It’s hip to be square

This mosaic was kind of a cross between 2 previous projects, which diligent readers will know and recognize. After seeing a picture of the lamp and the small checkered plate I had made, a friend asked if I could make a colourful checkered lamp for her son’s room. I, of course, eagerly accepted the job.

I was pretty excited about the project for a number of reasons: (a) it was my first commission, which was kind of flattering, (b) i thought the end product was going to look absolutely smashing, and (c) the checkered pattern meant that it would be a fairly quick job to finish (at least the gluing part). What I didn’t expect were the endless shards of glass that kept lodging themselves in my poor hands as I cut all the squares. Yes, by the end of this project I was an expert in extracting those little bastards from my skin (or biting my tongue as my partner did it for me using an assortment of pins and tweezers under a harsh bright light).

I think the end product is fun; the colours make me smile for some reason, and I think they really stand out in the white grout. And I’m glad I didn’t make the squares perfectly symmetrical – how boring would that have been? Anyway, I hope wee Josh likes it and gets many years of enjoyment out of it (at least until he enters that teenage angst phase).