Crowpost's Blog

What’s New at Kast Hill Studio Mosaics

crowpost — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:27:10 +0000

Workshops are filling fast and I’m excited for the upcoming “Mosaic Hearts” class. It’s a chance to try out a great new adhesive and create a project in one evening. The class only has 2 openings left, so if you’re thinking about it, email me soon! Also on the table is a commission of a slice of garden- dragonflies are the focus and I’m having fun with the materials, especially the irridescent bits for the wings. Who ever knew there were so many kinds of dragonflies in NH? Or that damselflies are of the same family- or is it species?!? I also learned that dragonflies do what’s called “obelisking”, when the summer sun is at it’s highest, they point their abdomens to the sky to expose the least amount directly to the sun, so staying cooler. Pretty interesting, I thought! This panel will be lifesize x2 or so- a close up view of dragonflies and habitat. It will hang outside on a garden wall. What a great project for this cold and strange winter! Next up, I’m preparing for the NH State Home Show, March 2, 3 and 4 at the Center of NH, Manchester. This is their 45th year and should be a huge event. There are hundreds of exhibitors. I’ll be doing a demonstration/creating a backsplash for a kitchen from recycled stained glass and china- my specialty! I’m excited to be a part of this huge show and am working at designing a killer booth. Hope you all will stop by and say hello. Not sure where I’ll be in the building yet, but you can find me in the directory there! After that, I’m planning on the same type of demo at the NH Made Expo also at the Center of NH on April 14 & 15. Depending on how large the crowd is, this may be a Community Mosaic Project that you can work on with me. I’m so happy to have so much to look forward to. It’s going to be a busy time and I feel very lucky to be doing what I love the most; introducing the art of mosaics to people every day. Hope to see you soon!

Back in the Saddle Again

crowpost — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:26:03 +0000

Hi All! I’m sorry it’s been such a long long time. I was in a battle with Lyme disease this summer and it knocked me off my horse. It’s all good now and I’m back out in my studio and have discovered some rockin’ new materials to mosaic with. I’m planning some fantastic workshops for the winter and will post dates, etc. soon. Life is mosaic, life is good!

“Bras Across the River” Event

crowpost — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:24:43 +0000

Come out to the Elm St. bridge in Manchester this Saturday from 1-5 pm to support breast cancer cure research. I’ll be there demonstrating the art of mosaic and donating a 2-Dimensional mosaic, “Healing”, for the raffle. There’ll be live music, info booths and food and a lot of good energy. Come say hi!

Inspired Spring Mosaics and the Care and Feeding of an Artist

crowpost — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:37:37 +0000

Just wanted to share some thoughts about spring and such. I’ve been inspired by the piles of snow still lingering in our yard. Tucked in the corner of the barn and ell is an especially large one we affectionately call “Mt.Fuji” to honor our intention of building a japanese style garden there some day. We think it will work well as it will be primarily fine gravel and large stones for a zen style garden. In other words, it can tolerate a large dumping of snow/weight and not by any worse for the wear. But I digress… I love the various tints of white, blue, yellow and even rose as the light changes on this snow pile. Spring is all around in new shades of greens and yellows, yet here sits this pile of stubborn-ness. Anyway, I’m inspired by it and have found myself making all white mosaics in the form of 3-D mushrooms. I have a lot of white scraps in various tints with interesting cracks and raised patterns and I LOVE how they work together. The sculptural effect can’t be underestimated…
I also wanted to tell you how good Tai Chi and Yoga have been for me this past winter and now. So calming and grounding. Much needed in all this business. And fortunately, I AM busy!
So, if you’re looking for peace, try Tai Chi and Yoga, could be just the thing!

March Mosaics

crowpost — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 12:58:23 +0000

I guess it’s a good thing I’m so busy I can’t seem to keep up with this writing… Just recently awarded an artist residency in April at the Nottingham West Elementary school in Hudson, NH to work with grades 1-5. I’ll be making mosaic toadstool seats with the little ones and Caribbean style mosaic wall panels with the 4th and 5th graders. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate spring than with sunny, bright, sparkly and colorful kid mosaics! Thank you Nan Constant!

Mosaics to Go at Bed & Breakfast

crowpost — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:53:04 +0000

Had a wonderful time running this workshop at Wild Orchard Guest House in Deerfield, NH this past weekend. We had nine participants all from the surrounding area who had a fine time, each person creating a 9×12 mosaic panel using recycled stained glass, china shards and found treasures. We had a blast sitting in our host’s dining room surrounded by her gorgeous collection of contemporary ceramics and other fine crafts. We were warned to keep our mitts off though, just in case we were eyeballing them for our mosaics! The workshop was followed by a great picnic style lunch and everyone went home with a fantastic completed mosaic and a full belly…
The weather, though extremely windy and chilly, cooperated and a great time was had by all.
I hope to run more workshops like this in the near future, but in the meantime am preparing for the Dunbarton Arts and Garden Festival at the end of April and first weekend in May. I’ll tell you all more about this soon!
Thanks for visiting my blog/website and keep those comments coming!

“Night Tea” Custom Mosaic Commission

crowpost — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 15:56:59 +0000

I recently completed a custom stove backsplash for a couple who LOVES birds. They requested something whimsical that incorporated some of their favorite wing-ed ones. I had a lot of fun creating this one and I hope it shows!
I can create a mosaic for anywhere in your home or workplace, any size, just about any shape and with a variety of materials. I love using recycled stained glass and china and can incorporate pretty much any found objects and treasures that you may have. The possibilites are endless and the results are SO FUN!

New Mosaic Workshops for Winter 2011!

crowpost — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:27:41 +0000

I’m very excited to announce my new workshops for this winter. I’m especially thrilled to be able to offer a workshop at the gorgeous and inspiring Wild Orchard Guest House in Deerfield, NH. Filled with antiques and contemporary crafts, it is the best place for kindling creative spirits! Innkeeper Molly Grant is a welcoming and talented craftsperson in her own right as a custom leather shoemaker (Cordwainer Shoes). It has been her long-time dream to have classes at the Inn and I’m happy to be the first! Please go to my Workshop page for the details of both this special workshop and my studio workshops here at Kast Hill. Thanks for your on-going support and can’t wait to see you all soon! Happy Winter, Lizz

Local Librarians Rock the Mosaic

crowpost — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 23:57:04 +0000

We had a blast last month at K.H. Studios’ “Mosaics to Go” workshop creating panels in a spontaneous burst of creative mayhem and wonderful madness. Fueled by wine and potluck merriment, the ladies of our town library used recycled stained glass, china and found objects to portray their innermost artistic spirits (or not!) By 9:30 or so, they were putting the finishing touches on their masterpieces and getting ready to head out into the night. Wonderful works and great times were had by all! Who knew the librarians had it in ‘em?!? Well, we all did!

Mosaic Wasteland

crowpost — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:08:35 +0000

Come to Red River Theater in Concord, NH this Friday night at 6pm (project at 6 and movie at 7, project continues after movie!)
World-renowned artist Vik Muniz embarks on one of the most inspired collaborations of his career, joining creative forces with Brazilian catadores — garbage pickers who mine treasure from the towering trash heaps of Rio’s Jardim Gramacho landfill. In this Sundance award-winning documentary, the catadores prove to be unique and surprising individuals in their own right, waxing philosophic as they impart a valuable lesson about what society discards.

Friday’s show: Come early for a special pre-film art project/discussion with Lizz Van Saun. Help create a community mosaic project from recycled glass and talk to mosaic maker Lizz Van Saun.