Jewel of the Hancock

Happy 4th to all!

Jewel of the Hancock
17" x 20"

This is the closest I have to a mosaic with red, white and blue! 

There is a story behind it.  I first came to the central southwest area of Virginia in 2007 and often went into Roanoke since it was an easy shot from Wirtz where I planted myself before settling in Bedford. The designs on this building grabbed my attentions and were a fascination and I  remember hoping that they would be saved. At that time the brick surrounding the decorative panels between the windows and covering the rest of the building looked like rough cut stone. 

The Hancock Building at Campbell Ave and 2nd St in downtown Roanoke was undergoing major renovation. The exterior has been stripped of big panels that had covered up a beautiful facade created to unify the front of buildings purchased by N W Pugh Department Store in 1929. The block originally consisted of several structures, including Hancock Dry Goods built in 1898. Grand Piano and Furniture purchased the building in 1965 and completely covered the windows and the terra cotta mosaics. In 2007 the front of the building was restored to it's former beauty and the interior of The Hancock Building was designed for residential living.

The Hancock Building after renovations

I love the art deco style  and though I rarely use another's design to mosaic, I decided I'd like to fabricate this particular one in unglazed porcelain and glass. It was a time consuming laborious project, but I love having the panel in my studio.

If anyone who reads this post knows who the original artist was I'd love to learn more about who it was and other work the person created. In addition to these larger panels there are several smaller design elements on the building. They were all created so long ago perhaps that information was lost or never properly attributed ... hopefully not.