TATT'S A LOT
I’ve spent 20 years covering my house in giant ‘tattoo’ mosaic – I might be a neighbour from hell but I love it
A WOMAN who has spent 20 years covering her beloved home in a giant tattoo-style mosaic says others may feel she's the "neighbour from hell".
Carrie Reichardt, 55 and of posh Chiswick, London, has used her house as an artwork to tell the story of her life.
6
6
And while the property is the most colourful on her street, those living nearby love her designs, she says.
The artist said: "The mosaics on my house are like tattoos that people get on their body.
"It's autobiographical and every bit tells a story of my life at a specific time."
She first used mosaic in her garden in 1997 - and in 2000, decided to begin working on the outside of her house.
"I first started with my doorway and carried on from there," she said.
NIGHT ON THE TILES
"I joked that it would take me 20 years to do, and it really has.
"Covering my house in mosaics would give me the ability to make a large piece of public art that wouldn’t be censored by anyone else."
All of the tiles used by Carrie on her home were either salvaged from skips or given to her by tile merchants who no longer wanted them.
"I'm a big believer in recycling and upcycling, so I have a look in skips and tips to see what I can find and I can also make use of tiles that would go to waste," she said.
"I have a huge collection of tiles in my garage now.
"I had scaffolding on the front of my house for years while we were doing the top section of my house.
It's like giving my house an autobiographical tattoo of my life
"It probably made me the neighbour from hell, but when the scaffolding was taken down and the art was revealed, it was such an amazing moment.
"That was one of my favourite moments of my whole journey of mosaicing my house."
Among the scenes depicted on the property are letters written by Carrie to a prisoner on death row. The pair became good friends before his execution.
"My house essentially has an autobiographical tattoo of everything that has happened to me," she said.
"I was writing to a man on death row for five years and we became really good friends at that time.
Most read in Money
"I went over to visit him before he was executed. I dedicated the back wall of my house to him and it even has his ID card embedded into it."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
She said neighbours like her work - adding: "If they didn't, I would never have gotten away with it.
"I have people that come past the house every single day to take a look at it. I've had to cover my windows so people can't stare in because there are groups of tourists outside every day taking pictures."
6
6
6
6
Dad with no DIY experience quits job to renovate own house – saving more than £10,000
Topics