Client: private

Overview

Some Pig! is a cement pig covered in pink paisley mosaic swirls. Inspired by Wilbur, the charming character in Charlotte’s Web, by E. B. White, he is decorated with custom-made porcelain letter tiles spelling out quotes such as, “That pig is radiant!”, “There isn’t a pig in the whole state as terrific as our pig.”, and “Humble. Now isn’t that just the word for Wilbur!” The green mosaic base includes letter tiles which spell, “Quotes from Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White.”

Wilbur measures approximately 36″ from snout to tail, 21″ tall, and 13″ wide at the base. He weighs in at about 300lbs –or a bit more. State Fair worthy for sure!

Handcut stained glass, vitreous glass tiles, glass millefiori, glass beads, glazed ceramic tile, glass gems, vintage Czech crystal-and-glass buttons, and custom-made porcelain tiles cover him from hoof to ear in paisley swirls of pink, peach, salmon, cream, and magenta. His base is a confection of green fan-shaped scallops, also created with vitreous glass mosaic tiles, glazed ceramic tiles, and custom-made porcelain tiles.

Goals

My goal for this piece was to create a charming and humorous mosaic based on the character from the book. I hoped he would be featured in book displays in libraries and/or book shops. He was not commissioned.

Process

This project came from my inspiration both from the book, Charlotte's Web, and from a collection of whimsical puzzles I had as a child. I had an acquaintance who happened to be the children's books coordinator for this particular branch of the library system. Since she was familiar with my artwork, she invited Wilbur to spend a few months at the library, and built a display around him.