The district artist recently unveiled a colourful mosaic at the Broadford Living and Learning Centre made from recycled crockery, tiles and trinkets.
The artwork, titled Indigenuity, aims to celebrate the people of Broadford and encourage art to blossom in the community.
It was installed in its central High St location on June 25 thanks to help from the Broadford Men’s Shed.
Ms Long said once the materials had been gathered, it took about five months to create the piece.
“My shed was too cold to be shaping pieces with dangerous handheld tools, so I set up a makeshift in-house studio in the vicinity of the kitchen,” she said.
“Cutting, shaping, placing, then sealing to waterproof pieces as and when necessary before gluing down to mesh was a labour of love.
“And being constantly mindful of flying tesserae and strong adhesives in a space normally reserved for food preparation was adventuresome to say the least.
“Materially and texturally, this was a mixed bag, featuring acrylics, ceramics, glass, porcelain, pebbles, steel, marble and quartz. And most were cut and shaped to design, not worked as broken or smashed pieces.”
Ms Long said she hoped the mosaic would help people see the everyday extraordinary within the day-to-day ordinary, and welcome how the simplest things could “colour you happy”.
“It might be the sparkle and wink as the mural catches the sun’s bounce, or you recognise all 35 animals within,” she said,
“It is not restrictive. It is explorative. I call this artwork Indigenuity, which is an exploration itself, a blend of two words: indigenous and ingenuity.
“I hope people’s hearts will light up with cheeky smiles as the mural engages their imagination. And who knows, maybe it will help a taste develop for a wider, varied art presence in town.
“Ideally, I hope Indigenuity can start the conversation to introduce and bring art to Broadford.”
Ms Long thanked Broadford Living and Learning Centre’s Chris Hollingworth and the Broadford Men’s Shed for making the mosaic possible.
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