CHARLES DICKENS CREATES BLOODHOUND

Oliver has been working with pupils at The Charles Dickens School in Broadstairs, Kent today and in just six hours a 6ft X 3ft mosaic was created.

An interactive full scale model of Bloodhound SSC, the contender for the land speed record, is in the school sports hall all this week for pupils to learn about the amazing science and engineering that goes into this incredible machine.  it is hoped that it will achieve speeds of over 1,000 mph.

Inspired by this great achievement of technology the students worked with Oliver and their brilliant art teacher Peter Saunders and created a design based around a birds-eye view, thermal image of the car as it flies across the African desert.  we also looked at the work of artists who have been inspired by speed, particularly the Futurists.

By 2.30 the mosaic was completed and to be honest we were all pretty pleased with ourselves!!  This work will be displayed in a prominent position in the school for visitors and pupils to enjoy and celebrate the duel achievements of science and art!   

TWO NEW WORKS INSTALLED

I've been travelling around over the last three weeks installing two new mosaics in Bath and Andover.

Firstly a mosaic entrance panel for Seasalt's new shop in Bath laid with the help of my friend Paul Bull

Here he is putting the finishing touches to it and a photo of me looking pleased (that it fits!)

A week later and I'm in Andover installing a mosaic for the Rotary club who sponsored this performance space in Vigo Park.

SEVENOAKS SCHOOL MOSAIC INSTALLED

Pupils at Sevenoaks school in Kent have been working on two large mosaic panels for a water feature in the centre of the historic school grounds.

It took the students six mosaic workshops with Oliver Budd to complete the work.  The lettering in Latin and Greek are the words of Saint John of Damascus in "The Fountain of Knowledge" and translate as "Streaming with Gold"

NEW WORKS IN STUDIO

THERE HAS BEEN LOTS GOING ON IN THE BUDD STUDIO THIS LAST MONTH

I am just about to install the first of two doorstep panels for the clothing company Seasalt who are opening new shops in Bath and Dorchester.

Here are some photos of the Bath panel just finished on the bench

 In between working on these a lovely colourful private commission;

  A pictorial "life" story birthday gift for my patrons friend.

(from 12 o'clock position, Swedish emblems, the London Eye, Thames and nephews and nieces initials, Hibiscus from Barbados, nurses buckle with birthdate, more Swedish symbols, Blueberries from her mothers garden, Barbados symbols, convertible morris minor, dogs past and present, London scooter, and finally a tranquil garden)

 I have just completed a series of workshops with pupils at Sevenoaks School.  It will form the colourful part of a water feature for the school grounds (photos below)

And the rather architectural moulds below are 5 of a total of 17 mosaic castings that will form the emblem of the Andover Rotary Club for a performance space in Vigo Park, Andover.

AND FINALLY MY NEW BOOK IS OUT TODAY!!

"MASTERS OF MOSAIC" published by Robert Hale

I hope to have a review to blog shortly

FEATURED MOSAICIST - PAUL BULL

PAUL BULL

As the publication of my latest book "Masters of Mosaic" approaches I thought it would be good to feature some of those masters on my blog.

I have known Paul as a very good friend and fellow master for several years now and our years of work in the field of mosaic are unique in that we are both second-generation mosaicists, something that is quite rare in England.

He has just completed this masterful rendition of a Porsche badge for a private client and I feature it here as a superb example of cutting and setting-out skills which along with his knowledge of mosaics for the interior and exterior domes are Pauls greatest skills.

"Masters of Mosaic" is published by Robert Hale and is due out on 31st March 2014 

ISBN 9780719806698

GWR MOSAIC BACK IN BRUM

THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY MOSAIC IS BACK

OK, SO IT'S A BIT SMALLER THAN THE ORIGINAL 300FT LONG MURAL

BUT THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY MOSAIC IS BACK IN SNOWHILL JUST UP THE ROAD FROM THE ORIGINAL SITE.

AN EXACT REPRODUCTION SHOWING THE HISTORY OF SNOWHILL STATION AND THE DIFFERENT ENGINES AND CARRIAGES OF THE GREAT WESTERN NOW SITS HAPPILY IN THE NEW SNOWHILL PLAZA ON THE STEPS LEADING UP TO THE STATION COMPLEX.

MEANWHILE,,, BACK TO JFK

50 YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE JFKs DEATH, 

So it's inevitable that the mosaic memorial we re-created early this year in Digbeth, Birmingham has again received the attention of the press.

Most journalists, I am pleased to say, see the memorial's return to the city as a positive move, but there has been one true pedant who is querying the dates on the left hand legend panel.

So to make clear, this work is a faithful facsimile of the original work made by my father Kenneth in 1967/8 and at the time the dates of Kennedy's presidency were cut in stone to flank the original mosaic work.  They read 1960 - 3.  

When a party win the election here we naturally consider that moment of winning as the moment that party becomes government and that person becomes leader.  Technically Kennedy was not inaugurated until 1961 but he did win the vote to be president in 1960.

It is also the common opinion, promoted by websites such as Wikipedia (who have my dads birthdate wrong), that the mosaic was taken down from its site in St Chads, then six years later re-located to the Digbeth site, as in "put back together"

This was not the case.  The original work was disassembled and a few key portraits were stored in my studio, where they remain today.

The original Smalti mosaic material had been so "etched" by the wind-borne dusts of the city over its forty years in St Chads, that the material had become compromised and was not fit for re-siting. We also retained the original carved quartzite lettering panels that "bookended" the original.  The new mosaic was re-made by me in its entirety using dads original full scale drawings.

Still, lucky I kept those lettering panels as I was able to dig them out earlier this week to confirm those pesky dates!!

Here they are for you to view.