25 Sep She Whirls! World’s Only She-Devil Mosaic Wind Vane

The Amazing Devil Girl— She Whirls!, 2000
ceramic mosaic, plywood, steel, copper, bronze
66.6″ H x 48″ W x 13″ D

I’m pretty sure I’m the only mosaic artist who’s ever made a wind powered kinetic mosaic sculpture… The wind vane sculpture shown above is the second of two which I’ve made. The original was done in 2000, for a show of wind vanes and whirligigs and promptly sold. When my friend Marilyn Houlberg saw it, she insisted on having one of her own and I was only too happy to oblige. It’s probably one of the only pieces of art in her rather vast collection that commands enough space that it doesn’t blend in. Kinda neat. Everyone remembers Devil Girl.

The mosaic is on the front and back of the piece, (as you can see if you click the link for the video) and she spins gracefully around on her butt. I’ve been wanting to do more like her for years. Of course, if you want a mosaic wind vane but you have fussy neighbors, it doesn’t have to be a devil girl… Or if you want a less expensive devil girl that doesn’t move, we can talk about that too. For instance, her more virtuous sister is still available and can be had for a mere $1,800.

I first came up with the idea of a kinetic mosaic as I was thinking about how when light plays across the face of a mosaic, it often seems as though the piece is moving, alive. So why not add motion to accentuate that? Giving it a spin, I dreamed up a life-size Devil Girl windvane, inspired by the poster art of Coop and Frank Kozik. Perfectly balanced, surprisingly light, she spins in the slightest breeze… scattering reflections all around like a disco ball.