Dragonfly Birdbath
created by sandra groeneveld
Object: Dragonfly Birdbath Commission
Materials: Various Glass Tessarae with Epoxy Grey Grout on a Concrete Birdbath
Dimensions: 22" Basin Diameter, 30" Overall Height
Method: Direct
My client wanted to surprise his wife with a standing birdbath. He liked my Roman 01 Birdbath, decoration tip to toe. Dragonfly was the theme of choice.
The first task was finding a well made concrete birdbath. The good ones are very dense and thus heavy as all get out. Only those will stand the test of time, or better said, weather. Finding a streamlined shape is essential for a clean canvas. A deep bowl is a must from the bird's point of view, at least I think so.
Once I found the perfect birdbath, I designed a mosaic around its particular shape. The base is "dusted" with the idea of dragonfly wings. It has the leading edge of wings which disappear into facetted shapes inspired by the smaller patterns you see in the iconic insect's wings. The flat bowl lent itself well for a very graphic vignette. To help set the dragonfly apart from the background, the wings are made of stained glass. Variations in the colors of the glass add interest without requiring fussy small pieces.
Medium grey epoxy grout make the interstices stand out and will help the whole piece hold up to the weather.
Close-ups & Process
01 Individual pieces of stained glass were used to form the distinctive "veins" of the wings. The more subtle faceting on a dragonfly's wings is the inspiration for the background pattern.
02 Detail
03 The base of the birdbath has indications of the edge of wings which then blend back into the faceted background pattern.
04 Various sizes of tile are used on the edge of the basin. Some are chosen in order to follow the shape better, others are purely functional ... what works best to keep the bird bath easy to clean.
05 Detail
06 Detail
07 Some of the colored and white tiles are iridescent or have metalic characteristics which twinkle in the sunshine.
08 In situ.
09 In situ.
10 The perfect base for mosaics, clean lines and a nice deep flat basin.
11 Not so perfect was a black coating/paint. It needed to be removed with stripper and scrubbing in order to make sure the mortar would adhere properly.
12 The surface was then scratched up so the slipcoat of thinset would adhere better.
13 The design presented to my client. The paper wrapper around the base was used to help me visualize how the wings would work as a background element.
14 Flipping the base upsidedown helped me work around the surface undulations. While flipping this massive piece of concrete over, one contemplates stamp collection as an alternative activity.
15 Step by step. I wanted to do the background first in order to create a clean edge around the main subject.
16 The cherry on top ... adding the stained glass wings and carefully selecting the colors for the segmented body.
17 Completed with grey epoxy grout. This kind of grout creates a wonderful smooth finish. It is almost clay like in the way you can manipulate it.