The Madrona wall, before fixtures get installed that will obscure parts of the mosaic.

In August 2023, I was beginning to develop a design concept for a small restroom not yet built for a park in Olympia, WA. It was to be the most ambitious, complicated mosaic commission of my career for several reasons. First: The building did not yet exist, so a lot of factors were still uncertain. Second: The mural would cover all of the walls, floor to ceiling, including a niche for the sink, around and behind a toilet and other fixtures (some of which were a surprise at the end!) Finally: I was so excited and inspired by the theme of this project, which was to depict reverence for the local natural landscape with a “church-like” aesthetic (but nonsectarian) that I went a bit over-the-top and made a design that I absolutely love, but required that a lot of lines connect perfectly, connecting all of the facets of the space. Wow!

Draft design for all walls of a public restroom. Some of the design will change due to placement of fixtures, addition of some critters, and my creative whims.

The basic design went to print full scale in January 2024 and I got to work cutting glass. After a few months of fabrication, our family made a big decision to transform my 20′ x 20′ studio into an apartment for our 21-year-old daughter. Before I knew it, I had to move my work station to the garage, spreading into the driveway as spring came. I’ve been working on this more than full-time for most of the year, and it finally began to go up onto the walls in August. It has been so exciting to see it come together!

Jennifer Kuhns and Kelly Click Christel troweling thinset to the back of a mosaic section.
Debi Lee helping to grout the mosaic.
Austin Harris helping to install a stained glass mosaic panel.
Austin dry-setting sections of the mosaic before putting it into mortar.
Sections of mosaic waiting to be set into mortar.
Jennifer trimming a mosaic section with a Taurus ring saw.

I love everything about this project. The client is creating a gift for the community by incorporating a publicly accessible restroom into her construction next to a park that hosts food trucks and weekend festivals. Until now, it has not had a public restroom for visitors. She is trusting that people will respect the artistry and help to take care of it. If not, it will need to be locked when it can’t be monitored.

The fish, which is splashing up from behind the toilet.
Kelly sweeping up with the heron in the foreground.
The Madrona wall, before fixtures get installed that will obscure parts of the mosaic.
One view of the room after the mosaic is mostly installed.

I am so proud of this work and I feel it stands as a true representation of my creative style and skills with glass and mosaic. I can’t wait for the space to be completed and open to the public, though there’s still work to be done on the building. The exact location will be posted after the fixtures are in and all of the details finished.

Specifics:

Material = Stained glass of all types, including some vintage pieces from an old church in Seattle
Adhesive = Laticrete 254 Platinum Plus for adhering to mesh and Platinum 254 for the mortar bed
Grout = Spectralock 1 premixed epoxy, Dusty Grey

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