Triskill Design - New Studio in Bray

Hi All

Well, it has been tough recently but Triskill Design is still working hard to provide a top quality Decorative Art and Design service to it's clients. Even with the challenging economic situation to deal with Triskill have taken a pro-active approach and are now offering our clients an even wider range of services including mosaic, customised artwork, gilding, digital murals and of course specialist painting. 


In order to provide these skills in a more efficient way, we have now moved into a new studio just off Bray Main Street in County Wicklow. This allows us to work on even larger customised artworks and also offers our clients an easy, drop in opportunity to view work in progress.

Recent projects this year have brought us everywhere from Dublin city centre to Bucharest and Miami and we have incorporated everything from lightbox artwork to detailed hand painted Murals. As most businesses in Ireland realise, it is important to now look abroad for work and to emphasise to other markets the quality of services that can be found in this country.

Trompe l'Oeil Coffered Ceiling, Bucharest - Work in Progress

With our new studio up and running we are about to start work on yet more panels for the on-going Bray Mosaic project. Soon to be completed is the 1950s panel funded by Bray Credit Union which we plan to have  installed in the station in the next few weeks. See below some photos of work from our studio - 

Studio shot of 1950s Panel from the Bray Mosaic Project

Detail

Detail

Thankfully we also have a busy new year ahead with more projects planned in Ireland and abroad, ranging from a Dublin historical mural to a Cuban themed restaurant. All of these projects offer us a chance to both build on skills we already have and to discover new ways of creating exciting artwork features - one client recently asked us to create a light feature for their bar which was an interesting challenge - we used laser cut MDF, perspex and colour changing LED to create an ambient and adjustable light source - see below -

Back lit LED and perspex ceiling feature

We want to be able to offer our clients as much of a choice when they come to us and to see us as a one-stop shop for interesting and creative solutions for interior decoration and architectural features.


Hopefully, you see something you find interesting here - Don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you want more information about our services or any of the projects we have been involved in,


Al the best,


Triskill

June 2009

Hi All,

Well it's been a few months since the last newsletter. Time slips by so quickly and we have been very busy with a number of different projects. We will try and keep it to a monthly update from now on. 

Since February we have completed a good few jobs, some of them abroad, alongside a number of mosaic and paint projects at home. Rather than try and give an overview of all these projects  (we might save that to next month) we will highlight a project that we have just completed - the Percent for Art Mosaic for Johnstown Boys National School. We installed the largest of the mosaics a few weeks back and took a good few shots of the installation.

The first image shows us setting up to install the mosaic. It is an exterior piece that will scale nearly two storeys of the school building. 

A bit of skillful scaffold building was required for this one. It's one of the largest mosaics we have installed and also in a slightly awkward position so getting good access was essential.

We attached the first section, working from the top down - it's better to get the hard bits over with first!

The lower sections went on quick enough. Each piece slots together like a jigsaw although making sure the measures are correct is essential.

After a few hours the piece is starting to take shape. The mosaic depicts a waterfall and is part of an ecological theme that runs through the various mosaics we have made for the school.

Nearly there at this stage - all we have left to do is to grout the tiles and take down the scaffold. There is a small bit of tiling to do at the base as well.

All the grout is on now and all it needs is the two side sections at the base.

And finally, the finished piece. 

Since we completed this piece we have installed two more interior mosaics in the school which we will highlight next month. Till then - all the best!

Mural to Mosaic Project - Update

February 2009

Hi All

You might remember a few newsletters back (http://triskill-projects.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html) we focused on an on-going project that Triskill are involved in - The Bray Mural to Mosaic Project. We are replacing each panel of the existing mural in Bray station with a copy in porcelain tile mosaic. The mural was originally designed and painted by Triskill partners John and Jay in 1987(!) but the paintwork had gone into serious disrepair - with Anthony now on board we are on our way to replacing it all with mosaic. There are 19 panels in total and we are gradually working our way through them. It's quite a laborious task but a great challenge and has received brilliant feedback so far. Eleven of the nineteen panels have been sponsored by a company or individual so there are still opportunities for those interested to contribute something to financing the work. Each contributor gets a plaque dedicated to them or their company positioned over a panel of their choice.

Our most recent visit to the station was to install our latest piece; a portrait of William Dargan - Father of the Irish Railway's. He was instrumental in bringing the railway line to Bray and further south to Wicklow, so he was an important man to the area. He has a panel to himself in the original mural and our job last week was to replace the painted portrait with the new mosaic version.
The first stage was to lay down our adhesive base over the original painting having sanded and sealed the surface. It's always a bit upsetting to see the original artwork disappear but so it goes. Interestingly enough the original portrait was painted by Chris Judge (from our design), now one of Ireland's foremost illustrators (see his blog link at the end of the page). Chris helped us all those years ago when we did a number of repairs to the mural - so, apologies Chris for the erasure!

Anyhow, once the adhesive was on, it was straight into fixing the lower section of the portrait to the wall. The mosaic tiles are held together with a clear vinyl contact sheet but this stage can be precarious as we can lose tiles easily and it's hard to go back and re-cut them. But as you can see the work is in good hands...

The next stage is the trickiest - the top part needs to link perfectly with the bottom section or else it can leave an obvious join so great care is needed in positioning the mosaic. Again we are at great pains to avoid tile loss but thankfully registration was perfect on this one.


Finally, the mosaic is patted down to make sure all the tiles have contact with the adhesive and we will leave it a few days to set before grouting. Eventually the frame will also be finished in mosaic and a plaque installed giving Dargan's historical dates.

More updates on this project soon or if you are in Bray station keep an eye out for the mosaics. Special thanks as well to George and Eileen Kelly who have generously sponsored the Dargan panel.

Check out Chris's blog at chrisjudgeillustration.blogspot.com

Happy New Year!

January 2009

Hi All,

Hope everybody has had a good break over Xmas and has had a chance to brace themselves for the coming year - If we are to believe the doomsayers we are in the midst of the  greatest recession since the great Tulip Bulb crash of the 1630's, so one would be forgiven for staying in bed for the rest of 2009 and hope things are better with the start of the next decade. What is interesting to note however, is that the golden age of Dutch Art followed the aforementioned depression with the forward thinking people of Holland turning their attention and money to investing in Art. So let me suggest that all our valued clients look kindly on our little company and see our product as an investment for the future! 

One recommendation we have made to a number of our clients over the past few years is the fact that a well positioned customised artwork or an appropriate colour scheme can transform an interior and cost a lot less than a total re-design and re-fit. A couple of jobs that we have completed recently came to mind - firstly, a restaurant where you can see the benefits of our customised artwork and a feature mosaic.

The first couple of images show a number of  large canvases we made for an Indian restaurant. The idea was to create artwork that didn't draw too much attention to itself but at the same time helped to give the room a definite identity. We also chose the wall colour and gilding to the light features.
The second image shows a section of a large mosaic we fitted to the stairwell of the same restaurant. It provided a striking feature as you enter the premises.

We also used mosaic to add interest to these alcoves at back of the restaurant. Having introduced these dramatic elements to the overall scheme the client was able to keep a simple approach to the rest of the interior. 

The next image shows another approach to creating an interesting wall finish that can be customised to suit a room. Here we have designed and painted a wall graphic that fits the style of decor in the room. This approach has an advantage over wallpaper in that it can be adjusted to fit the exact requirements in style and finish. It also avoids the technical pitfalls of wall coverings i.e. joints, bubbles and peeling. It also works out as cost effective alternative. Feel free to contact us for more information about these topics at triskill2@gmail.com...

So with those thrifty tips in mind we wish everyone the best for 2009 - Let's make the most of it!

Have a Happy New Year from John, Anthony and Jay.

From the Archives

October 2008

                                      movie mural montage - movies@dundrum 2005

Hi All,

It's been such a busy month we almost forgot to post our monthly newsletter; but here it is, squeezed in on the last week. A lot of our work recently has been on the drawing boards so not too many photos to show. One project we have on site at the moment is the Bray Mosaic project (see our June post and  mural-to-mosaic.blogspot.com) which is progressing well - We will have a newsletter next month covering developments on this project since the summer. 

So, with the cinemas doing so well over the rainy season we thought we'd showcase our humble contributions to that success with some shots of our artwork for Movies@Dundrum and Movies@Swords from a couple of years back. Working with designer John MacDonald from McNally Design/McBuild we worked on a number of mural features based on 1930s and 40s cinema iconography. The brief was to combine a contemporary multiplex with elements of art deco and classic cinema interior design.  Both sites were some of the biggest we had worked on and at one stage we had up to 8 artists working together on murals, digital images and paint finishes. Here are a few examples of many from those two jobs - 

 

                                                      VIP Bar movies@swords 2006

                                     Mural at main entrance movies@dundrum 2005

                      Ceiling gold and copper paint finish movies@swords 2006

Art Deco Peacock Bar - VIP Bar movies@dundrum 2005

So, if anyone has any cinemas to decorate we come with plenty of experience and are open to any offers - but for now, Happy Hollow e'en and see you again in November....

Summer Jobs

September 2008

                                 Endangered Irish Species - Mosaic at Johnstown Boys School

Hi All,

This summer has thrown us a real mixed bag of jobs - one minute we are mosaic-ing, the next painting and then suddenly building something out of perspex. This can lead us into uncharted territory  - I think our strangest so far being a life-size section of Stone Henge for the British Embassy a few years back. Nothing that odd this year; but a lot of variety. We often reflect that being in Triskill tests our abilities and one of the great things, when all goes well, is discovering materials and techniques that one might not have encountered before. We've had to put a lot of research in over the years to increase our knowledge of various methods, whether that be Loose Foil Gilding or Glass Tile mosaic - it's great to then refine and perfect a technique and even add your own elements.

So, with this newsletter we thought we'd highlight a few projects we've been working on over the last month or so - The first image above is one of two new mosaics we have installed at Johnstown Boys School. You might remember we did a post on the project a few months back and we are working our way through the six mosaics we have been commissioned to do.

                   Gold leaf and carved wood period plaque approx. 350mm x 250mm 

This next image is a small plaque we were asked to do recently - The client was very specific and wanted something that would fit in with the 18th century house he was renovating. We used 23carat loose leaf gilding on the frame.

Section of mural for Italian restaurant - Work in Pogress...

We also got a chance to do some more traditional painting with a pompeii style mural for a Dublin City Centre restaurant. The stage you see it at is where we were just about to apply glazes and finishing details to the image.

            Back lit perspex screen mounted on light box - approx. dimension 1000mm x 1000m

The project above was a response to a request from a client to create backlit screens. We made them from frosted perspex and MDF plant-ons mounted on light boxes. The light is created by an LED strip which changes colour.

Glass Tile floor mosaic fitted into marble slab floor - 1200mm x 2000mm

Finally, the image above shows a recent floor mosaic we completed in a domestic environment. It was set into a marble floor which worked really well with the glass tile we used - both have a translucent quality which give a lovely depth to the colours.

At the moment we face into a busy Autumn, so more reports next month on some new projects we have started...

Westin Hotel, Dublin, Art Deco Mural.

August 2008

Firebird Mural, Westin Hotel, Dublin - click image for larger view

Hi All,

I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful summer of ours ;-). As you may be aware from the last newsletter Triskill are in the thick of two big mosaic commissions, the Bray mosaic project (see mural-to-mosaic.blogspot.com ) and our work for the Johnstown Boys School. So, apart from the damage to our hands from clipping a thousand tiles a day we have been enjoying a very 'studio based' few weeks. There's a lot to be said for focused work!

We were reflecting on the fact that a lot of our projects at the moment are tile based so we thought for the newsletter this month we would highlight our mural work for a change. Here is a recent project completed for a restaurant in the Westin hotel in Dublin city centre (see image above). 

As you can see from the image, it is based on the Art Deco style which was chosen to tie in with the already existing fitting and furnishings in the room. The clients main objective was to create a prominent and attractive feature at a relatively low cost. By choosing a flamboyant image it brought an element of glamour to a slightly drab room. The turn-around on the job was quick too - it took us about five days to complete allowing the restaurant to refurbish in a very short period. The shots below show the development of the project. The images were based on American murals from the 1920's although the composition is all our own. It also contains elements of silver leaf.

                                  See progress of project below...

The interior designer on the job was so impressed with the final result that very soon after she got us to complete another mural in Coman's pub in Rathgar, Dublin. Again it was a similar approach with the style taken from a specifically American version of Art Deco. These are both successful examples of how a well positioned mural can transform a space without recourse to more expensive features.

Horse Mural, Coman's Pub, Rathgar, Dublin.

Finally - don't forget to check in on our Bray Mosaic project at -

mural-to-mosaic.blogspot.com

BRAY MOSAIC PROJECT

July 2008

                          New mosaic panel - Bray Dart Station (click on image for larger view)

             

Hi Everyone - Welcome to our monthly newsletter. We have a great new project to unveil which has been in the planning for the last three years and which we can now reveal has been officially started.

 

Let us explain - Back in 1987(!) two of the founder members of Triskill,  John Carter and Jay Roche won a competition to design a series of 19 murals at Bray Dart station, County Wicklow. They won, and completed the mural during the summer of that year. It has become a popular public artwork but has suffered from weather erosion over the years. It was therefore suggested a number of years ago that the mural could be saved by converting it to tile Mosaic which was one of the services Triskill had to offer. With this in mind we decided to generate funding to help turn the 19 panels into mosaic versions of the original pictures and along with Triskill partner Anthony Kelly to adapt and convert the mural into a new medium. 

                                                     View of platform 2, Bray Station.

With help from Arts consultancy company Works on Paper, we worked hard to get local businesses from Bray, Irish Rail, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and companies connected with the station to generously donate money to fund the project. For their investment they get a panel devoted to them with a mosaic plaque that sits above a picture of their choice.

We have just completed the first of the panels which we installed in the station last week - it is manufactured in Vitra porcelain tile which we felt allowed us to reproduce as close to the original graphic style as possible. Below are a series of images which show the manufacture of the mosaic in our studio and it's installation in Bray Station. If you notice a film camera in some of the shots that's because there is a documentary being made by film-maker Denis McArdle on the Bray mosaic project. Plenty of opportunity for us to embarrass ourselves....

And just to remind everyone - there are still sponsorship opportunities available!

                         Studio shot with cartoon drawing and tiles

                                Grouting and Finishing

Work in progress...

                                                                                                                 

For more information on the Bray Mural and the Bray Mosaic project take a look at our new blog which will keep you up to date on developments -

mural-to-mosaic.blogspot.com

Limerick Plaster Panels

June 2008

                                               Click on images for larger view -

Hi All - Thanks for your encouraging responses to our first mail out. 

We've had a busy month with a lot of projects at the early stages of development so here is a Triskill job we finished a while back. 

Most of our clients know us for paint or mosaic commisions but we have also taken on large scale sculptural projects. The image you see is a plaster relief wall for the main reception of a boutique hotel in Limerick - it was custom designed by us for the location and involved coming up with a repeat pattern that also created a natural flowing image; not an easy task when each panel had to link up on all four sides but follow a 45 degree angle. The project was a real challenge, from choosing the right material to work with, to making sure we had a smooth and unblemished finish. The end result, we feel, was worth it. It was complemented by a mirrored wall on the opposite side of the room which we also designed. You can see from the photos below how the two features worked together.



                                             Click on images for larger view -

We think there is a lot of potential in the plaster panel as a way of creating a striking wall feature - it's also cost effective, as once the main template is produced any number of panels can be manufactured.

Next month we'll let you in on a really great project we have just started - till then, all the best...