Client: Private collection

Overview

Watercolor is a 3′ x 12′ mosaic wall sculpture that was commissioned as one of the final components of a cohesively designed beachfront home in South Florida. Consisting of water glass, dichroic glass, and resin, this three dimensional sculpture harmonizes with its surrounding design elements and spectacular ocean views.

Goals

With its wrap-around floor to ceiling windows, this home's main room has jaw dropping views of the Atlantic Ocean. Perched on the 14th floor, the space literally hovers over the sea. Knowing that the glass in the mosaic would reflect these views, my goal was to embrace this special opportunity and create a piece as aqueous as possible; to bring the ocean into the room itself and to invite the viewer to dive in and get lost in a dreamy world of coral reefs and tropical fish. The color palette consists of a wide range of blues, from turquoise to indigo, as well as dichroic glass that transforms from blue to green, much like the ever-changing colors of the ocean. There are touches of gold and chartreuse that echo the bar's wall paper and club chairs, but also evoke the glint of sunlight hitting the water. All of these colors change throughout the day and synchronize with nature's dramatic outdoor display.

Process

To ensure that the artwork would fit seamlessly into her interior design, Yelena shared material swatches and renderings with me. Designer, client, and artist all worked together to determine the ideal design, dimensions, and color palette of the artwork. Once the final mosaic rendering was approved, the commission was finalized and soon after went into production. Fabrication included hand cutting hundreds of strips of glass and resin and wet sanding them to fit into the intricate linear design. Eight weeks later, the four modular panels were custom crated and shipped down to Florida. The challenging installation required that all panels line up perfectly to create one large seamless work of art.