Courtyard Memories was created for the Ripped Off 2007 Show using the art of Shawn Marie Hardy as my jumping off point. I have long admired her collages and the way she interprets memories and feelings into her pieces and was particularly captivated by the Pavement series. A while ago I discovered a stack of porcelain tiles had been left on the top of a basement stove which had been bumped to the 'on' position (dangerous, I know!) and, due to the weight and heat, they cracked in a really beautiful, undulating, landscapey sort of way. I used four of these to create my cracked patio floor and then, using a wet saw, cut in areas in which to insert items like floral tiles, a beer bottle cap, china cup daisies and wildlife. The large flying bug tile is from a trip to Mexico and the frog tile was one I bought during a fortieth birthday trip with my sister and it represents the annual Angel's Camp frog jumping competition. The sidewalks in Angel's Camp, California, are dotted with frogs as well, so it was fitting to put one in mine. The collaged blossoms supposedly have just been blown onto the courtyard floor by a gust of wind. The perimeter of the mosaic represents an actual sidewalk and I've included some great funky shoe tiles I found online by the seller Potter's Daughters. The whole piece is sprinkled with pebbles a la Shawn Marie Hardy and were really difficult to insert without breaking the tiles! For sparkle I added blue glass beads which represent the ever-present Pacific Northwest raindrops! There is a china 'S' near the white flower for 'Shawn". I had great fun doing this piece and hope Shawn gets a kick out of it.