SCORPIO 1977
Scorpio 36" x 36"
In August 1978 we moved up the California coast from Berkeley to Mendocino.
I had three mosaic projects behind me: the He-She and Mer-Beast, and a Slide-Climber that I had made for a park in Berkeley (see Public Mosaics section). To get work through contacts or by competing for commissions I needed a portfolio, and for this I needed to make more mosaics.
I started by making a detailed drawing of a Zodiac Wheel, which gave me twelve different figures plus a central sunburst in a single, circular image.
I had three mosaic projects behind me: the He-She and Mer-Beast, and a Slide-Climber that I had made for a park in Berkeley (see Public Mosaics section). To get work through contacts or by competing for commissions I needed a portfolio, and for this I needed to make more mosaics.
I started by making a detailed drawing of a Zodiac Wheel, which gave me twelve different figures plus a central sunburst in a single, circular image.
Drawing of a Zodiac Wheel, 1978
I rendered the drawing to look like a mosaic, with the idea of proposing it for a large wall of some building project. I adapted the twelve signs from various sources and designed them to fit into the wedge shapes between the “spokes” of the wheel. The central figure is my invention, a sunburst creature with a human face, two human arms, and two feet with bird-like claws, with the crescent moon forming a horn-like object above its nose.
I never made this drawing of a Zodiac Wheel into an actual mosaic, but I did transform the Scorpio and the Taurus into small mosaics.
The Scorpio mosaic is a combination of my central sunburst figure in the Zodiac Wheel with the scorpion’s eight legs and claws and segmented tail with lethal stinger. It’s an invented creature with a mask-like face replacing the scorpion’s body. The colors are limited though varied in shades, and the border surrounding the circular field is made of a simple symmetrical grid. The Scorpio itself is fairly symmetrical, except for the tail, which had to bend to fit in the circle.
I never made this drawing of a Zodiac Wheel into an actual mosaic, but I did transform the Scorpio and the Taurus into small mosaics.
The Scorpio mosaic is a combination of my central sunburst figure in the Zodiac Wheel with the scorpion’s eight legs and claws and segmented tail with lethal stinger. It’s an invented creature with a mask-like face replacing the scorpion’s body. The colors are limited though varied in shades, and the border surrounding the circular field is made of a simple symmetrical grid. The Scorpio itself is fairly symmetrical, except for the tail, which had to bend to fit in the circle.
