The Big Sleuth – a fund-raising initiative by Wild in Art and Birmingham Children’s Hospital – will see more than 200 large and small fibreglass bears decorated by artists, schools and community groups across the West Midlands.

Caroline Jariwala, a member of BAMM (the British Association for Modern Mosiac), has created Sweet William Bear: inspired by flowers quoted in Shakespeare’s writings.

Leading UK tile and grout manufacturer BAL has supported Caroline every step of the way in achieving her striking design.  After attending two mosaic mural training courses at BAL, Caroline has fixed the mosaics with BAL Max Flex Fibre tile adhesive and has grouted the bear with BAL Micromax2 Ebony donated by the company.

Sweet William Bear will be displayed in front of Birmingham Cathedral from 11th July as part of an art trail throughout the city.  Each bear will be sold off in a charity auction in the autumn to raise money for the children’s hospital.  The Big Sleuth follows on from The Big Hoot in 2015, where 85 large owl sculptures were auctioned off, raising more than £5 million for the hospital.

“The mosaic features ceramic tiles, porcelain and broken vintage crockery and draws inspiration from Shakespeare’s love of flowers used in his plays and sonnets,” explains Caroline.  “The Sweet William flower is said to been named after the Bard himself: a fitting name for a flora-related bear!  I found that the texture, durability and true black finish of BAL Micromax2 Ebony grout was perfect to complete the project.  I am hoping that Sweet William will have a real “wow” factor, especially as it is located in front of Birmingham Cathedral.”

Caroline is a painter, visiting lecturer, exhibition organiser and community artist. Her intensely-coloured paintings describe a personal interpretation of Italian Renaissance art with Hindu iconography.  Caroline’s Mango Mosaics uses the picassiette method of old, chipped and discarded crockery celebrating a new sense of joyful beauty.  Since qualifying as a teacher in 1990, she has worked on projects in schools, art galleries and community venues. Her experience covers a wide range of art forms, such as illustration, batik, mural and mosaic.

The Big Sleuth
Caroline Jariwala
BAL Adhesives

A new post by Joe Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, June 2017.