John T Unger Artist's Portfolio

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

Bottle Cap Mosaic Fish

Bottle Cap Fish Mosaics at Vale Craft Gallery Bottle Caps, plywood, printed tin, copper or bronze, rakes, dustpans, nail, etc. 126" H x 90" W Check my ArtBuzz Blog for Availability
Bottle caps have long had a place in the folk art tradition as a decorative element. Usually, they are deployed more as a texture, willy nilly without sorting for color. My own bottle cap mosaics were initially inspired by  Haitian ritual flags, in which detailed images are realized entirely through the use of sequins. The first bottle cap pieces I did combined  bottle caps with vitreous glass tile. Each cap is sorted by brand or color, washed, dried, punched, partially crimped and finally nailed in overlapping scales to create a feeling of depth, light and shadow. Decorative nail heads emulate the texture of seed beads often used to reinforce the sequins on flags. Even the smaller fish require hundreds of caps to complete. The most amazing thing about these fish is the way they interact with light. When you look at one or two caps from any brand, they're generally not all that impressive. But when you group hundreds of them together and let them catch the sunlight,  they truly glow.  The combination of the background color with the logo can create color tones that are vibrant and lively and wholly unexpected. What I like most about making the Bottle Cap fish mosaics is that the overlapping texture of the caps does such a good job of representing scales.These fish have been one of my big sellers… They typically sell out almost as soon as they appear. I can do custom fish in this style, by brand, color, shape, or whatever floats your boat. If you'd like to commission a fish just drop me an email from the contact page and let me know what you're thinking.
click thumbnails to view larger image.

 

Technorati Tags: art, bottle cap, bottlecap, crown cap, fish, folkart, funky, mosaic, outsider art, self taught

Mosaic Headstones for pets

Mud's Marker, 2001 Concrete, Ceramic tile 12.5" H x 12" W x 4" D Commission
I made the headstone above for Mud, a friend's cat who had sadly used up it's allotment of nine lives. The marker has been through five long winters in Michigan with no sign of wear. click thumbnail to view larger image.
	If you would like to commission a custom mosaic head stone with a portrait of your departed pet, contact me by email or phone. If you can provide a photo I should be able to produce a reasonable likeness. Prices start at $350 and increase depending on size, materials and complexity.

 

Tags: art, garden, headstone, mosaic, pets, custom monument

Vodou Libation Bottles in Tile Mosaic

Libation Bottle for Danthor, 2001 Ceramic tile, glass 10" H x 10.5" W x 10.5" D Private Collection
The bottle above is based on a portion of a temple mural I found in the book Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou. Danthor is one of the two faces of Erzulie, Vodou goddess of love. All the bottles on this page were inspired by the sequined libation bottles of Haitian Vodou, a standard feature of Vodou altars traditionally used in ceremony to serve rum to the spirits. Libation bottles are often much more plain than the ceremonial flags which have become one of Haiti's most celebrated cutural exports… but the best examples feature stylized iconography representing the various spirits. click thumbnails to view larger image.
	Libation Bottle for St. Expedit, 2001 Ceramic mosaic, glass, paper 14" H x 4.5" W x 4.5" Private Collection
	Libation Bottle for Legba, 2002 Ceramic mosaic, glass, paper 14" H x 4.5" W x 4.5" Private Collection
	Libation Bottle for Marinette, 2002 Ceramic mosaic, glass, paper 14" H x 6" W x 6" Private Collection
	Libation Bottle for Erzuli, 2002 Mirror mosaic, glass, beads, paper 16" H x 5" W x 5" Private Collection
	Libation Bottle for Petwo Spirits, 1999 Ceramic mosaic, findings, glass, 14" H x 6" W x 6" Private Collection Because the Petwo spirits are known for their fiery disposition, a Pyrex bottle is fitting.
	Libation Bottle for Petwo Spirits, 1999 Ceramic mosaic, findings, glass, 14" H x 6" W x 6" Private Collection Because the Petwo spirits are known for their fiery disposition, a Pyrex bottle is fitting
	Libation Bottle for La Siren, 1999 Ceramic mosaic, glass 14" H x 4.5" W x 4.5" Private Collection
	Libation Bottle for Ghede, 1999 Ceramic mosaic, glass 14" H x 4.5" W x 4.5" Private Collection

 

Tags: art, folkart, mosaic, outsider art, pop culture, vodou, sculpture, self taught, voodoo