Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Mulberry Bridge

So much has happened since our last post. We finished making and installing the exterior panels on the Mulberry Bridge. The bridge is now open to traffic!

Christina Palafox helping with installation
We'd like to thank the nice weather and the amazing help of friends and family.  Couldn't have done it without you all.  

Margaret Palafox construction site supervisor for  Diana Kersey Ceramics

We have finished building all of the interior panels as well.  So Diana and I are back in the studio glaze firing this week. We will be back on the bridge in hardhats installing the interior panels by the end of the month.   I can hardly wait for pedestrians and drivers to be able be able to experience the magic up close.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Interior panels for the Catalpa-Pershing Bridge

We are getting close to finishing the building of the Bridge! All eight of the vertical panels that have the large bas-reliefs of the Gulf Coast Toad are either glaze fired or bisqued and ready for the final firing. Twelve of the sixteen horizontal panels have been made and bisque fired. And today, I finished the last touches on four of the eight interior panels, now all we have left next week is to make the final four, which will look very similar to the images posted below.

The project is looking great, and we hope to begin installation mid-week. The guys at Hill Country Bridge and EZ-bel Construction, in addition the city staff, have all been outstanding and willing to accommodate my concerns and scheduling needs. What a great group of professionals! I am so proud to be a part of this project!
Male toad singing/courting the female


Toad eggs that have been fertilized
Tadpoles maturing into froglet

Mature gulf coast toad
I must admit, I am getting a wee bit tired of thinking about toads! It is good to start seeing signs of completion for this project. I am very pleased with the results from the firings so far, the kiln gods everyone made for the studio opening have been doing their job! Next post should contain some finished and installed work. Yippiee!

Diana

Catalpa-Pershing Bridge Progress

First piece out of the glaze kiln!!


I bet you are wondering how the tile panels for the bridge are coming along.  The answer is: GREAT! We have finished building the eight vertical panels and the first ones are out of the glaze firing.  The colors are more rich and vibrant than we could have hoped for, and boy do they sparkle in the sun!













Forms with foam inserts for tile panels



Meanwhile, the constructions of the bridge itself is coming right along. San Antonians will be happy to know that the Mulberry is scheduled to be open to traffic,  with bridge construction finished by first week in April. (disclaimer: neither Diana Kersey  nor her assistant are responsible for any of the current or future traffic situations in San Antonio)







Exterior of bridge with scaffolding! 
We have built twelve out of sixteen of the horizontal panels.  Only four more to go.  We are now focusing on processing all of the exterior panels though the glazing and firing process.  The artisan construction workers at Hill Country Bridge, Inc.http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hill-Country-Bridge-Inc are leaving the exterior scaffolding up for us.  We don't have to install hanging off the side of the bridge with rock climbing harnesses!!!!