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Mosaic of Life #9 – Stone Walls

RJ Walters

I have always been fascinated by stone walls. This one was at one of my favorite places to visit at Pleasant Hill Shaker Village near Lexington KY. This mosaic was made via the analog method using marking pens. It was very tedious work drawing all the stones, but I think the result is one of my favorites in the analog mode. I will limit this post to artsy, and reserve the story of Pleasant Hill for a future post, or posts. Continue reading Mosaic of Life #9 – Stone Walls

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Mosaic of Life #46 – The Story of Firsts…

RJ Walters

All of us have plenty of firsts in our lives. It starts out with probably the first time you wet your diaper, and ends with the first (and only) time you will meet your maker. I’m sure I will have many posts here at RJsMosaics about firsts, but I want to use this one to tell you about the year I most likely had more firsts than any other. That year was 1970. Let’s get to it… I know this is a pretty crude image above, but it is about the only photo I have of my very first car. It … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #46 – The Story of Firsts…

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Mosaic of Life #7 – Indy Skyline – In Pen & Ink

RJ Walters

If you read the previous post about “Analog Artsy” you probably get the idea that I will likely avoid this technique in the future. There is some truth to that, but some of the creations I made even impressed me, and I am a hard person to impress. One of those is the Mosaic #7 above of the Indy Skyline. I spent the better part of the day doing this one. As usual, it started out with a photo that I traced the basic features I wanted to convey. From there it was all freehand. Since this picture was to be “pen … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #7 – Indy Skyline – In Pen & Ink

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Mosaic of Life #29 – I Know Artsy When I See It

RJ Walters

And this is definitely artsy. These Artsy Ladies were in the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens which is located in Rockford, Illinois. When I visited in 2017, the Bruce Monro Light Exhibit was the current attraction. This was in the beginning phase of my search for artsy. I don’t know if these ladies were part of that exhibit or a permanent part of the conservatory, but they did fit very well into landscape of the dome. They were about 5 feet tall and made of glass, but I can’t imagine exactly how they were actually constructed. The conservatory itself is certainly in the top three I have … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #29 – I Know Artsy When I See It

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Mosaic of Life #23 – Digital Artsy – The Tools – Part 2

RJ Walters

/im A few posts ago, I told you about how I spent 3 months doing analog artsy and then 3 months doing the digital version. This is the second post defining the digital version. (Click HERE if you want to see the first post). When I seriously started studying digital artsy, I had high hopes that I would find something that I totally enjoyed doing, and indeed I have. Of course, being a techie, I had some previous experience with digital tools, but this time I looked far and wide for just the right tools. I think I came close to … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #23 – Digital Artsy – The Tools – Part 2

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Mosaic of Life #18 – The Digital Stage Of Artsy – Part 1

RJ Walters

This post is the second part of my six-month experiment with becoming artsy. I have already told you about the doodling/analog stage, so this is about the digital stage. The mosaic picture above is one of the first attempts at digital art. It started out pretty much the same as an analog pictures, in that I traced the basic outline from a photograph I had taken years before. But, this time it was done by manipulating layers in a digital app. The picture was put on the bottom layer and the penned outline was made with an iPad and digital pen … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #18 – The Digital Stage Of Artsy – Part 1

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Mosaic of Life #43 – The Big Hair 80s

RJ Walters

No, I’m not talking about 80-year-olds, but instead the 1980s.  The first half of the 1980s, I was knee-deep in my bachelor days. I had been working as an engineer for 10 years, and had made enough money to afford some luxuries in life. But, coming from humble roots, I for the most part, was still a spend thrift. All my furniture, except for the bed, was hand-me-downs from various relatives after I graduated from college. I still use an electric skillet that an aunt gave me. It is now over a hundred years old, but works great, so I simply … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #43 – The Big Hair 80s

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Mosaic of Life #6 – The Last Rose

RJ Walters

In today’s artsy post, I give you the Last Rose, and the story behind it. When my future wife asked me out on a date in late 1985, it totally surprised me. A few months before, I had totally given up the idea of dating. Due to my Aspie traits, all the attempts at dating from the years before that were disasters. I think I said “yes” to her asking me on a date more out of shock than anything else. Long story short, I asked her to marry me a few months later, and like me on that our … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #6 – The Last Rose

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Mosaic of Life #1 – Doodling & The Analog Stage Of Artsy

RJ Walters

I seriously started my Artsy project in mid-2023. For a few months, it was almost exclusively freehand doodling. That got my confidence up that I could at least do rudimentary hand-to-eye coordination. I have created a collage of these sketches above, and they are on Mosaic Wall. As almost everyone knows, to be good at anything takes PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Some of the things I attempted in those first three months were just plain awful. They stayed out of the trash can for about 3 seconds after they were completed. But, they served a purpose. They were learning experiences. The first … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #1 – Doodling & The Analog Stage Of Artsy

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RJsMosaic Is A Celebration Of Life…

RJ Walters

This site is a celebration of life and the many pieces that make it up. Most of us go through life dreaming of the big things, but in reality, life is mostly made up of the little things that happen every day. RJsMosaic is about celebrating those small things as well as the big ones. It is also about celebrating the things that make us the unique people we are. It is about our special talents, achievements, and stories of our lives. It is about appreciating each day the Lord gives us. If this appeals to you, I invite you to … Continue reading RJsMosaic Is A Celebration Of Life…

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Mosaic of Life #36 – Who Knew I Would Some Day Become A Flower Child?

RJ Walters

Being in a RetCom (retirement community) now, I see plenty of bouquets at the front desk ready to be delivered to one of the residents. I can’t help but take a quick photo of them when I am there. The purple flower in the middle reminded me of the many cacti I saw on my Arizona adventure in 2022. Thus, the name “Purple Cactus”. In the 1960s, I was in college and working 40-hour weeks to pay for it, so I didn’t have the time to participate in the many Peace demonstrations during that period. I missed out, but I … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #36 – Who Knew I Would Some Day Become A Flower Child?

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Mosaic of Life #22 – Pure Lard

RJ Walters

Back in the “Good Old Days”, no respectable household would be without at least a 25lb can of “Pure Lard”. I can remember dad buying lard a pound at a time, but that was about it. Lard is simply animal fat that is rendered, after it was cut off the butchered animal. Rendering was a process of putting the fat in a large kettle and boiled, and then straining it through a sieve. Sounds scrumptious, doesn’t it? You might be asking why I have a picture of a lard can? It’s because one of my hobbies is documenting old containers of … Continue reading Mosaic of Life #22 – Pure Lard