I studied in England for a semester when I was twenty. Somehow I got caught up with the furniture guys. They were a jolly bunch, threw fun parties and everything was "Magic!". You must say it fast and emphasize the second syllable. It just doesn't sound the same when I say it. People take me seriously and respond, no it's not magic it's just really cool. (or something) But when a Scottman tells you something is magic! it's the best compliment ever.

Anyway. A friend of my mom's did a major makeover job on her new home. Her ancestry is Scottish and she wanted to pay homage to that in her formal living room. Above the fireplace is a painting of the view from her mother's childhood home in Scotland. Scotia was the ancient name of the country, and after experimenting with a few techniques, I decided to pierce the letters out of sheet copper. The Thistle is the national flower and I did my best to interpret the tricky 3-D form in wire. After deciding on a traditional Keystone shape, the finished tiles where adhered to a shaped block and then grouted in with the green subway tiles.