The Substrate

The substrate I use for creating mosaics is recycled surfboards. They are all older, decrepit, abandoned, have been ridden on hundreds of waves, are no longer seaworthy and otherwise headed for oblivion. I tile the top/deck of the boards only. A six foot board has about 3,000 glass pieces and takes 60-100 hours to complete. Any pressure dings from a well-placed surfer's heel that aren't too severe are left untouched. Because of this, there may be a few minor (but authentic!) dips in the tiled surface. The bottom is left in it's original condition with some boards having a few dings, gashes and lacerations from their last days in salt water voyages. Most surfboards that are no longer seaworthy end up in landfills. The ones I rescue eventually find their way to an accommodating wall.