During the tile making process, neighbors shared many stories about their lives living in Southern Oaks. Neighbors often visualized these stories by carving symbols into their tiles that represented themselves, a time in their lives , or a memorial about a loved one. These stories have become a visual codex carved into the side of the wall. As a way to preserve these moments, we were able to capture a few of these tales in neighbor's own words below.
1
Design
2
Drawing
At Drawing Sessions, volunteers were invited to draw the design elements to scale as well as add more fun stuff...like a UFO, a rainbow unicorn, a slice of pizza, and more!
3
Clay
Clay pieces were made by tracing the drawings over slabs of clay, then carving in the details. Leaves for our tree canopies were made using stamps. And many cheerful messages were added.
Neighbors were asked, "what do you love most about Southern Oaks?". Those responses and sketches provided direction and informed the the overall design.
4
Glaze
After the clay was fired, community members began adding the vibrant colors found in the mural during glazing sessions.
5
Glass
Once the ceramic pieces were assembled into the final design on mesh, neighbors began assembling the glass to create the sunbeam, landscape, and sky.
6
Install
Our artist, Ryah Christensen, installed our work on the wall with the help of Arts Committee members. The result is beyond what we imagined!
Drawings Become Art on a Wall
See several examples of how design elements went from a drawing, to a piece of clay, and become a part of a mosaic mural.
A Retaining Wall Becomes a Mosaic Mural
