Mirrors, Mirrors on the Walls

The mirrors are almost done! All that's left to do is varnish them and put on the hanging hardware. I like to photograph my work before it's varnished to avoid "hot spots" and unwanted reflections. In these photos, the mirrors have already received what's called an isolation coat -- a clear coat of acrylic polymer with UV protection -- which is applied prior to varnishing. It's somewhat glossy so I angled the mirrors slightly while photographing them. It may not make for the very best photos but you'll still be able to see the pieces.

Why apply an isolation coat? It provides an extra layer or layers of protection from scratches and fading due to exposure to ultraviolet rays. When applied in multiple layers it imparts a beautiful depth to the piece as well. I use isolation coats on almost every two dimensional piece of art I create to ensure the art will last as long as possible and look its best so future generations may continue to enjoy it.

You'll note that all of the mirror sections are covered over by a piece of paper. This low tech solution prevents unwanted reflections while they're being photographed.

The mirror above features sections of pages from old books printed in several different languages, including French, Latin, German and Greek. It has a distinct literary flair and would fit right into a book lover's home or office!

This one is comprised of tiny square and rectangular tiles made from my own hand painted papers and interesting bits of "found" ephemera. Assembling the pieces into a pleasing design and then gluing them into place took almost a week.

Each tile on this mirror is embellished with my original hand drawn Zen-type doodles, rendered in black ink on watercolor paper. One hundred one-inch tiles provide a visual feast of pattern and contrast. You'll see something different each time you look at it.

This was the first mirror I made in this series of six. Blues and greens are two of my favorite colors. It was a joy for me to use them in this piece, which reminds me of green grass and blue skies.

Surface patterns combine to create a tapestry effect on this mirror. They're hard to see in the photo, but the hand painted, stamped papers feature dots, lines, checks, circles and other designs. If you need a pop of color to brighten a room this would be the perfect choice.

All of the pieces in this series measure 10 x10 inches, with a 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 inch mirror in the center. They'll be in the gallery (2Rules Fine Art in Marietta) by the end of this coming week. Stop by and have a look! The gallery is located at 85 Church Street, a block north of Marietta's historic Square. Once they're in the gallery, I'll start designing another series. My mind is already bubbling over with ideas for Series #2!

Text and images ©2015 Lynn Edwards