Making An Entrance
“Way ahead of the Fixer Uppers,” Jim Turner and Bonnie Lankford welcomed guests to their craftsman style home, “it was an ongoing project with refurbishing our home and property here on Quail Run.”
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon on December 2, 2018, Jim and Bonnie hosted a grand unveiling of their new entrance a moveable gate uniquely named, “Unitamente”. It was designed by Rockwall County Artist Barbara Dybala of Hidden Mosaic.
Inspiration and Design
In December 2016, Bonnie went on a mosaic trip to San Miguel de Allende Mexico. Her roommate was none other than Barbara Dybala. When Bonnie followed up with Jim she shared how she was a local established artist so he browsed her website and was impressed with her talent. During that trip two years ago, the ladies were among a group of U.S. mosaic artists who were involved in a project by the artist visionary Anado McLauchlin. The installation is called, Kismet Street and it is located at The Chapel of Jimmy Ray, San Miguel de Allende Mexico.
Jim jokingly shared how he doesn’t know why Barbara calls her business, Hidden Mosaic. “You can see what she does from the space shuttle.”
Not too long after that Mexico trip, they stayed in touch with Barbara and they were invited to an annual Mother’s Day event where the Dybala’s host a tour of the studio and to view the big surprises on their property. Jim added that her two story studio home has a frog that is the same height.
Barbara graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of North Texas and trained for many years as a professional graphic artist. If you flew on American Airlines, you probably noticed the inserts in the seat pockets. She created magazine designs for the American Way inflight magazine for the American Airlines publication department. In 1999, she met the marketing director for Coca-Cola who asked her to create some unusual mosaic with Coke products. This was the beginning of Barbara’s mosaic art life. After 15 years, Barbara left American Airlines and has since devoted her creative life to mosaics.
By the next Mother’s Day Tour, they viewed the Dybala’s newest installation of their entrance gate. The design was to tie their interpretation of where they live and their lifestyle. Bonnie was compelled and desired one to be on their property in Rockwall. So they visited over dinner and began to discuss some creative ideas. Jim shared that in the springtime, sunflowers are raised in the garden and the blooms are as big as dinner plates. For several years they used to have bees, until they got stung and swollen. They desired to incorporate on the gate quails which ties into their story of living on Quail Run.
It’s been a LABOR of LOVE.
Jim playfully claimed, “It was practically designed the next day, but to produce the gate installation itself it took about 6 months. The name King Ranch was taken, so on one of those girl trips that I don’t ask my love about.” Bonnie recalled that she showed him a picture of an Italian floor that was done centuries ago that they both loved and it inspired Jim to look up on Google the Italian word for, “together”. And Wikipedia pulled up some context that gave the name that will hang right above their grand entrance, “Unitamente”. Jim added, “A rough translation in Italian means, ‘As we come together we can accomplish something.'”
Among the group, many shared it sounded like it truly has been a together project. Sometimes the gate would work – other times it didn’t. It used to have unmatched wagon wheels on it. Jimmy Grey a welder who produced a whole new gate in collaborating with the Dybala’s to prepare the installation. In addition to his expertise in accounting, Dave was also lauded for his talent with welding and woodwork.
The center there is a bee and under artistic direction Bonnie was able to be involved in this extraordinary custom creation. Depending on the day, it appears different and there is so many details to look at.
Guests attending raised their glasses to toast the Mosaic Artist, Barbara Dybala, “Unitamente!”
Barbara asked, “How many can you say that you have a client that you become better friends with them by the end of your project?”
One of the questions that was asked is how long did this take? Barbara shared, “There was so much prep work that took place, comprehension of measurements, knowing where the sun sets, what’s the angle, what did Jim and Bonnie want to portray or for people to see. All of these things were considered to draw a presentation to give them some estimates and then go make those numbers work.”
There is no doubt that Barbara loves to challenge herself, “How do you make a mosaic move? Yet be stable over a period of time and what do you guarantee this for? And as you know you can only guarantee something as long as the product says that it would hold up.”
This idea of a moving mosaic is different than what she normally has done. So when she tried it on her gate she was confident she could do it. To make it as light as possible she chose a Trend brand that is Italian inspired and engineered. It is constructed on Wedi Board a lightweight substrate surface made in Germany. This material is perfect for outdoor mosaics. The foam board is covered with a thin layer of fiberglass mesh and a cement coating that is entirely waterproof and weatherproof.
Stainless steel screws and shafts were drilled into the material to hang the installation on the new laser cut welded beams. Barbara mentioned she supplied a repair kit just in case there is an accident. Parts of sections can be replaced by unforeseen damages.
Barbara shared that the process started with an original drawing in June 2018. She shared, “A lot of cat herding happened before we actually put down the first piece of glass down. Some time at the beginning, Trend discontinued this tile in Italy.” She was fortunate as she pursued to locate the appropriate tile that led her to discover a stash in Florida. The actual time dedicated to gluing and creating the mosaic took about 7 weeks. Then a couple of weeks of grouting and cleaning. It took about 3 days over a long weekend of welding the new gate and assembling the installation. The old pipe fencing was too heavy so Jimmy Grey was able to help in this process tremendously.
Bonnie shared how she loves mosaic design and if you are interested in learning more about it she forewarns you that it can be addicting. Be sure to view the gallery slideshow at the top. I included an art piece that I found in Bonnie’s garden. Bonnie truly has a love for art and it shows in her creative spirit.
Final Thoughts
It was a really nice presentation and I thoroughly enjoyed the craftsmanship of the details incorporated in this mosaic. There was so much dedication to truly fulfilling the meaning of the name. For those interested in viewing more of Barbara Dybala‘s creative works be sure to view her website, take a tour, join her mailing list and/or take one of her fabulous to go or stay workshops. Maybe this will inspire you on your next commission project.
