The Dallas Divide

Posted by on Apr 14, 2017 in Colorado, Landscape Mosaics, Mosaic Art, Mountain West | No Comments
The Dallas Divide, framed stained glass mosaic, 16″ x 48″ ~SOLD

This landscape is of a view of the San Juan Mountains from the mountain pass “The Dallas Divide” along the Continental Divide.  Fall foliage is one of my favorite natural phenomena.  Here in Colorado the golden aspens glow in the bright sun and contrast beautifully with the coniferous trees that weave around the aspen colonies.  Set against the massive mountains and the big, blue sky – the sights in September and early October are breathtaking.

The aspens are done; some are created with larger shapes of glass while others are made with individual little, aspen leaf shapes.
Here is a good size comparison of the tiny, hand carved aspen leaves next to my hand.
Here you can see one of my freehand cut mountains set against the layers of hand cut trees. Initially I planned to created the mountains from many, many little rocks that I’d cut out by hand to depict the very, rocky peaks we have here in Colorado but the beautiful patterns in the glass altered my plans. I decided to show the overall impression that all those rocks make together to create the illusion of one solid mountain rather than focusing on the many, many parts that make a whole.
Here I am using the other half sheet of this awesome glass to start the process of creating the mountains on the left side.
The blue Colorado sky is coming alive!
Here I am holding up one of the sections before gluing it down. The the glass tesserae are held together on the face with clear tape.
Here I am grouting my mosaics in a sanded charcoal grout.
This photo gives a good idea of scale as people often don’t realize how large my landscapes are.
Depending on how the mosaic is viewed, you can see different textures in the glass.
The artwork is framed in a 1/2″ thick and 2.5″ deep. The wood used is red oak. It is stained in dark walnut and finished in satin. The frame is smooth to the touch.