Whew! Yesterday was a whirlwind of mosaic mural-making activity. All Hands Art (i.e. me and my 16 year-old daughter Natalie) participated in the East Bay Mini Maker Faire as exhibitors for the first time.

With a walk-up crew of, oh I don't know... maybe 120 different faire-goers-turned-mosaic-artists, we completed 15 square feet of mosaic in about six hours. Most of the participants had never tried mosaic before. That was my exact purpose in bringing this project to the Faire—to demonstrate that all hands can make art!

Behind the Scenes...

Lots of preparation took place in the days and weeks leading up to the Faire. I met with staff members at Park Day School (the Faire's planners/hosts) to brainstorm design ideas; researched images related to their chosen theme of peace/justice/conservation; sketched and refined the designs; chose colors; broke up tiles; gathered other needed tools and materials; drew paint-by-number-style lines on the portable cement board base; transported it all to the Faire grounds the day before; and prepared signage and promotional materials.

On the day of the Faire, we were ready for whatever came our way! The flow of people changed minute by minute, from a quiet trickle to a veritable onslaught.

All day long, Natalie and I fielded questions about materials, techniques, and design issues. People were curious and appreciative and enthusiastic.

One mosaic newbie quickly became engrossed and stayed around long enough that I asked her to help orient some newcomers. Soon I heard her answering those same questions about materials, techniques, and design issues, with enough confidence that people thought she was part of my staff. And she'd had about 30 minutes of mosaic experience! Love, love, love it.

How All Hands Art Can Help YOU

I've described the mural design and production process here to demystify it AND to encourage you to give it a try! All Hands Art is your go-to source for any or all stages of the art-making process.

Do-it-Yourselfers: You've got a half-finished project in your garage, or one that's been on the back burner waiting to begin. Hire me for a consultation and I'll make sure you've got the materials and know-how you need to bring your creative project to beautiful completion!

Business owners, managers, troop leaders, group leaders: Looking for a meaningful experience with lasting results? All Hands Art can facilitate your group mural project all the way through from a vague inkling of an idea, to applying the finishing touches. Imagine your employees (for example) seeing the fruits of their collective artistic efforts every day when they come to work. Talk about team building!

Email me (Pam) to get started: handygal@me.com; or call 510.329.2791.