Moose Jaw artist Erin Zimmerman's front lawn mosaic project is finished, with the grout going on just in time to withstand winter weather, in a major milestone for Zimmerman, her family, and an entire community that formed to contribute materials and follow along with the mosaic's progress.
"A huge part of this project, for me, was feeling my community grow throughout the process," Zimmerman told MooseJawToday.com. "I think so many of us are good at, like, getting home from our long days, jumping into our houses, and not coming out. Especially with the winters here! I am not a winter person.
"But working on this mosaic in my front yard this summer was just the best experience. I've met people I can talk to in my neighbourhood, I know so many more people's names, I met some amazing people from senior's complexes, who come by every day. Art has a way of making people feel comfortable to ask questions or talk to you, and it's wonderful."
Zimmerman began her mosaic early this summer as a way of re-purposing a patch of lawn that refused to be anything but brown and unhealthy. She expected her neighbours to be exasperated or confused, but that didn't happen — instead, everyone thought it was a great idea. In fact, people immediately volunteered leftover tiles, thinset, grout, and more to help her finish, and many began to visit regularly to follow along.
"I was able to get a lot of material that I didn't have to purchase. One business downtown, Carpet One, with Pat and Larry — I adore them — reached out to me about a bunch of tiles they had that were broken, that I was able to give a new home to. I love re-purposing and keeping things out of the landfill, and I actually have so much tile now that I've been able to give things away in turn."
Zimmerman said she learned a lot about tile setting, cutting, and breaking, concrete, pre-laying designs on a mesh backing, and much more. She will definitely continue to lay mosaics on her own property, and is open to being contacted by anyone interested in their own mosaic ideas.
"It doesn't have to be huge, either, if you're repairing a section of your driveway or patio, instead of just filling that spot in, you could lay a cute little mosaic in a corner or something, and it's this bright, interesting pop of colour," she explained.
"It comes together like a quilt top, I can even come out to take measurements and work on it from my home to see where the colours will go, and maybe I could help people do it themselves, like a DIY deal."
Her entire family helped with the mosaic, which means memories for decades to come. The mix of matte and glass in the design glitters beautifully at night, and Zimmerman's children and granddaughter can look at the project and see pieces they helped place.
Follow Erin Zimmerman on Facebook and Instagram for her art, and message her if you have a project you need advice on, materials to re-purpose, or an idea for a public art project.
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