Turtles in the Pool
created by sandra groeneveld
Object: Turtles in the Pool Commission
Materials: Vitreous Glass Tile
Dimensions: Range: 20" to 13" long
Method: Indirect on tile tape, before final installation on-site.
The family Waitman, parents and a pair of twins, were ready to build their long awaited swimming pool. To personalize it, they requested a mosaic of a family of turtles representing themselves, to hang out at the "beach" section of the pool.
Central to my idea was to make sure all the turtles were cut from the same cloth, but still stand alone as unique individuals, just like their human counterparts. The swimming pool was to have a dark surface, so any design needed to read well in reverse or be comprised of light colors. Another consideration was how to incorporate something very personal to the family without it being too obvious. This last goal was accomplished by incorporating a "W" (for their last name) into the design of the turtles' shell.
Take a swim with this fun family in the "beauty" section, see how it all started in the lab in "create" and finally in "install", you'll find all the work done on-site.
Close-ups & Process
Beauty
01 The outlining tile colors are shades of grey and white, but they have a lovely mother-of-pearl iridescence when the light rakes over them. Very lively!
02 Here is the whole family off on an adventure. Ever watchful Mom, has her head turned to check on her offspring.
03 Dynamic Dad.
04 Ever lovely Mom.
05 The first playful twin ...
06 ... followed by his brother.
07 Into the deeper waters they swim.
Create
08 Some initial sketches in black/white along with value studies of the final concept. It was crucial to have the design work in reverse since the surface of the pool was to be very dark.
09 From general value studies to specific tile choices here, a grey uniting everything as the outline. A T-shirt approximating the color/value of the surface holds the 3 color blocks. Green for Dad, blue for Mom and a beautiful blue-green for the children.
10 Rough templates were made so final compositions could be played with by the family on-site at the "cement pond". Also, there were logistical reasons: my clients needed to be able to communicate with their pool builder, so other features of the pool would not interfere with the artwork's placement. Nothing like physical placeholders.
11 Back at the lab ... Mom was first up. To liven up the grey outline, I decided to put in a sprinkling of white tiles. All the turtles are done in reverse on tile tape.
12 The start of a twin, first determining the number of white "highlights".
13 Addition of the balance of grey tiles. With the boys, the outline was scaled down to a consistent single unit size. The "W" mark was also altered to accommodate the smaller scale as well as suggest continuing growth.
14 Filling in the blue-green shell.
15 With everyone together, I could finalize the treatment of the extremities, another way of unifying their appearance.
16 I decided on the exact opposite of what you see here. Their legs would start with their base color and then shift towards the next logical color at the tip.
17 Perfect templates were made with handles to carve the build-ups on the pool surface to size. You see the tape side, the "good" side of the turtles here.
Install
18 Since the glass tiles are thinner than the future pool surface, build-ups are formed, perfectly level, as a platform to accept the turtles. When the surfacing is later applied, it is smoothed flush to the mosaic.
19 Dryfit, tape side up.
20 All turtles are installed with darkened mortar so the subsequent black grout blends in without issue.
21 Mom before grout.
22 Cured overnight, everyone is ready to be grouted.
23 Mom's done!
24 Careful attention is paid to the outer edges. They are all filled and smoothed so no part of a tile is unsupported. These mosaics must be ready to be stepped on and bumped into when the surfacing crew arrives.
25 Ready to be covered up with plastic for a slow cure.
26 A glimpse of the beautiful colors that come to life when sun and tile meet. See the "beauty" images for the final result.