One day the world will be
filled with Iris Mosaic paintings. Or it's idea descendants.
We define Iris Mosaic today as a regular painting on canvas where a discrete
mosaic inlay is added that gives it a three dimensional
structure. And
Cebu where the craft is being developed will be the testing
ground for both production and marketing. Rather a lofty ambition, but if one must dream why
not dream big?
Make no mistake about
this. The goal is not just to sell a few pieces to keep a
few artists and artisans happy. Although it is a lofty one
considering there are so many artists here with too little
outlet for their skills. It is also our hope to one day
export and popularize the Iris Mosaic look worldwide. Then
we can put jobs into the hands of artisans who need only a
little training to get going on the project. We are not
afraid to say so but
the idea is simple; we just print designs available on the
internet and let artisans fill the printed
page by pasting matching colored iris components on. Like this item
for example.
This part of the work is what one might say is repetitive
and boring. But I've known so many artisans who really
enjoy this kind of activity. Like knitters, cross
stitches, embroiderers - this kind of work is appealing to
artisans - plus they earn money.
Defining Iris:
This piece
was among our first when we used purely iris material.
By the way iris is the term we use for our own 'invention'
if it can be called that. It's iridescent cellophane that we
combine with other materials like paper, plastic, fabric
or aluminum. We then apply different style crumpling,
folding, stretching, shredding etc. Then we use different
colors. The possibilities are infinite. And the glitter
effect is mesmerizing.
But before we can export - we need to
develop the line first. And where to better develop the line
than right here in Cebu. That's where artist and end-user can
interact directly. That's where client can visit the shop
and actually see his order being made, that is if he so
desires. That's where an infinite series (ok make that
reasonably finite) of changes may be made to the design (at a
premium of course) before it is ready for delivery. That's
where mounting and installation can be studied in place for
best results.
And also after all the care, foresight
and deliberation have been taken, if the finished product
still fall short of 100% satisfactory, because everything is
located in Cebu, there are options available from remaking
the product or including it in stock to sell to less
discriminating buyers. If our customer were in the US for
instance - that puts the option close to zero, the product
in the trash can, and either seller or buyer (or both) will
get burned. In short, we are not ready for prime time
with a market so far away from home.
But we also hope to
attract interior designers for whom we can do custom made
designs for their clients' spaces. After all what
better challenge is there for us than to fulfill the
demanding tastes of Cebuano designers on a one of a kind
custom order. And what better way to develop the craft than
to satisfy the demand of meticulous users for whom we can
come up with new ideas all the time.
We are a new and small
team of 10 workers, artists and artisans. But the
founder has a long history in the export business with FCQ
Worldwide, the first and practically only remaining exporter
of fashion jewelry components. In fact the raw
materials we use all come from overstock of FCQ. The idea to
utilize the materials as well as the artisans come from the
same kind of business model that FCQ uses - serving custom
made components for the jewelry designer sounds much the
same as serving iris mosaic for the interior designers.
Check out the following
items we've made so far, you may be lucky enough to have
something you really like still available. Yes indeed
we can reserve an item or two for you although we would like
to take them with us to the show still. If you are an
interior designer looking to place custom order - do call us
to make an appointment.
As we write this - we have
not started selling yet. But given that our stocks are
limited and production is still slow it may be a wise for a
potential lover of any item to act fast. While we can
always make duplicates - they may not be exactly the same
nor would we be able to do them as fast as you'd want to
have them, not to mention that a one of a kind single order
could be more expensive.
