Ipswich Awards of Excellence 2010

Sandy Robertson and members of PANI worked with students, teachers, community and the Ipswich City Council to provide the community of Ipswich with a contemporary mosaic public artwork, installed at Queen's Park Botanical Gardens, Nature Reserve, Ipswich.  The new Bilby enclosure forms a magnificent backdrop to the Arena.

The Numbellie Seat. Two huge curved concrete seats decorated with mosaic application. The panels were created by participating school students across 6 State Schools at Ipswich and selected students from Ipswich State High School. The 7schools worked very hard to learn the art of mosaics and achieve such excellence in mosaics. Sandy worked with teachers and volunteers at her OzMosaics Studio to piece the mosaic on mesh artworks together on cement sheet panels, which were inserted into recesses created in the construction of the seat, to Sandy's instructions.

http://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/about_ipswich/public_art/karalee/   The Everybody Seat won 2009 Award of Excellence and Gold Award.

The Numbellie Seat installed at Queen's Park Ipswich won the Award of Excellence and Gold Award 2010!!!!! (update to come with photos of the Numbellie Seat).

Congrats to all involved - a great achievement and I was proud to be involved in the making of these magnificent mosaic public artworks.

A huge mosaic ball was donated by Sandy to Queen's Park.  Sandy says "we had mosaic mesh artworks which would not fit on the mosaic seat inserts, so we wove them onto a huge mosaic ball.  A table top covered in mosaics was attached at my studio and it formed the taBall!  It's gorgeous and a lovely installation to offset the incredible huge mosaic seats.

A look back at the 2009 Winner of the Award of Excellence, Ipswich.

Below are a few photos of the 2009 Award of Excellence at the "Everybody Seat" installed at Karalee State School, Karalee, Queensland Australia.  Sandy Robertson worked with students at Karalee State School as Artist in Residence Program.

Together with teachers, students, parents, Indigenous Artist and incredible enthusiasm and support of Cheryl Charlton, Vice Principal Karalee State School, this incredible mosaic sculpture grew.  The students are so talented and worked very hard with their mesh mosaics to help building this beautiful seating arena outside the Community Hall  on the school grounds.  

Proudie, the concretor built this mosaic chair to last!  The chair is decorated with mosaic art inside and out.  The inner circle with a huge contemporary mosaic snake, the river, gum leaves work well with local history, fauna and flora and indigenous art.

The outer side of the winding seating arena was inspired by Gaudi - a mosaic fantasy as the outer snake winds and shows the student mosaic interpretations of colourful, happy flowers, kangaroos, tracks and more. 

Visit and be captivated!  The curves are made from china plates to give the lustrous mosaic finish.

A mix of china, porcelain tiles and circles, ceramic floor and wall tile, vitreous glass mosaic, glass beads, polystyrene balls, mosaic fibreglass mesh, concrete, grout and thinset made the base for the  beautiful mosaic art.  Mosaic seats are popular as a useful community artwork.

 You won't be able to sit for long as you want to keep touching the textures and exploring the student artworks.  A beautiful place for the students and community to relax, imagine and enjoy.

So many have asked me "Sandy, what is Zone 4?"

"What is Zone 4?"

Mosaic Zone 4 originated many, many years ago during one of Sandy's mosaic Workshops at Studio OzMosaics.

We were discussing the amazing buzz mosaics can bring;  the wonderful therapy of closing off your thoughts to all but mosaics;  the feeling of mosaic euphoria when your pieces not only connect with the substrate, but connect to your creative being....

The feeling of timlessness.  One tends to float over the work in progress and not hear the demands of everyday life around....

If you remember "Get Smart" and the Cone of Silence, you are on the right track.  We imagine a huge plastic cone (think of a coke bottle cut in half) encasing us, allowing us to see into the NeverNever but only hear our  mosaic thoughts.  We are as one with the tiles, the glue, the Leps.  We are happy, contented and in the creative zone, our own Zone.

Research at OzMosaics shows that it can be a one on one mosaic love affair in the Zone 4 shield, or a group can connect around a mosaic and feel the Zone 4 bond.

It's all about being creative, being happy and being shielded by Zone 4. Come to Studio OzMosaics and feel the effects of Zone 4.  Whether you are fond of mosaic mutterings, need piped music or the tinkle of tiles is enough, you will know when you are in Zone 4.

My latest whimsical mosaic, Home is Where the 'art is (ie Mosaic Retreat) was made in Zone 4.  It emerged as  my hands flew and each piece just seemed to know what it was going to connect with as I felt that mosaic Zone 4 surge of silliness, sublimity (my new word! Zone 4 priveleges) and more.

The Red London Bus is taking us to Zone 4, where the Land of mOz floats above the Mosaic Studio.  The Cherub on Cloud 9 knows that you may need to rest and where better than to float in the mosaic atmosphere.

The Glasshouse mountains and the Yellow mosaic Brick Road, are mosaic milestones and tourist destinations and the way to mosaic Euphoria.  Serendipity, the mosaic nymph is waiting to show you around and as you arrive fireworks welcome you from Brisbane Story Bridge below.

The Bridge tells it's own story as it reflects in the flowing Brisbane River below.  The pink vat is catching mosaic recycled water droplets to irrigate the mosaic pastures and gardens at Zone 4.



If you get a glass puncture, glue is on hand LOL!



So, get onboard the mosaic bus and take the trip of your mosaic life to wherever your 'art leads you. Drop by Zone 4, at OzMosaics and share your mosaic journey!