Atalanta & the Map of Scarborough 

~ a Real Life Adventure

(All images are reversed until installation)

Draws inspiration from the Edward Bawden Map for the Pavilion Hotel (1931) held and now permanently and prominently displayed at Scarborough Library. Incidentally the Bawden map inspired the first piece of collage artwork I had displayed at Gladstone Rd..

Life is and adventure. We can never know everything. Maps contain things we recognise and many things we don't. Life follows this pattern and if we embody the adventurous spirit of our inner small child we will continue to find each day has new and often amazing discoveries for us! Even if you stay in one place ~ LOVE LIFE it's colourful.

Detail of the rainbow jewel~like spirals, representing that which is to be discovered in life. Embracing everything good or bad ~ there is no difference, we can learn from everything.

Bottom section completed showing reversed; Scarborough Spa, Spa Bridge and The Grand Hotel
This mosaic map was inspired by the Edward Bawden Map of Scarborough in Scarborough Library, and my own experience of amazement and fascination at seeing my first map of the town after moving here aged 8. The map at the time was displayed in the then entrance to the Children's Library and is now after considerable restoration work, on prominent display upstairs in the Library's Crush Hall.

The little girl's name is Atalanta ~ the Greek warrior Goddess of adventure, she was a great runner and was turned into a lion by Aphrodite.

She wears the Gladstone Rd Infants School uniform. She is outside the frame of the picture but still part of it via her beautiful blue shoes.

The Great Oak Tree (of Life)

The Great Oak Tree is finished and waiting stacked carefully, ready for the installation. The ceramic leaves and acorns made by the children will be laid directly into the adhesive when the whole piece goes into place at the end of the month! So near..

I brought the works and everything back to my rather full, lovely house as the holidays were imminent. The consequence is, I now have little in the way of a living room but at least nobody minds and I can work on the panels whenever I need to!

The Bee Lines continue and may well lead to several honey bees!

The Great Oak Tree symbolises Gladstone Road Infants School. And pictorially the colouring of the bark of the tree and the beautifully vivid Victorian red bricks are interpreted together, with the cutting of the tiles being what differentiates. Odd Dandelion Seed from the first 'clock' (time being the journey) drifts gently across the sky around. A small dandelion flower is a reminder of the origin of the seed and links to the oaks leaves and acorns.

                                                 

In this shot one gets an idea of the scale of this particular mosaic panel!

The Oak Tree begins to be revealed as he brown paper is washed away.

The finished Oak Tree with stained grout, featuring the small dandelion and upwardly mobile Bee line.