John T Unger Artist's Portfolio

Welcome to the John T Unger Portfolio Blog

Hi There! This is the little intro where I mention that there's a lot more art here than you see on the front page. You can access different areas of the site by selecting from the drop down menu above or the Art by Category menu on your left.

I'm currently best know as an artist and designer, but I also get a fair amount of press these days for my ideas on business, marketing, technology and more. Relaxing makes me tense, so I tend to put in a lot of hours on diverse projects.

On the way to a successful art career I've been a poet and writer, a tech geek, a print and web designer, illustrator, industrial designer, musician, teacher, actor, set designer and even a paid guru once. Now and then I still get to play some of those roles.

It's all the same thing in the end— I wake up most days thinking about how I want to change, fix or improve some aspect of the world. And after a couple cups of coffee I get started on it. My speciality is impossibility remediation: if it can't be done, I'm on it.

Much of my work is done on a commission basis— If you see something in the portfolio that is almost, or kinda sorta what you're looking for, drop me a line. Chances are I can make exactly what you're looking for. I view custom work as an exciting collaborative process. For you, it's an opportunity to participate directly in the creation of a work of art. For me it's a chance to explore new ideas or techniques that may not otherwise have presented themselves.

Announcing Emoodicons— the new mood ring that tells the world how you feel!

Emoodicons are one of the most exciting ideas I've had in years and I just launched a new blog where you can get your own. Check out the animated short: Marcie's Grand Adventure which shows how Emoodicons work, enter the Make a Face Contest or the Emoodicon Design Contest for a chance to win one of the rings, or read the story of how Emoodicon.com got started. I've been working with some great people to make this a reality and I'm really excited about how it turned out.

Emoodicons are a new idea in mood jewelry… instead of telling you what mood you're in (which you probably already know), Emoodicons let you choose what you want to tell the world. Just like using emoticons online, now you can signal your current mood in real time by swapping out the images stored in your Emoodicon Ring! Just think— your boss, best friend, boyfriend or girlfriend can never say again that they "didn't know how you felt." 

Emoodicons are fun, they're funny, and most importantly, YOU get to be in control.  Will Kitteh be telling the world that you're on top of the world?  Do you want Bleep to let everyone know that, in no uncertain terms, the You Don't Like Mondays?  Take your pick!  (Each character has over 20 Emoodicons, and you can change them as often as you like, since you can stash the extra inserts inside a secret compartment in the ring itself!) You can even make your own Emoodicons, or print photos of friends and family to wear in your ring.

The ring is made from mirror polished Stainless steel with a glass face. We chose stainless over sterling for the precision machining required for the threaded cap. Stainless is hypoallergenic, does not tarnish and is durable and easy to clean. It also kind of makes sense for an emoticon based line of jewelry since it has a more techie feel. The Emoodicon icons are printed on Gloss Polycarbonate laminated over White Gloss Polyester. The icons are laser cut and peel off the backing with no adhesive residue and no rough edges.

Win a FREE Emoodicon Ring— Enter the contests below!

Are you Feelin’ it? Emoodicons rock… But we need your help to make them rock even harder! We want you— the hip, the funky, the chosen few, to design our next Emoodicons. Who wouldn’t want to see their designs featured on the most stylin’ hands world wide? Submit a set of 24 Emoodicons, and baby, you could be a star!	You be "the Decider" How will we ever choose? We won’t. You will. Vote on the entries you like best using the five star rating system. Vote on as many as you want, but only vote once per entry. We’ll pick the winner based on your ratings and comments.	Show us your best face! All you gotta do is imitate your favorite Emoodicon. Smile and say “cheese,” frown and say “brussel sprouts,” it’s up to you. Send us your pic(s) and a short description (100 words or less). Each month’s winner will receive a ring!

Mosaic Sign Commissioned By Alden State Bank

Alden State Bank Sign, 2005 Vitreous glass mosaic over Durock in powder coated steel frame 48" H x 96" W x 6" D Commission
This project was commissioned by Alden State Bank for their corporate headquarters in Alden, MI. The sign took several months to complete, even with the help of my daughter Mya. All the tile was cut by hand. From across the street, the trout looks almost photoreal, which was really the look I was going for. The tile is iridescent glass from the Sicis line, so when the light hits it, it makes the trout look even more realistic. The last thumbnail image below shows a detail of how the iridized tiles look when catching the light. Click here to view more glass mosaic in the portfolio.
click thumbnails to view larger image.

 

Tags: art, fish, glass mosaic, mosaic, trout, sculpture

Mosaic Bear for the American Red Cross

Free Spirit, Mosaic Bear 2005 Ceramic tile over fiberglass. Exact dimensions unknown: Your basic life-size bear Private Collection

Free Spirit was created for the 2005 fundraiser Great Northern Hunt for Bearable Art organized by The American Red Cross of Northern Lower Michigan. An anonymous donor sponsored one of the bears and specifically requested that I mosaic it. I couldn't get anyone to spill the beans as to  this mystery benefactor's identity, but I'd like to thank them here for picking up the tab on my entry to the outdoor art project.  The life-size fiberglass bears are based on a sculpture by Glen McCune commissioned by the Red Cross as a follow-up to their 2003 Fish-In, which featured over 50 outdoor fish sculptures and raised more than $300,000 for local Red Cross services. If you're curious how long it takes to cover such a large sculpture in tile, you can follow along with the more or less daily blog posts I posted while working on the project: Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four, Day Five, Day Six, Day Seven, Day Nine + Ten, Day Eleven + Twelve, The Auction! As shown below, my bear was chosen to greet everyone as they first came in to the auction tent.

 

Tags: art, mosaic, fish, whale, glass mosaic, tropical fish, fishing

Crazy Whale Glass Mosaic Panel

Crazy Whale Glass Mosaic, 2006 Vitreous glass tile, steel frame. 25" H x 20" W x .75" D Collaboration: John T. Unger + Mya Smith
Purchase Crazy Whale Glass Mosaic for $880 ($800 plus $80 S+H).
Mya and I collaborated on a few mosaic panels this summer that can either be hung on the wall or converted to table tops. She was really into fish by this point in time, so that's what we did. This one reminds Maggie of "rollicking 60's beach towels." Could be just the thing to turn your back yard into a beach party. Yay! Mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate  in a steel frame. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.

 

Tags: art, mosaic, fish, whale, glass mosaic, tropical fish, fishing

Lineolatus Tropical Fish Mosaic

Lineolatus Tropical Fish Mosaic, 2006 Vitreous glass tile, steel frame. 17.25" H x 17.25" W x .75" D Collaboration: John T. Unger + Mya Smith
Purchase Lineolatus Tropical Fish  Mosaic for $560 ($500 plus $60 S+H).
Mya and I collaborated on a few mosaic panels this summer that can either be hung on the wall or converted to table tops. This one is particularly striking. A great accent for kitchen or bath, patio or yard. Mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate in a steel frame. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.

 

Tags: art, mosaic, fish, Lineolatus, glass mosaic, tropical fish, fishing

Lunula Tropical Fish Mosaic

Lunula Tropical Fish Mosaic, 2006 Vitreous glass tile, steel frame. 17.25" H x 17.25" W x .75" D Collaboration: John T. Unger + Mya Smith
Purchase Lunula Tropical Fish Mosaic for $560 ($500 plus $60 S+H).
Mya and I collaborated on a few mosaic panels this summer that can either be hung on the wall or converted to table tops. She was really into fish by this point in time, so that's what we did. Mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate  in a steel frame. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.

 

Tags: art, mosaic, fish, lunula, glass mosaic, tropical fish, fishing

Brook Trout Glass Mosaic No. 2, 2006

Brook Trout Mosaic No. 2, 2006 Sicis Iridium glass tile, glass taxidermy eye, copper, Hardibacker substrate. 11" H x 19" W x 1.5" D Collaboration: John T. Unger + Mya Smith
Purchase Brook Trout Mosaic No. 2 for $550 ($500 plus $50 S+H).
My daughter Mya did so well last summer  helping me with mosaic that this year I had her create a whole line of fish. She got to do the fun parts—laying the tile and working out the gradients and shading— I did the mortar, grout, copper banding and provided some small amount of editorial assistance. The work sells at the normal studio rate because it's totally worth it. Her skills are far beyond what you'd expect from a teenager, or even most professional artists. Most of the tile used on this mosaic is from the Iridium line of glass from Sicis. As the light or viewing angle changes, the iridescent surface of the tile closely resembles the  scales of a live fish. The   photo above shows the iridescent sheen. The second pic shows the copper banding that finishes and protects the mosaic. The mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate over plywood and finished around the edges with copper banding. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.

 

Tags: art, mosaic, fish, trout, glass mosaic, gamefish, fishing

Rainbow Trout Mosaic, 2006

Rainbow Trout Mosaic, 2006 Sicis Iridium glass tile, glass taxidermy eye, copper, Hardibacker substrate. 9" H x 21.25" W x 1.5" D Collaboration: John T. Unger + Mya Smith
Purchase Rainbow Trout Mosaic for $550 ($500 plus $50 S+H).
My daughter Mya did so well last summer  helping me with mosaic that this year I had her create a whole line of fish. She got to do the fun parts—laying the tile and working out the gradients and shading— I did the mortar, grout, copper banding and provided some small amount of editorial assistance. The work sells at the normal studio rate because it's totally worth it. Her skills are far beyond what you'd expect from a teenager, or even most professional artists. Most of the tile used on this mosaic is from the Iridium line of glass from Sicis. As the light or viewing angle changes, the iridescent surface of the tile closely resembles the  scales of a live fish. The   photo above shows the iridescent sheen. The second pic shows the copper banding that finishes and protects the mosaic. The mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate over plywood and finished around the edges with copper banding. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.

 

Tags: art, mosaic, fish, trout, glass mosaic, gamefish, fishing

Bluegill Glass Mosaic No. 2, 2006

Bluegill Mosaic No. 2, 2006 Sicis Iridium glass tile, glass taxidermy eye, copper. 11" H x 17.5" W x 1.5" D
Purchase Bluegill Mosaic No. 2 for $550 ($500 plus $50 S+H).
My daughter Mya did so well last summer  helping me with mosaic that this year I had her create a whole line of fish. She got to do the fun parts—laying the tile and working out the gradients and shading— I did the mortar, grout, copper banding and provided some small amount of editorial assistance. The work sells at the normal studio rate because it's totally worth it. Her skills are far beyond what you'd expect from a teenager, or even most professional artists. Most of the tile used on this mosaic is from the Iridium line of glass from Sicis. As the light or viewing angle changes, the iridescent surface of the tile closely resembles the  scales of a live fish. The   photo above shows the iridescent sheen. The second pic shows the copper banding that finishes and protects the mosaic. Mosaic is set with mortar on a Hardibacker substrate over plywood and finished around the edges with copper banding. Indoors or out, this mosaic will last lifetimes.

 

Tags: art, mosaic, fish, bluegill, glass mosaic, gamefish, fishing