Mathru School for the Differently-Abled
Monday 1/20/14
I finished my bees mosaic yesterday and grouted it today, along with the blue spirals mirror, and six other mosaics that the students made. I'm wiped out!
I'm pleased with both of my mirrors. They are two of my best. The bees mosaic mirror seems to be everyone's favorite. I'm even more pleased with the mosaics that the teachers and students made. They're all on their second and third pieces, and Akshatha's made four and is working on her fifth. They're getting good, Even though the kids are too small to handle the tools well, they're learning how to use the different thicknesses of tile to good effect in their designs, and their color choices are just delightful.
I hoped to make two more mosaics by the end of next week but today realized I only have time for one. Still, that will be ten mosaics in seven weeks. That's a lot of eight- to ten-hour mosaic work sessions I've put in since I arrived. I often work on my project through four hours of teaching (with interruptions of course), take a short lunch break, and then keep working until dinner and after dinner too. Yesterday was an intense twelve-hour marathon. I was determined to finish the bees mosaic so I could grout it this morning.
This new piece I'll start tomorrow will be a small one, and I'll use the glass globs Muktha brought. Because the glue we're using dries clear, the transparent globs need to be backed with white paper, so it's time-consuming to use them; The students are all eager to start using them anyway. We only have enough for a few projects, but I expect both teachers and students to set up enough of a clamor for more that they'll get more.
I think we'll use the heavy paver tile mosaics to make a table-top; the weight of them will make for a sturdy coffee table. We have enough pieces to make a few wall murals. And we have several nice mirrors. Tomorrow we'll take some measurements and order plywood to be cut for the mural and table bases. and Divya said she'd get the wire and eye screws for making the mirrors ready to hang.
Andy and I discovered soon after we arrived here that things move slow in India, so I won't be surprised if the plywood and hanging hardware don't show up before I leave. I really would like to see everything through to the installed finish, but installation-ready finish will be okay too. Divya was startled today when I told her that my last teaching day will be a week from Thursday, so we'll see what happens.
I am not sure what will happen with the three students at the School for the Blind. They need at least two more class sessions to finish their projects. I told Muktha and Divya that it would be best for the students to come here, rather than have me pack up all the tools and materials and schlepp over there. At this point that would not be a good use of my time.
Time definitely moves faster on the home stretch. In a month I'll be back in Sacramento.
Monday 1/20/14
I finished my bees mosaic yesterday and grouted it today, along with the blue spirals mirror, and six other mosaics that the students made. I'm wiped out!
I'm pleased with both of my mirrors. They are two of my best. The bees mosaic mirror seems to be everyone's favorite. I'm even more pleased with the mosaics that the teachers and students made. They're all on their second and third pieces, and Akshatha's made four and is working on her fifth. They're getting good, Even though the kids are too small to handle the tools well, they're learning how to use the different thicknesses of tile to good effect in their designs, and their color choices are just delightful.
I hoped to make two more mosaics by the end of next week but today realized I only have time for one. Still, that will be ten mosaics in seven weeks. That's a lot of eight- to ten-hour mosaic work sessions I've put in since I arrived. I often work on my project through four hours of teaching (with interruptions of course), take a short lunch break, and then keep working until dinner and after dinner too. Yesterday was an intense twelve-hour marathon. I was determined to finish the bees mosaic so I could grout it this morning.
This new piece I'll start tomorrow will be a small one, and I'll use the glass globs Muktha brought. Because the glue we're using dries clear, the transparent globs need to be backed with white paper, so it's time-consuming to use them; The students are all eager to start using them anyway. We only have enough for a few projects, but I expect both teachers and students to set up enough of a clamor for more that they'll get more.
I think we'll use the heavy paver tile mosaics to make a table-top; the weight of them will make for a sturdy coffee table. We have enough pieces to make a few wall murals. And we have several nice mirrors. Tomorrow we'll take some measurements and order plywood to be cut for the mural and table bases. and Divya said she'd get the wire and eye screws for making the mirrors ready to hang.
Andy and I discovered soon after we arrived here that things move slow in India, so I won't be surprised if the plywood and hanging hardware don't show up before I leave. I really would like to see everything through to the installed finish, but installation-ready finish will be okay too. Divya was startled today when I told her that my last teaching day will be a week from Thursday, so we'll see what happens.
I am not sure what will happen with the three students at the School for the Blind. They need at least two more class sessions to finish their projects. I told Muktha and Divya that it would be best for the students to come here, rather than have me pack up all the tools and materials and schlepp over there. At this point that would not be a good use of my time.
Time definitely moves faster on the home stretch. In a month I'll be back in Sacramento.
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