Sunday, September 12, 2010

A Mosaic House of Cheer


In my prior blog post I showed some of the poignant 9-11 memorials I've seen in New York City and this house at 108 Wyckoff Street in the Boerum Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn is in a way another one.  It is the home of artist Susan Gardner.  After all the sad events of 9-11 Garner began gluing pieces of shells, beads, buttons, jewelry, tiles, mirrors, broken cups/dishes and much more into a large mosaic flower on the outside wall of her brownstone house. She wanted the mosaic to be a celebration of life, and to share it with her neighbors and people who passed by to cheer them.


Gardner like the initial mosaic flower so much she began to add more and more mosaic designs to the house, and has been adding more to it every summer since 2001, with the hopes of someday covering the entire building facade.


Gardner says that the neighborhood has embraced and encouraged the project and even leave her bits of materials, such as a broken cup or mirror. 


All photos can be enlarged to see more detail by clicking on them once, and then again when they open on a new page.

Some of the house's mosaic details.


A portion of the ground in front is also a mosaic.


The fence is covered with mosaic pieces....


.....and so are the window guards.


The mosaics reach up to the second floor windows, and so about half of the brownstone's exterior is covered.


As well as being an artist Ms.Gardner teaches painting and sculpture as the head of the Studio Program at Yeshiva University.  You can see some of her paintings and more photos of the house on her website.

She hopes her mosaic house will cheer and amuse all that see it.  I think it does just that! What do you think?


I'm linking to Mary at the Little Red House blog's Mosaic Monday.  Please visit Mary today to see her beautiful photo mosaics and the links to all the blogs participating today!




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50 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is fascinating! With all the work that she has put into that mosiac, she'll have to stay in that house forever. I love that you gave us close-up [octires to show how intricate it is. Someone could probably walk by it every day for months and notice something different every time.

Thank you for your beautiful 9/11 post. I knew right where to come. You have shown some touching tributes most of us would not have seen otherwise. Thank you.

Cheryl D. said...

That is totally amazing! I can't imagine what it would look like in person. I also can't imagine an artist spending this amount of time on a project that she can't really sell or make money on!

Thanks for sharing!

La Petite Gallery said...

WOW! That is a lot of work I did chair with old jewerly etc, It took 3 months. This is so fantastic. I could not stop looking at the images you have taken. I wonder what kind of
glue she used, to be able to withstand the snow and hot temps we had this year. Thanks so much a great post.

La Petite Gallery said...

WOW! That is a lot of work I did chair with old jewerly etc, It took 3 months. This is so fantastic. I could not stop looking at the images you have taken. I wonder what kind of
glue she used, to be able to withstand the snow and hot temps we had this year. Thanks so much a great post.

Vee said...

Well, I think that it is different. There are elements that I really, really like a lot. On the other hand, there goes the historic brownstone. I would imagine that her neighbors might well be amused and delight to see the ongoing progress. There are some communities in my corner where this would not be allowed, but in my town, anything goes!

A Garden of Threads said...

Ohmygosh, what a colorful mosaic addition to the fron of the house.

Debbiedoos said...

Now that is a mosaic....just beautiful! Hard to believe someone can do this all by hand. Great photos you captured too.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Oh My Gosh, Pat. that is so incredible. I had to call hubby to my computer to see this... He said: That is what is called TALENT.

What a neat celebration ---for the NYC community. With all of the sadness of 9/11---this truly is a symbol of HOPE... I love it..

Thanks Pat for sharing.
Hugs,
Betsy

Mary said...

Wow, how amazing & what an incredible amount of work...I love the fact that her neighbors encourage her art by leaving her pieces to add to the exterior~ thanks for sharing this!

Lenore said...

Now that is some labor of love!!! Very beautiful and touching...thanks for giving us a look at this wonderful art.

Catherine said...

A joy to behold! The artist is brilliant. It is wonderful!

Maria M. Boyer said...

Pat,
How very timely! Our elementary school is kicking off a mosaic project tomorrow morning. I think I will have an even greater appreciation for this work of art in about four weeks, when our project is done. How fun. And what a nice tribute. Thanks for sharing.

Snap said...

Wonderful! I can't imagine walking by and not smiling! That's a lot of work and fun. Very special.

Sue said...

Wow, this really is a labor of love for her! This is truly amazing. Thanks for sharing this art, Pat!
~ Sue

Sheila said...

The artist is on a journey that is unbelievable. Her dedication and creativity have created an amazing work of art. Thanks to you Pat for showing this amazing mosaic to your readers.

Viki said...

Wow, it looks beautiful and amazing. I bet it looks wonderful in person.

Pondside said...

I think that this house would make me smile every time I passed by. I think that if I lived nearby I'd bring any out-of-town guest around to see it. It's Great!

pam said...

Living in NYC affords you so many opportunities to delight us with wonders. This is amazing...thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

at first i thought..oh no! but then i really looked at it...so beautiful...she is a talented artist and what fun to have something so colorful and meaningful to brighten the neighborhood. i love it!

Ginny Hartzler said...

Hi Pat, I come by way of Betsy. These pictures are amazing!! Isn't it wonderful that the owner of the building has encouraged her? I love looking at various kinds of art. I especially enjoyed the different Sept. 11 memorials, perhaps my favorut is the eleven sided teardrop. How lovely and sorrowful that one is.

dianasfaria.com said...

I hope the artist gets to see your blog post Pat. This is a lovely way to celebrate her amazing work of art.
I also wanted you to know I found your recent blog post on Coney Island very helpful to read before planning my trip there this last weekend.
Thank you very much!
: )

A Bit of the Blarney said...

What an interesting concept. I can only imagine the time this has taken. So architecture though a work of art in many ways becomes the canvas!!! WOW!! Cathy

Kat said...

What an amazing artist. This really is incredible, how could you not smile every time you passed. Thanks for showing some shots of the details, I LOVE that dancing couple. Once again, you've shown us something off the beaten path that we would probably never see. Thanks! Kat

Gracie said...

It's a little weird but in the end......I like it!

Jojo said...

That is beautiful (and I'm really glad the neighborhood likes it too)!

Tracy said...

That is INCREDIBLE...what it must be like to see for real--all the shine & shimmer from the mosaics! I wonder what kind of glue/fixative is used? Wow... I'm just dazzled! Very fun post, Pat--thanks! Happy Days ((HUGS))

Sarah said...

Pat, this is an amazing project. I've seen similiar things done in various places, but I think this may be the most detailed mosaic work. Thanks for the close up photos so we could really get a feel for this work.
Hugs ~ Sarah

Grace said...

Beautiful and very interesting. Grace xoxoxo

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

I am absolutely in love with this and in awe of the artist! I have always wanted to tackle something like this in my mosaic art, but have always known whatever home I live in will be sold eventually, so have never tried it. I was thing more along the lines of a sidewalk or fireplace facade.

This is just fabulous!
Hugs,
Penny

Sea Witch said...

Such joy from ugliness. I love that she was inspired to pass along joy with bits and pieces of found objects and now the community is involved. One person can make a difference. SEa Witch

Carol said...

Love it! I would love to pass by and see her colorful facade every day! Really amazing! Ya just gotta love New Yorkers, they rise to the occasion and bring such beauty and hope to a neighborhood :)

Ginny Hartzler said...

Thanks for your kind and lovely comment on my blog, Pat. Betsy and I are good friends, and she e-mailed me the other day and told me all about how great your blog is, and she sent me a link, so of course I had to check it out! I am looking forward to your upcoming posts!

Betty said...

That is amazing. I would imagine now that she's up to the second floor having to use a ladder will slow her down some.

Judy said...

Incredible! She's definitely found a way to brighten up her corner...and cause a smile or two.

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

This is amazing and I am thrilled that you shared it in your post! Just beautiful and creative!

Gardening in a Sandbox said...

Wow. I bet that is an enjoyable place to walk by to see what she has added.

Claudia said...

What an extraorinary woman she must be. To create such beauty from small shimmers of shards. Yes, it does make me smile. Yes, it is a celebration.

Blooming Rose Musings said...

I imagine the artist gets lots of people walking by her house and leaving comments. It is amazing what she has accomplished. Good for her to have the spirit to do
this.I wish we could all address our creative spirit and do something we love so freely. Great!

GailO said...

It cheered me up that's for sure:)
xo

Linda said...

That is an amazing piece of art. I'll bet it's even more incredible in person! I think it's wonderful that people leave her bits and pieces to add to it. Thanks for sharing!

annie said...

WOW! What else can be said? Its amazing

Cindy said...

It certainly is interesting. A great memoir for 9-11, though.
Hugs, Cindy

Ciao Chow Linda said...

With things like this, it shows you'll never run out of things to post about NYC. It's the best city in the world and this showcases the tremendous spirit and talent of the people living there.

Lisa@GrandmasBriefs said...

What a cheerful, magical mosaic! And what a fascinating woman to come up with such a novel way to pay tribute AND spread much-needed cheer.

Old Kitty said...

Wow!! What an amazing find!! And what a brilliant project!!Wow!! I love the intricacies of mosaic paintings but to see it brought to life here is truly inspiring! Nothing is left uncovered - even the railings are mosaic-ed! It's such a painstaking labour of love - I can truly appreciate Susan Gardner's artistry because it is passionate and emotional and full of optimism! Wonderful - thank you for sharing this here!

Take care
x

Carole Burant said...

That is absolutely awesome!!! I can't even imagine all the work that's gone into this mosaic already but what a labour of love. A beautiful tribute to 9/11 and a wonderful way to bring a smile to everyone who passes by. xoxo

steviewren said...

Amazing! I admire people who aren't afraid to alter their surroundings in such interesting ways.

Frances said...

Pat, oh my! This is so fascinating to see. I'm in awe of this lady's talent and her perseverance in decorating the outside of her house in such a beautiful manner. What a unique way of paying tribute to that awfull 9/11 day, to offer to the world something so beautiful and so full of heart. Thank you so much for letting us see this. It's very moving.

Anonymous said...

What a remarkable place!!! It's great that her neighbors appreciate her artistic expressions and encourage her to continue by leaving her bits and pieces to work with.

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

WOW! That is incredible! I wouldn't have believed it could be real! ♥