Transition and Transformation

I officially launched my art business back in 2007 after taking a 3-month business class from Enterprise for Equity, a local organization that helps low-income people become entrepreneurs. At the time, my business was called Cosmic Blue Monkey Designs and the focus was on recycled art. I used gleaned materials to make new arts and crafts of all kinds and I sold them at recycled art fairs, bazaars and at Matter! Gallery, which sold only artwork made from reclaimed components. E4E students graduate from the program with a business plan, and my goal at the time was to earn $500/month. We were living on just one (teacher) income while our daughter was little and $500 was about how much more we needed to cover expenses. At the end of 2007, I had earned exactly $500/month. 

My first studio sign.

And naturally, my aspirations began to increase. I sought more business coaching, took business workshops focused on art/craft, and by 2010 I decided to pursue site-specific mosaic (where it is installed permanently in an architectural setting) for homes, businesses and public spaces. Feedback I had received suggested that I needed to re-brand. The whimsical name, which I loved, wasn't taken seriously by high-end clients, designers and architects. It was recommended to come up with something simple that referenced my own name and would be easy to remember. I went with JK Mosaic.

From there, I slowly increased my level of professionalism, building my portfolio, becoming an LLC, getting business insurance, setting up wholesale accounts, and becoming a licensed and bonded contractor. There were a lot of growing pains over the years, and income was very unreliable for most of the ensuing years. But I was relentless and never gave up, and my business steadily grew into the vision I had created in 2010. By 2020, I had installed mosaic art throughout the U.S., I was often booked for months out, and I was getting more public art projects. 

That's me on the scaffolding in Alpharetta, GA in 2014. 

Now it is 2023 and I've been working really hard for several years in a row. The work has been good, well-paid and exciting. But I feel another shift coming. I'm 53 now, I have osteoarthritis in my hands, shoulder impingement and rotator cuff issues. I don't have a team to help with installations, which are extremely intense. Everything is labor intensive and time-sensitive, so I often work for 11+ hours per day on an install without stopping for several days. I have to haul all of my supplies: ladders, scaffolds, art panels, 5-gallon buckets of water, 50 lb bags of thinset/grout. These get packed into my vehicle, unpacked on site and usually hauled across long distances because I can never drive them up to the spot I'm installing. On the last job, I entered the fenced construction site on one side of a city block and had to navigate through the building, up stairs and ramps, and around to the opposite side with my supplies. And I had to put everything away every night. Midway through an install, I usually find myself in the hotel room with numb, tingling hands, aching body, utterly exhausted, and I've had crippling back pain. Several installations had to be followed by months of physical therapy. 

That all sounds so miserable when I type it out, but I really love the outcome and I feel so lucky to be able to do this type of work. During the process, I wonder what I was thinking and why do I keep doing this, but then I see the finished product and it's such a thrill. It's an addiction!

That's me on a ladder on scaffolding installing a mosaic for L'Occitane in the Dallas Fort Worth Airport in 2015.

This winter, I began to think about setting new goals as I grow older. Before I know it, I'll be in my 60s and I want to be able to keep working, but in a different capacity. Going forward, I am going to slow down with commission work, being more selective and strategic with the projects I agree to create. I'll prioritize those projects where the contractor will do the install, or there's enough budget to hire a skilled installer. My main April project is going to be fabricated here, shipped to the job site, and installed by someone else in Nantucket, MA. That's perfect. 

I'm really aching to nurture my own creative inspiration. For many years, I felt that commissions were ideal for me because I'm inspired by the spaces and clients I work with, and like an art prompt, I often find it easier to develop a design based on someone else's needs. But lately, I've been feeling called to explore my own creative voice on a deeper level. I want to paint sometimes and work in mixed media, and I have some personal topics I feel an urgent need to delve into with my art. I feel like I've been floating on top of the ocean, barely looking below the surface, and it's time to put on the diving gear and find out what's down there. 

This is a Thai fishing boat and was the best pic I had of the surface of the ocean to help break up all the text.

By the way, I'm scared of swimming in large bodies of water on a phobic level. So the analogy works really well to describe how I feel about this next phase.

My hope is that I'll be able to continue earning enough income while pursuing my own creative projects, teaching others, and leading community projects. I'm not switching cold turkey, but I plan to schedule more time between commissions from now on and I'll see how things go. So often, we make a plan, but something unexpected comes along and the path leads into uncharted territory. 

In the interest of manifesting this new approach, I should remind you that I have five online courses through Mosaic Arts Online and I'm teaching at the SAMA/SGAA conference in Buffalo, NY September 2023. Information about my classes can be found here:https://jkmosaic.com/workshops/events-and-classes/

Also, I have a fiscal sponsor (The Field, NYC) to accept tax deductible donations for community art projects. Right now, I'm raising funds for a big mural in Olympia, WA to be installed in fall 2023. To find out how to participate and/or support this project go here: https://jkmosaic.com/metamorphosis-a-community-mural/

I have been dreaming for years of growing my community art practice into something bigger than myself, where I mentor young artists, bring in artists in other disciplines, and slowly cover all of the plain concrete in Western WA with colorful artwork. I even have a name: ACCESS - Artists Creating Community Engagement in the South Sound. Come on, someone out there must have the resources and enthusiasm to help me make this a reality! I'm really hoping to use the Metamorphosis mural and my platform as Olympia's Fall Arts Walk featured artist to generate a buzz around this effort. 

To see some examples of community mosaic projects I've led in previous years, here's a short slideshow: https://youtu.be/MmTRrDjSLvQ

Thank you for reading!!

Metamorphosis; a Community Mural...and then some.

In 2021, I put out a call for mosaic butterflies with a goal of creating something with and for Monarch Sculpture Park in Tenino, WA. However, multiple obligations took precedence, both for me and John, the caretaker of the park. He took two other jobs teaching ceramics full time. I was selected/hired for a steady stream of commissions. We both have had our hands full, and the mosaic butterflies that were received were kept in storage.

So, in 2023, I decided to pursue a different community project that uses the butterflies in a new design. Since I'm going to be the featured artist for Olympia's fall Arts Walk festival, I am coordinating a mural to culminate during the event. This mural will have a figure emerging from a chrysalis as the centerpiece, designed to be a photo-op where visitors can become part of the mural. I'm toying with adding stylized trees on each side with open cocoons on the branches, as if all of these butterflies have recently emerged. The message is about transformation of societies and individuals, and the idea of becoming our most splendid, magnificent selves.

As of February 2023, I have not secured a wall or funding. I have been awarded fiscal sponsorship by The Field NYC, an organization that accepts tax deductible donations to support individual artists through crowdfunding. I have just launched my first fundraiser: https://app.thefield.org/home/donation/crowd/view/185/Community-Mural-Seed-Fund?fbclid=IwAR3SxFVp0vSdESPqL7jCtPfVuCc3ibTrDzbCfn2K5Aj_cE-9uhR6-ycjWRo

My hope is that the 501C3 status will encourage businesses to partner with me on this. In fact, for years, I've been wanting to establish a program for community art in the South Sound region. I'm getting ahead of myself, but I have a vision for the future that includes creating art for neighborhoods, schools and organizations through community engagement that will grow into a larger endeavor. Community art is empowering for the participants, brings people together across all barriers, and helps to beautify spaces. We can accomplish more with less resources by using this approach, and there is so much plain concrete all around us, I think we should be adding colorful art to as much of it as possible.

But for right now, I'm going to take a leap and see if we can get this one mural made. Suggestions and leads are very welcome. I'll be seeking grants to increase my ability to offer hands-on activities in Olympia from May to October. In the meantime, You Be You!

April Update: We have a wall!

This wall is on the back side of Lloyd's Automotive, facing 4th Ave., next to McCoy's Tavern. It is set back enough that pedestrians will be safe to pose in front of it and it is a stone's throw from my first ever community project, the Artesian Well (2012). 

April 9 update: Honed design, superimposed on the wall:

My Procreate skills are clunky, but I did my best to show how the mural will look on the wall of 425 4th Ave. in Olympia, WA.

May Update: 

The last weekend of April, I was at Olympia Spring Arts Walk leading the initial activity, having participants make the wings of the figure with recycled glass tiles. Turnout was fantastic, as was the weather, and we finished the wings over 2 days. Since then, I've been slowly tidying and filling the mosaic and applying for any grants I thing I might qualify for. So far, I've been able to pay for materials and admin through the fundraiser, but in order to offer workshops through summer, I really need to raise more funds. Otherwise, I have to take on commissions to keep my bills paid. Either way, the central figure will go up, along with as many butterflies as I receive (I have about 10 so far.)

Councilman Dontae Payne and his family

A snapshot of the activity at Arts Walk. 

Hands working together...

Sunkissed participant

What's Happening with the Diversity Mural in Orlando?!

If you aren't following the Diversity Mural project in Orlando on the facebook page, you might wonder what has been happening. So much! So much has been happening!

A great article was printed in the Orlando Sentinel

Cherie Bosela, the owner of Luna Mosaic Arts in Orlando, is now working full steam to prep the hearts for installation, which is a huge undertaking because there are over 700! And they are still coming in from all over the world! Volunteers have been gathering at Luna Mosaic Arts to help with pre-grouting, which will make installation much easier.

Volunteers grouting yellow hearts

Laticrete, a company that specializes in top-of-the-line tile installation and surface treatment products is donating all of the thinset and grout for the project, including custom grout tints, so each heart will be grouted in its corresponding color, making the rainbow extra vibrant. Laticrete has been supportive of the mosaic community, often donating supplies for community projects and sponsoring the annual American Mosaic Summit.

Laticrete's Permacolor Select grout with custom purple tint!

This is the first mural, in Shelton, WA. Laticrete donated materials for this, and I smeared and blended the grout between the hearts. You can see how bright it is. (I still need to finish grouting later this month.)

One hiccup that has come up is that the Orlando Laticrete rep has urged us to have the paint removed from the wall before applying the hearts. Unfortunately, the quotes for sandblasting are more than we can afford to absorb. We are doing this project without a budget or any financial backing outside of a modest Go Fund Me effort, and while we have raised $3600 of the $5000 goal, we have had other expenses and can't cover the cost of paint removal. Cherie thinks she will have to grind off the paint behind each heart by hand, which will be extremely time consuming. The dedication is scheduled for September 21, so any help we can get with every aspect of the installation would be much appreciated.

If any readers have connections in Orlando and could help us figure out how to get the sandblasting sponsored or super-discounted, it sure would help. 

Still, I am flying to Orlando for the dedication on September 21, and it is going to happen! While there, I'll be teaching a workshop on Precision Glass Cutting for Mosaic at Luna Mosaic Arts that weekend, and there are still a few openings, so consider joining us if you are a mosaic artist interested in adding stained glass to your repertoire, or gaining more control of the material.

And one more reminder: Please share our online fundraiser to your community or to anyone you know who agrees strongly that the LGBTQIA community should not have to live in fear for their lives because of their gender presentation or who they love.  Thank you!!

https://www.gofundme.com/DiversityMural

Heart-Rainbow Diversity Mural Project

After the nightclub shooting in Orlando, I felt heartbroken.  I have many friends and students who identify as LGBTQ, and I was at a loss as to how to express my condolences, support and advocacy.  An idea came to me: filling a  wall with mosaic hearts made by anyone wanting to express these sentiments.

Initially, I reached out to some graduates of my mosaic program involved in Stonewall Youth to see if we could run the project through the organization.  But, it never got off the ground, and then the election sort of threw me for a loop and the project continued to germinate in my mind.

The most alarming aspect of last year's campaign and election, for me, was realizing the extreme level of divisiveness in the U.S. (and in  much of the world, actually.)  This project continued to nag at me, until I was chatting with the custodian at the high school where I teach mosaic on Fridays.  I found myself telling her about my concept, and she became very excited.  So, I met with the Principal of the school and asked if I could use class time on Fridays to create this mural with our students.  She enthusiastically agreed to it, so we started the following week, without knowing where it would go.

Shortly after, I posted on facebook that I was looking for a wall for my mural.  Within a half hour, I had a meeting arranged with the owner of Flourish in Olympia, who was already on board.  By now, I have permission from the owner of the building, and the project will be installed on a huge wall in Downtown Olympia.  

When standing and admiring this mural, made to honor Rachel Corrie, and with a similar community spirit, to the left up the block will be a wall of hearts.  I've already had several mosaic artists say they will send me hearts to incorporate, including one from Canada and one from Australia!  For experienced mosaic artists who want to send your heart, place fiberglass mesh over your design (which must be covered by plastic, or done onto slick freezer paper) and glue your tesserae to the mesh.  Thinset is ideal, but I am using weldbond with my students because it is much easier in this situation.  When it is dry, you can peel the paper template off the back and mail the heart to:

Choice High School

Attn: Jennifer Kuhns / Room 106

807 Pine St.

Shelton, WA 98584, U.S.A.

*I currently have zero budget to complete this project.  I have applied for funds through one program, which would cover most of the expense.  I also plan to seek sponsorships and to do fundraising events.  If you have any ideas for me, please get in touch.  We are in desperate need of opaque glass and glass tiles, mesh, and cash for supplies.

The first public heart-making event will take place on Saturday, April 22 during Arts Walk.  Location TBD.  I'll keep posting as more details are confirmed.