piece was sanded and buffed and coated with a protective finish.  This piece will likely end up in my mother's hands, as she loves peacocks and I think she'd love receiving this for Mother's day.  She has always been such a strong influence on me and what I create... when I begin creating something special like this piece she's never far from my mind, so it's no wonder I tend to create special pieces themed with subjects that she deems beautiful.  And it's no wonder that when I feel like I'm scattered by all that awaits on my schedule, thoughts of my mom can always ground me.... truly an amazing woman.