the Backyard B'zmany hands make light work!

Today we’re talking with artist and landscape architect Melinda Polites about her fabulous mosaic pots. Each pot is hand made in a meticulous process which she will talk about in the interview. Let’s begin!

BYBz: Tell us something about yourself, and about how long you’ve been making these mosaic pots and objects. Where did the idea for mosaic pots originate?

MP: I’ve been a landscape architect for over 30 years, and I’ve been crafting things all my life, really, but in 2002 while working as a landscape architect for one of Atlanta’s largest landscaping companies, I was assigned the job of making some colbalt blue mosaic pots and a matching water feature for the company’s 2002 Garden & Patio Show exhibit.  At that time I don’t think they knew me well enough yet to know that it wasn’t in my nature to just go out and break a bunch of tiles and glue them to a pot and that would be that.

Instead, I borrowed a neighbor’s brand new wet saw and learned how to cut tile.  I’m surprised I didn’t cut any fingers off! After that I began to collect pieces and parts, much the same way I used to collect quilting fabrics. I started making the pots again at the end of 2009 when I became unemployed.  I had shopped the landscape market well enough over the years to know there was nothing else like them out there.

BYBz: How did you come up with the process? Has it changed much from your first efforts?

MP: There was no process in the beginning. It was strictly trial and error after reading up on the subject. Two of the first three pots turned out excellent, the third was an experiment with the crackle tiles and they didn’t seem to work as well.

In the beginning it was a mess. It was freezing cold and I was getting soaking wet out in the garage using the wet saw-this was in January and February! My fingers would go numb. My sunroom was a complete mess with tiles and pots and plywood strewn everywhere. The pieces were so heavy I had to work around them because I couldn’t pick them up alone. I’m much smarter now. I have a lot of wheels!

I plan things out to scale on paper most of the time, although sometimes I just experiment and it usually works out. I am always striving for perfection – sometimes I get it, mostly I come close.

BYBz: Where do you get your materials?

MP: It’s been a big problem, getting the materials I want for the things I want to do.  I have to shop it a lot.  Vendors aren’t keeping as much in stock anymore. Luckily I’ve just found a tile vendor that is willing to work with me and I have been able to get most of what I need from them.  It’s also difficult to find the exact precast concrete pieces I want without paying retail.

BYBz: Where do you get your design ideas?

MP: I’ve always been a creative person, and for  years I was a quilter, too, so I get a lot of ideas from those resources.  It’s all geometry, proportion, color. I learned a lot from quilting. I used a lot of black in my quilts like the Amish-it has a way of making the colors pop. I tried it on the first pots and the results were amazing. Because I experiment a lot I can see what works in different projects and then use those ideas in different ways. Many of the pieces I’ve made so far have been somewhat art deco in style, but I also love classic and craftsman style and am now moving in that direction. Whatever the style, all my pieces are sophisticated and unique.

BYBz: How long does it take, from concept to completion, to put together a medium sized pot?

MP: Working out the design and colors takes the majority of the time. Once I’ve worked that out I can produce a medium sized pot in about three days. I’m usually working on more than one at a time because each step requires overnight set up time before I can go to the next step.

BYBz: I understand that you do commission work. Who would be your ideal client?
MP: I think my pieces can work well just about anywhere, so the ideal client could be anyone from a homeowner wanting a single piece or multiple pieces, to urban projects, hotels or restaurants that want to raise the bar a notch from terra cotta or precast concrete to something that really glows.  When I go to the Forum on Peachtree Industrial I always envision how that big obelisk focal point they have would look if I had done it.  I believe a focal piece is not a focal piece if everyone’s got one, so my ideal client would be someone who thinks the same way!

BYBz: Can your pots stand up to outdoor use?

MP: Most of my pieces are intended to weather the elements outside.  I have a number of planters that have been outside for over six months now, through all the recent bad weather and they have held up fine.  They require nothing more than wiping off with a clean cloth to knock off any dirt and restore the luster.

Most of the base objects I use are made of precast concrete and won’t freeze and crack. My intention is for everything to last so I use the same type of waterproofing used on swimming pools. I waterproof the outsides of the pots, too, so that water doesn’t leach through to the tiles, and the black grout that I use doesn’t show dirt as the lighter grouts will. However, the small terra cotta based pots will not make it outside in a freeze.  I put several outside and had to pick up the pieces afterwards!  So except for the small pots, all my products are intended for outdoor landscape use.

BYBz: Where can we see more of your work? Where is it sold?

I’m working on creating a catalog of my work so that pieces may be ordered.  I have some planters on consignment at Habersham Gardens off Cheshire Bridge Road. For inquiries, custom work, or for the curious, I can be contacted at politesdesigns@gmail.com. I hope to exhibit in some of the upcoming neighborhood markets as well.  When you see my pots in person, you will see how they have a way glowing in the light.  To see a slide show of most of my creations, check out YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/mpolites10011

BYBz: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, Melinda! We wish you much success in the coming years.

MP: Thank you!

On February 27th the Backyard Bitchezz will take a trip to the Cobb Galleria to take in the sights of the Southeastern Flower Show. Or should we call it the Incredible Shrinking Southeastern Flower Show? At its peak it featured oodles of garden installations by Atlanta’s top landscapers along with an extensive vendor area where you could purchase plants and other wonderful stuff like fabulous hats and jewelry.

I remember the first SEFS I attended back when it was held at the Georgia World Congress Center in one of its largest halls. I was floored at the elaborate gardens that were created inside. Whole worlds with water features, topiary sculptures and aisle after aisle of jaw-dropping horticultural splendor! I could hardly wait for spring to come so that I could go out and dig in my yard. Such amazing inspiration!

But in the past few years the show has continued to shrink in size, this year featuring only seven registered display gardens at this writing. Now held at the Cobb Galleria Center, it appears that the show is struggling to survive in an atmosphere of economic downturn and persistent drought.

We especially note the absence of Unique Environmental Concepts as it has been a consistent competitor and award winner for years. Also missing are Pike Nurseries, Gibbs and Scapes. Not a whole lot of variety, and a bit of a disappointment when you consider the price of the admission ticket.

No doubt Ed Castro will have his usual ho-hum garden of sod and evergreens with a slightly despondent fountain, stalwart tulips and a rock or two. We certainly can’t look to his display for the “Wow!” factor we need to get out blood pumping for spring.

Are the days of cutting edge design like New Leaf’s display a few years ago gone? And who can forget this awesome dragon sculpture from 2009?

It will be interesting to see what this year’s show is like, and how well attended it is. It’s the law of diminishing returns – offer less, and fewer people will come out. I hope that the leadership of the Southeastern Horticultural Society will step up and try to stop this slide toward oblivion. I would hate to see us lose this island of spring that gives us the strength to hold out for the real thing.

Hello Bitchezz!

We are now fine and online! Now we can all update our exploits, share our garden tips and photos, and keep up to date on upcoming meetings. What could be better? Our next meeting is at Jane’s on the third Sunday in February. Hopefully the weather won’t be completely miserable and we’ll be able to work some magic as we usually do.

The Southeastern Flower Show is coming up Feb. 25-27th at the Cobb Galleria. Maybe we should gather there and gain inspiration for the coming year. It’s always wonderful to share an event like that with fellow plant whores. We can renew old acquaintances with employers gone-by and generally whoop it up.

Leave a comment, give an opinion-this is our year, girls!