We see different parts of the design taking shape and that gives us great satisfaction. Progress is slow because the image is very detailed and therefore difficult to translate to mosaic. The challenge is welcome and when a difficult section is resolved in a beautiful way, we rejoice.
Here is David the psalmist from the David the Shepherd medallion. I decided to execute the faces and hands with marble rather than glass. This is the way the Byzantines treated their figures and I find the contrast interesting. It makes the faces stand apart.
Here are three sheep in various degrees of completion beautifully modeled by Sammantha Holmes in the Bronx. The purple sheep is wonderfully alive!
This is the beautiful sunrise in the David panel!
And last but not least, our Italian partner in this project, Monica Pisilli, has started working on the drapery on the figure of Christ!
As you can see, mosaic fabrication is a team effort. I am blessed to have such talented and dedicated partners in this venture, artists who understand my aesthetic sensibility and choices and whose spirit brings to life in a unique way my design!
We work on small sections at a time, in three different locations (New Jersey, New York and Ravenna, Italy). We have weekly three way video conversations and I travel to New York once a week to observe progress, to resolve issues, decide on how to move forward, and encourage each other on. Eventually, all these pieces will be brought together, adjusted and stored to be installed on site.
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