Last March, 2015 we posted about Sheila winning an AARP Essay Contest and that we were splitting the proceeds between our Banff-Jasper bike tour and creating a mosaic for our community’s entry. The completed mosaic went up a few weeks ago and is all we hoped it to be. It makes a stunning impression as you walk into the corridor from the entry gate. The mirrored tiles reflect the sun differently throughout the day. Many have commented that the photos do not do it justice so we hope you’ll come to see. None-the-less we wanted to document the process here for our friends who may not be able to visit or follow along on our Facebook album.

After meeting a few times with Claire at Seattle Mosaic Arts (shown right) and drafting and refining a design to be executed at the finished size of 8’x8′ we set about learning all the steps necessary. We were lucky to have the Braeburn’s art room to work in and store materials. Beginning September 12, 2015 we started the first of twelve 24″ x 32″ panels. As you’ll see in the slide show below everyone from the community put in some tiles. We finished that round by mid-December then the next phase began. Each pair of panels had to be stitched together then cut apart along grout lines so they could be mounted on the wall and the seams would not be visible. The 12 panels slowly became 17 panels. Spencer and Bill installed the backer board early on when we thought we’d be moving in January. Then we waited. And waited. We finally got our Temporary Certificate of Occupancy mid-June which allowed us official access to do the wall installation. Claire came out with two staff members and three volunteers and in just a couple of hectic hours the crew mounted the panels with cement (see video at bottom). After a few days of drying community members worked together inspired by homemade cinnamon buns and great music to rub on the grout and then clean it off the tiles. It’s only awaiting the dark brown frame and small plaque we’ll be adding in the next couple of weeks.

We hope you’ll enjoy this slideshow of the project and the video one of the staff took when we mounted it.