  Lapidary Art by Daniel Lopacki |
While studying art at Orange Cost College in the mid seventies my interest in stone work started to blossom. I clearly remember seeing a pin with a rose carved of Red Coral set in sterling silver and thinking to my self how cool this was and amazed at the job someone did.
During this same time period I met two different people that were doing inlay/overlay Southwest style stone mosaic on spiny oyster shells. One was Billy Jones of whom I lost track of almost instantly. The other was Lee Louden of Crescent Valley, NV. Lee became a good friend a major influence and cohort for the next twenty or so years.
Anyway we can all blame Lee and Billy for starting what you see below.
Early Mosaic Shells 1978-1981 | ||
WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY DEFINES MOSAIC:
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2. Inlaid work made by this process.
3. A picture or design so made.
All of my early work was an stone overlay but I still considered them Mosaic Work
1978
Stone Mosaic Over Very Small Clam Shell
This is the first shell in a series that I started in 1978. One thing to note, I started using curved stone cuts very early.
All shells when done were signed and dated. The early shells were signed on the back inside the actual shell. The later shells were also signed on the stonework up around the top of the shell.
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Signed and dated #1 1978Indian Mountian Turquoise, Orange Spiny Oyster, Gold Lip MOP and Jet.
Set in Sterling Silver with gallery wire bezel.
Suzi's Shell
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Signed and dated #2 1978Australian Opal & Chilean Lapis 41mm 1.6" tall
If you enlarge the image you will notice gaps between some of the stones. As my talents improved I would offer a potential buyer a 10 power eye loupe so they could see there were few if any gaps in my work.
1978-1979
Left Azurite, Red Coral and Australian Opal set in Sterling Silver.
Center "First Mimbres Inspired Lizard" repeated many times over the years. Nevada Turquoise, Jet, Red Coral and Gold Lip Mother of Pearl
Right B.C. Jade, Aventurine and Red Coral set in Sterling Silver.
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1979
Mom's Shell
First Butterfly and one of the largest shells I ever overlaid. 70mm X 70mm 2 3/4 X 2 3/4 inch
Nevada Turquoise, Arizona Turquoise, Sodalite, Opal
Signed and dated #9 79
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1979-1980
By this time the gaps in my work had all but disappeared.
Left Chrysoprase, Chrysocolla, Lapis, Red Coral, Jet and Australian Opal set in Sterling Silver.
Center Two colors Nevada Turquoise, Jet, Red Coral, Lapis, White and Gold Lip Mother of Pearl set in Sterling Silver.
Right Turquoise and Jet set in Sterling Silver.
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1980 or 1981
Early on a very strong and long lasting influence in my art work was the simple yet elegant designs of the ancient Mimbres Indians of Southwestern New Mexico.
In my early work and thru most of the nineties, I would just have to do another Mimbres inspired piece.
Below is an example of an early complicated design.
With the use of only five colors, this fish almost comes alive.
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Nevada Turquoise, Orange Spiny Oyster, White and Gold Lip MOP and Jet.
Set in Sterling Silver.
1979-1980
Design Based On The Old Time Tobacco Canteen
Two Separate Mosaic Shells glued together then drilled for top stopper in silver work.
I had two shells I could not market, so I glued them together for this very small canteen.
Silver work produced from half round wire and sheet.
Materials used Orange and Red Spiny Oyster Shell, two types Turquoise, Jet and Chrysophrase.
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Unfortunatley I only have a clear image of this Adventurine side, the oposite side was kind of drab B. C. Jade.
The silverwork is made with gallery wire and sheet. I made a channel on the outer edge that was then inlaid with Red Coral the stopper was also capped with Red Coral
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Of only four canteens I was to make this is the largest and most interesting late 1980.
Silver work produced from half round wire and sheet. Stopper set with Sodalite cabochon.
Materials used Sodalite, Orange and Red Spiny Oyster Shell, three types Turquoise, Gold Lip MOP, Tortoise Shell and Lepidolite
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In early 1981 I made the decision that I was going to take a break from shell mosaic. My main reason, for the hours spent on shell mosaic projects I just wasn't able to sell the finished product for a high enough price.
Mosaic Shells 1984 | ||
In 1984 after honing my skills in Lapidary and Metal work for three years. I felt that the time might be right to once again produce
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