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PRINTED VERSION
Here’s What’s Below:
Mystery Tile
HTA Directory
Flash from the Past
New Book: Heath Ceramics
Faces of Petaluma
Tile Swap Anyone?
Tunisian Mosaics
New HTA Directory
The Handmade Tile Association announces the release of its eighth annual 2007 Upper Midwest Tile Directory, a free guide to handmade tile makers and tile resources in the region, featuring full color images of the work of thirty-two Upper Midwest tile makers and mosaic artists. The directory also serves as a resource to quality professionals that include tile setters, tile showrooms, galleries, legal services, suppliers, as well as local and national tile-related organizations.
The goal of the directory is to assist architects, designers, contractors and the general public in providing direct access to a wide array of creative artists, original products, and recommended services.
For a free copy mail to: josh@claysquared.com, write to Handmade Tile Association, 34 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413, or call 612 781-6409. For information about HTA visit www.handmadetileassociation.org.
A Contemporary Tile Exhibition
In conjunction with the Tile Heritage Foundation's
2002 symposium, “Tiles in the Twin Cities,” The Gage
Family Art Gallery, Augsburg College, Minneapolis
hosted a National Juried Tile Exhibition entitled
“21st Century: From Earth to Fire,” featuring
contemporary tiles juried by William Hunt, American
artist, critic, author, educator, and editor of
"Ceramics Monthly" from 1972-1994.
To see the selection of tiles click here:
www.augsburg.edu/galleries/2002/juried.html
Heath Ceramics: The Complexity of Simplicity by Amos
Klausner vibrantly portrays one of this country’s
ceramic masters, the late Edith Heath. This is no
ordinary treatise or biography; at first glance you
know you’re in for an artistic experience. The hard
cover image, a cropped close-up of
And inside it’s far more than a story of the life and
work of Edith Heath, an internationally recognized
master of the craft; it’s an artful photographic
presentation of process—from the raw clays oozing from
the molds to a splendid array of finely finished
tableware and tiles—and of the people who, with their
hands and hearts, have worked to produce this unique
assortment of ware.
Heath’s legacy as portrayed within these pages
involves both beauty and respect: a notably consistent
art form as well as a graphic appreciation of the
process of production and the people whose hands
formed the spirit of the clay.
In the fall of 2005 (see “E-News” Nov. 2005) we
published a clip from the “Faces of Petaluma” project,
sponsored by the Petaluma Leadership Group and local
businesses and headed by internationally known ceramic
artist and mosaicista, Donna Billick of Davis,
California. The community turned out in force to
create self-portraits in clay, the goal being their
inclusion on the fascia of a public fountain that
Donna had been commissioned to design and fabricate
for the central downtown area.
After firing all of the 844 “faces” the portraits of
Petaluma citizens were set in panels filled in with a
quilt of colorful broken tile mosaic, most of it
procured through the generosity of Heath Ceramics in
Sausalito. The next step was the installation of the
panels on the foundation of the fountain as well as
the completion of the mosaic in situ. It looks
fantastic! The grouting is now complete. The fountain
is awaiting coping stone on all tiers and the cobbling
of the surrounding courtyard (to discourage
skateboarding!).
The fountain is in Theater Square, conceived by Matt
White, president of Basin Street Properties, the
developer, and Larry Reed, principal landscape
Donna recently completed a large 18’x8’ sculptural
mosaic totem commission for Delco Builders &
Developers called “Home Stretch” – another amazing
project! The landscape architect was Gretchen McCane
Strentzel of Napa. Like “Faces of Petaluma”, “Home
Stretch” was fabricated using Heath Tile.
Isaiah Zagar, mosaic maestro from Philadelphia,
includes tiles in all of his fantastical creations
from murals to full-scale building facades. Recently
one of his friends and colleagues from Mexico, world
famous potter and tile maker Jaun Jorge Wilmot Mason,
who has been making high fired ceramic pottery and
tiles for many years, retired. Through a series of
synchronistic events Isaiah has found himself in
possession of a large treasure trove of Jorge’s high
fired, 2x2, colorfully glazed, vintage tiles.
Isaiah has been spreading them liberally throughout
the Philadelphia area but thought perhaps these tiles
would like to go to other places too. He would like to
suggest a “swap,” a free exchange of materials with
other tile and mosaic artists. The tiles need not be
perfect – they can be chipped, broken or whole. He
thinks it would be terrific to be able to use material
from other artists in his projects. If you are
interested in discussing a swap, exchanging materials
with Isaiah, he can be reached at
info@isaiahzagar.com
or phone: 215-925-6761. See www.isaiahzagar.org
More information about Jaun Jorge Wilmot Mason:
www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/ecassin/ecassin0406.html
Tile Heritage friend Chere Mah has alerted us once
again to a most informative online site featuring the
ancient mosaics of Tunisia. Take a few minutes and
visit Stories of Stone
www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/stories_stone/index.html.
Between the second and the sixth centuries, as Rome
expanded its settlements in North Africa, thousands of
mosaics were fashioned to pave the floors of the
townhomes and rural estates of the African upper
classes, as well as some public buildings. Mosaics
were especially abundant in the colony of Africa
Proconsularis, the region that is today Tunisia. These
remarkable artworks constitute one of the most
important historical records of life in ancient North
Africa. They covered a wide range of subject matter,
from scenes of daily life to classical mythology, from
gladiator spectacles and chariot races to floral and
geometric designs of astonishing vibrancy and
complexity. The influence of the African style, with
its bright colors and flowing forms, would extend
throughout the Mediterranean basin and beyond.
Stories in Stone: Conserving Mosaics of Roman Africa
coincides with an exhibition at the Getty Villa from
October 2006 to April 2007—the first major exhibition
in the United States devoted solely to ancient
mosaics. It features twenty-six masterpieces from
Tunisia’s national museums. Structured around four
principal themes—nature, theater and spectacle, myths
and gods, and technique—the exhibition also includes
extensive material on the conservation of ancient
mosaic art. The 200-page, handcover book is available
at
www.getty.edu/bookstore for $75.00.
Tunisian Mosaics: Treasures from Roman Africa offers a
lively introduction to this remarkable ancient art.
Initial chapters survey the historical background of
Roman Africa and provide an overview of African mosaic
art. The book also profiles six important mosaic sites
and tours the collections of the country’s major
museums. A final chapter surveys current initiatives
to preserve this important heritage for future
generations.
www.getty.edu/bookstore for $29.95.
Flash from the Past
New Book: Heath Ceramics
A Review by Joe Taylor
Heath’s famous
dinnerware, and the back showing the hands of an
artisan at work, provide the first hint of what’s
inside. Then it’s the actual texture of the
cover—exposed raw cardboard partially “glazed” with
both glossy and matte finishes, reminiscent of an
architectural façade—that offers tactile pleasure,
making the opening irresistible.
To supplement the collection of archival and
contemporary photography, author Amos Klausner, an
independent curator and writer, invited a number of
design professionals from diverse fields, all of whom
have generously shared their perspectives on Heath and
her accomplishments. Edith’s own personal remarks,
treated graphically with due reverence, are reserved
for double-page spreads in super-sized text
introducing each chapter of the book.
Putting a Face on Petaluma: Follow up 2007
architect for SWA Group of Sausalito, well known for
his fountain elements. Donna Billick was recommended
for the commission by Dan Hughes of Delco Builders &
Developers.
Tile Swap Anyone?
Tunisian Mosaics
