Nothing to do with fiber or food!

I just got back from a five day Mosaic intensive taught by Wilma Wyss at Esalen... Fabulous class, beautiful venue...  I learned so much!!!

After making a test piece, we sketched a design. I challenged myself to make it representative of something at Esalen. I thought about poppies; they're just starting to bloom. Then I though about Monarch butterflies, which were everywhere, and resolved to mosaic a butterfly. Then I went back to the art room, where folks had been choosing colors, and making sure they had bountiful glass for their mosaics and there was no orange left... So I resolved to use the colors that I had. This view inspired me.

Which became this sketch. Wilma helped me simplify the design and gave me suggestions on how to run the grout lines to make it interesting.  A quick perusal of the glass that was left made me decide on a grey sky, green ocean and purple hills.

I also dived into Wilma's scrap bins and found some blues for the ocean and some browns for the hills. Richard, my Esalen big brother, donated some blues as well. The big step was freeing myself to quickly and un-fussily place the ocean tiles without pre-planning... 

Finally, I debated the grout. A lighter grout would have served the sky better, a darker grout better for hills and sea. I picked the dark and have no regrets. I am thrilled beyond belief at how it came out.

And Esalen? I feel I should say something. Such a stunningly beautiful place filled with exceptional caring people offering love and respect.  And I heard over and over how people don't feel alive outside of Esalen, that they can't create the same sacred space in their everyday, that their community in the outside world is unexceptional or non-existent. One woman wailed that she could not bear to leave Esalen and go back to her old existence. How sad that is to me! I find myself wondering what the world would be like if these people brought all this wonderful energy and community home with them?