Kemptown sphere
now on show at 'Architectural Plants' , formerly shown at 'Encounters' brighton festival 2016
Here is how it was made:
I started by taking photographs at Kemptown seafront, by the arches, of the elements that I wanted to include in the mosaic.
After enlarging the images I decided on where and how to place them on the sphere.
Then I made the mosaic pieces in porcelain, and fired them to 1280 degrees, so that they are vitreous and frost-proof. After firing they are pasted face down onto paper and left to dry. These sections are called 'parcels' and stuck onto the sphere. Then the paper is soaked off.
Some section are applied by the 'direct method' by sticking the pieces straight onto the sphere.
When all sections are complete and the cement has dried, the mosaic is grouted using black grout. This brings out the lines between the tiles and shows up like a drawing. So - for this mosaic, the grout forms the design and the tiles are just the background.
When the grouting is complete, the surface is thoroughly cleaned and polished.
The finished sphere was exhibited at 'Encounters', an Artists' Open House in the Brighton Festival 2016