The Ruins Sketch Artists: Behind the Scenes of the Art Before the Mosaic

Fathers, birds, and camouflaged bugs

Welcome to the rusty, crumbling, but oh so vibrant world of The Ruins Project, dear newcomer. And long-timer! Inside these coal smudged pages, you will find things you were sure you had forgotten. You will be reminded that what has been lost is never really dead, only settled somewhere else. In these pages you can let go the leash that keeps you inside the walls of the established order and gallop, or tip toe, towards what is possible. What is possible when you let yourself believe in what might be possible?

Ten years ago, I looked at a long-abandoned concrete ruin of the coal industry and, with butterflies in my gut, I let myself imagine that it might be waiting to become a giant mosaic project. A project that could help restore respect to the people who come from coal.

It has done that. And so much more. There is only one Ruins Project.

Before you read on into this exciting Wednesday, I ask you to consider becoming a paid subscriber. With the click of that pretty button below, you can join the small army of Ruins lovers who are helping to invite the next artist, plan the next group project, and keep the creative fire burning through the cold months.

The eyes of Jeff Sager in progress. By Donna Van Hooser

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Do you ever wonder how The Ruins art gets made?

Some of the mosaic on its walls falls officially into the category of world class which makes some of its artists among the best on planet earth. If you have stood in front of a magnificent mosaic Ruins portrait and wondered, how do they do that? you are not alone.

I find the behind-the-scenes sketches and messy workshops of artists at work to be deliciously voyeuristic. Like peeking behind the velvet curtain of a stage play to watch the actors getting dressed, it feels intimate.

Today, I share with you some glimpses behind The Ruins curtain. Be sure to click on the photos to enlarge them so you can see the details of pen and ink that eventually become stone and glass.

The Ruins Cicadas by Jae Jackson Shields

To be more specific; the Magiccicada Cassini gen X 2021.

The artist used the generation of cicada that was active in Fayette County in the months that she built her two sculptures. I adore her drawings and have them tucked away here in the studio for someday in the future when I might have the room to display them for an exhibition. I fantasize about turning our lonely shipping container into a tiny, walk-through museum for visitors to enjoy these precious pre-mosaic artworks.

Jae Jackson Shields final sculptures are installed into the biggest tree of The Ruins, a healthy tulip poplar with a very mosaic-like bark pattern. They are camouflaged and only spotted by certain, perceptive visitors. Site specific!

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The Jeffrey Luce Sager Portrait by Donna Van Hooser

I reached out to Donna the same year my father died, 2020. Choosing one of my favorite photos for her to work from. I love his beautiful hand cocked on his hip and his coal dirty face at age 29. My brain wasn’t working well so I thank God that the artist took this ambitious project on with grace and independence. A portrait is an interpretation. Her masterful interpretation of Jeff Sager, in her signature color value technique, continues to be one of the highlights of The Ruins.

The Jeffrey Luce Sager Portrait by Donna Van Hooser

To see more sketches, you can become a paid subscriber now and go deeper into The Ruins art.