CREATIVE PROCESS
Custom Creation - Creating Symbolism
Courtship Flight is a mural done recently for a private residence patio wall in Scottsdale, AZ. Carolyn met with the client several times and looked at the space. The client collects bald eagles so she took that as her theme and did some research. The bald eagle has become the living symbol of American freedom, spirit and the pursuit of excellence, which is symbolized by the eagles flying up from the bottom and in from the right side.
Carolyn hit upon the title and design during her research. Bald eagles mate by locking claws and tumbling down several hundred feet in the sky, then spiraling up again before mating. This pattern is symbolized by the red ribbon. "America cries" is symbolized by the bald eagle in the bottom right shedding a tear and "humanity suffers 9-11" by the small eagles. The mural was done on 4 panels to be hung with interlocking aluminum strips on an exterior concrete wall. The corner pieces have an eagle shield design with RSS, the clients initials.
To create the tile mural, Carolyn first draws on tracing paper and then transfers the drawing to the tiles. The wax line work is applied either by hand or by silk screening. Carolyn often fires the tiles several times, and the glazes she employs cause the colors to change to a brilliant richness after the first firing. Carolyn likes to work in the cuerda seca method of a wax/oil line and raised glazes.
Installation:
The tiles are first laid out and numbered on the back with an arrow pointing to the top. This is important because of the numerous firings the tiles may go through and for installation. The tiles can be permanently installed or installed on removable panels. The panels fit together and are caulked so they appear as one, but can be removed or sold as art separately if the home is sold.
