exhibit

Suntaker #4 – 4.5″ x 4.5″ Mosaic

Suntaker #4 – Mosaic of a sunflower made with recycled candy and drink labels

Suntaker #4 – 2012
4.5″ x 4.5″ Mosaic on BFK Rives Paper

I took this picture on the side of the road where I work here in North Fort Worth. Somehow there’s still a lot of sunflowers still blooming in 100 degree heat. This is one of four small mosaics I made in prepwork for my school’s alumni exhibit. I’m glad I learned how to work small and on paper. I didn’t think it would be possible. Most of the labels used in the mosaic are Shiner Bock beer labels, Lemon Starburst wrappers, Snapple Peach Iced Tea and Mary Jane candy wrappers. Spread the word and Pin it to your boards.


Back to gallery

Pressed Flower – 18 x 24 Mosaic

Pressed Flower – #Mosaic made with #recycled candy and drink labels

About the Mosaic

An 18″ x 24″ on pressboard and done in low relief, this sunflower mosaic is a must see in person. To give the art the low relief three dimensional look, I incorporated various thickness of cardboard then finishing the surface with monopoly property cards before adding the color of the candy wrappers and drink labels. Giclee prints are available to purchase with a finish size of 9″ x 12″, signed and numbered to 400. In September 2012, this will be on display here locally in Fort Worth, Texas at Fort Worth Community Arts Center coinciding with the city’s Gallery Night.

Back to gallery

Suntaker #3 – 18 x 24 Mosaic

Suntaker #3 – #Mosaic made with #recycled candy and drink labels

Suntaker #3 – 18 x 24 Mosaic on Masonite

I created this mosaic on the heels of other exhibit work for a silent auction this October benefiting Tarrant County’s local AIDS Outreach Center. Last year I participated in the same auction being my first showing in 12 years as I was glad to participate for the sake of others. Adding the fushia/purple hues was born out of frustration to make the image pop some more. The background was a different approach, as I am finding the gray-area between recognizing the brand vs. the color of the label in the subject to be a problem that needs to be tightened up. The image needs to spell out both the retention of the brand while the creation holds its own ground. Anyways, I am satisfied with the results as this opens the door a little more from certain constraints. Labels used are mostly Twinnings tea wrappers, Lemon Starburst wrappers, various blue labels in the background. The purple/fushia colors I added before finishing the piece are from Wonka’s Bottle Cap candy wrappers.

If you are using Pinterest, pleasepin it and share with others.

Click to enlarge image

Back to Gallery

Suntaker #2 – 12 x 18 Mosaic

Suntaker #2 – #Mosaic made with #recycled candy and drink labels

About the Mosaic

12″ x 18″ on masonite,the mosaic is made mostly with Twinnings tea wrappers, Snapple Peach Iced Tea, imported chocolate bar labels, some gold foil and various green labels in the background. Sunflowers are found all over Texas. They are everywhere. This is the fourth of the four mosaics I made a for an exhibit in Fort Worth last September, 2011. Thinking ahead, I figured flowers would be a good subject matter, knowing candy wrappers and drink labels tend to be bright and colorful. For example, as a husband, it would be smart to buy my wife flowers occasionally. When buying a bouquet, I would choose the flowers with the brighter colors. Sunflowers, in general are popular and in various methods of decor. My wife indeed likes a nice bouquet of sunflowers in the house.

If you are using Pinterest, pleasepin it and share with others.



Back to Gallery

A Vibrant Morning Wake – 12 x 18 Mosaic

A Vibrant Morning Wake - Mosaic made with recycled candy and drink labels

About the Mosaic

The mosaic is made with recycled purple tea wrappers, Laffy Taffy grape, Now n’Later wrappers and various green labels in the background to create these Spiderwort flowers. The wildflower can be found here in Texas. Special thanks to Cindy Dyer for allowing me to transform her picture into one of my mosaics. She’s an incredible photographer. I originally made four 12″ x 18″s for an exhibit in Fort Worth and decided to make giclee prints. The prints made are scale down to half the size in order to tighten up the detail. One point to make: working in the print industry, there’s a bit of give and take when dealing with printing from an original. The printer and I were surprised the labels scanned well and the colors did not change or vary from the original mosaic. If you have checked out my other prints for sale, the last two sentences are being repeated for a reason. I’m amazed by the detail the prints captured. They look absolutely fantastic. This is my favorite out of the four.

If you use Pintrest, pleasePin it and share the link.

12″ x 18″ on masonite. Used by permission ©Cindy Dyer



Back to gallery

Firewheels on a Hot Summer Day – 12 x 18 Mosaic

Firewheels on a Hot Summer Day – #Mosaic made with #recycled candy and drink labels

About the Mosaic

12″ x 18″ on masonite, this mosaic is made with Pomegranate Tootsie Pop, Twinnings tea, Lemon Starburst, Snapple Peach Iced Tea labels and various green labels in the background to create these Firewheel wildflowers. These flowers are found all over North Texas. My thoughts going into this was the fact the temperature in the summertime unfortunately gets up in the 100s. So I set out to make a mosaic to remind me of how crazy I am doing outside activities like mowing my lawn in the triple digit heat. The colors used are by default, bright and over saturated. Candy wrappers and especially waxed paper like a Tootsie Pop wrapper don’t have any mute colors. My guess is they might look old and stale. Since when does candy have a shelf life anyways?
Please be kind and pin this up in Pinterest.



Back to gallery

Blue-Eyed Grass Duet – 12 x 18 Mosaic

Blue-Eyed Grass Duet – #Mosaic made with #recycled candy and drink labels

About the Mosaic

12″ x 18″ on masonite, the mosaic is made with Blueberry Stash tea, Shiner Blonde beer, Twinnings tea and various green labels in the background to create these Blue-Eyed Grass wildflowers. These flowers are found in central and north Texas. This is the first of four mosaics I made and one of the first wildflower pictures I created. Thinking ahead, I figured flowers would be a good subject matter, knowing candy wrappers and drink labels tend to be bright and colorful. For example, as a husband, it would be smart to buy my wife flowers occasionally. When buying a bouquet, I would choose the flowers with the brighter colors. That got the ball rolling. This mosaic seems to be popular from feedback I’ve been given.

Please push this to Pinterest and share with others.



Back to gallery

A Types – 24 x 36 Mosaic

A Types – #Mosaic made with #recycled candy and drink labels

A Types – 24″ x 36″ x 2″ gallery-wrap mosaic on masonite

In 2011, I was invited to an exhibit here in Fort Worth, Texas and I came across an idea of bulls locking horns. This mosaic is a direct reflection of folks who are set in their ways. These individuals will dig in their heels and stand their ground over ideas and ethics which have little or no impact on others. I think it’s more of a tolerance issue. Regardless, it’s something I see in all aspects of life as they are needed for reasons I couldn’t step into and make things work. But again, it’s a different mindset I’ll never understand.

If possible, spread the word elsewhere and Pin it to your boards.

Click to enlarge image

Back to gallery

Shelter – 24 x 36 Mosaic

Shelter – #mosaic made with #recycled candy and drink labels

About the Mosaic

24″ x 36″ x 2″ gallery-wrap on masonite, this mosaic was made for an exhibit in July 2011, here in Fort Worth. The two horses I found on Flickr and with permission, I transformed the image using nothing but warm colored candy wrappers. I’ll be the first to say it’s not my favorite, but it’s something I needed to work through to learn a few techniques on color selection, the cut and patterns I used during the process. As as good friend of mine was photographing the finished piece, it was a challenge to get the exposure right because of the brightness of the colors. Most of the labels used were Tootsie Pop Wrappers. Quick note to make, I ended up ironing the wrappers to take out some of the wax.

If you are using Pinterest, pleasepin it and share with others.

Click to enlarge image

Back to gallery

DeKoi Roy – 18 x 24 Mosaic

DeKoi Roy – #koi #fish #mosaic made with #recycled candy and drink labels

About this Mosaic

18″ x 24″ x .5″ on foamcore board, this mosaic was made for an art auction, benefiting the local Tarrant County AIDS Outreach Center. The auction was my first art showing in 12 years. As nervous as I was, I met some great people I still speak with today. The koi fish is something I remember feeding in a pond as a kid. I’m not sure where I was, probably the Fort Worth Zoo or the Botanical Gardens down the street. The labels in the background were layered with translucent black and blue gum wrappers to mimic blue water. Labels used are Stride gum, orange Tootsie Roll wrappers and white sugar packets. Also used are saltwater taffy wrappers, layered over the top in the gills.

If you are using Pinterest, please pin it and share with others.

Click to enlarge image

Back to gallery