Grand Tetons Mosaic
I recently got home from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where I installed the mosaic that I’ve been working on all year.
The project was such a big undertaking, and I am so proud of how it turned out. I learned so much from this experience and am grateful to my clients Kellie and Bill for their trust in me as we brought this vision to reality!
I wanted to share a little about how it all happened, along with a few photos.
The clients’ house is at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain, in the Teton Village. They ski right out their back door and over to the lift, which happens to go right over their roof. The skiing on this mountain is extreme and some of the best skiers in the world go there to compete.
Naturally, the mountains became the inspiration for the mosaic.
At first, we considered a winter scene, but eventually decided that would be too much white, since the house is also white (plus the 6 feet of snow that will be there for much of the year!). After a lot of conversation and sketches, we decided on a summer scene of the Grand Teton range, tailored to fit the shape of the wall, which slants upward to the left, and has a section that faces 45 degrees away. We wanted people to feel drawn in by the smaller section as a close up detail of giant boulders, which would then turn the corner and open up to a sweeping view of the range from far enough away that the composition would show wildflowers in the foreground, and a meadow and trees in the middle ground, which gives way to the vast mountain range, with the mountains getting taller as the wall gets taller.
Then, I spent a lot of time learning about the unique rock formations that create these mountains,
studying the jagged layers, the lines, the patterns, the tree formations, and the way snow stays in the crevices all summer long. There is so much to marvel at, especially in comparison with the much smaller and more rounded mountains of the northeast that I’m used to. It took me several tries to draw them jagged enough!
Then came the most exciting part, which was to create the design as a mosaic. I did this in my studio over a period of 6 months. It took a lot of problem solving since the mosaic is bigger than my studio!
I first laid out all of the pieces on contact paper. I had a step ladder next to me at all times, so I could keep climbing up to see how things were looking from a distance. Once I was happy with the layout, I laid another sticky film on top so it was all held together well. Then, I had to cut it up into puzzle-like pieces for re-assembly (to free up space on the workbench).
I made this video showing the first time I re-assembled all of the pieces. It makes it look like it was easy and fast to make, but it was quite the opposite! Then, I loaded it all up and brought it to UPS, to be packaged and shipped. That took a big leap of faith, but it all worked out ok.
My next step was to fly out to Jackson Hole to install it, along with a local tile installer named Doug.
We worked for 5 days to get the mosaic onto the wall, one section at a time. It was an immense amount of work, that required a lot of precision and patience. We had to build a shelter around the wall, to keep out the direct sun and wind, which would have made the adhesive harden too quickly. The dryness of the climate, plus the high altitude made this a big technical challenge, and different from the conditions I’m used to. For both of us, this job was a learning curve in working with someone new, as we each had our own approach and vision for how it should go, based on our own range of experiences. We both had to make compromises and find a balance of when to speak our mind, and when to trust the other. I learned a lot from that process and I’m grateful to Doug for all of his expertise and dedication.
It was a profound experience for me to finally see it completed.
We grouted the mosaic, using 3 different colors to enhance the colors in the design. Once the grout had time to cure, we could take down the tarp shelter and I could finally step back enough to see the whole piece in its finished state. Click on the arrow on the image above to see more images of the installation process.
Then, Bill and Sophia, my husband and daughter, flew in so we could turn this into a family vacation, along with my dear friend Amy who road tripped from Denver to see me.
We spent the next 4 days hiking, swimming, floating down the river and exploring the town. We found a giant troll, an epic trampoline, and even took the tram to the top of the mountain to have our breath taken away by the incredible views. On the way up, we noticed that if you look at just the right moment, you can even see the mosaic from the tram, since it goes directly over the roof!
All in all, I am so proud of this work.
It took just about a year and taught me so much, way more than I can write about in this post. It’s such a blessing to have the opportunity to do work that I love.Thank you for reading this! If you’ve made it this far, you now have a sense of the process, and I’m grateful for your interest in my work.
Cheers!
