Travelin' Tiles

During the past dozen years I have visited a few places from watching the leaves change color in New England to enjoying a gondola ride along the Venice Canals to hiking down the Grand Canyon in the hot hot hot sun to marveling at the clear view of Denali (Mount McKinley) in Alaska (that not many visitors get to see behind the constant cloud cover). The past couple of years I've had to curtail my trips far from home. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Fortunately, I took plenty of photos of my travels and now my favorite pasttime is to paint my memories on to ceramic tiles. As I look through my photos for suitable subjects I realize I could spend the rest of my life painting a new tile every day and still not get through everything. One idea sparks another which sparks another...

Sometimes one photo by itself provides the basis for a tile design, sometimes I make a collage of several photos, cutting and pasting here and there. Always I have to make some major design decisions stuffing a 5" x 7" view into a 6" x 6" tile, but after some pushing and shoving it always works out.

About a million years ago I posted the beginnings of a ceramic tile-painting tutorial on this blog. One of these days (!) I will get back to it. But in the meantime, I will say that I start all my tile designs in Photoshop. That's where all the pushing and shoving takes place. You could go through a similar process by cutting up printouts of your photos and moving them around on a 6 x 6 template. But Photoshop or (Photoshop Elements where I assume you could do the same thing) makes life so much easier.

As I go through the process of looking for photos and designing my tiles, all the memories of my trips come flooding back. It's a great way to relive the experiences all over again. And as I no longer sell my original tiles but display them in my house, I am constantly reminded of places and people from over the years. (When a plumber came to do some work, he saw my tiles and asked if my cats went with me on my trips!) I really don't even need to travel anywhere ever again... But I will, I will!

Shown here are my latest Andalucian (southern Spain) tiles of Cazorla (looking from the Plaza), Sevilla (El Real Alcazar), and Ronda (a gateway) in that order. Reproductions are now available on my Cafepress store, RMWdesigns in the European Travels section.

(Photos and designs are copyright roslyn m wilkins)

The Amoebas (or Amoebae if you want to get technical) are Among Us!It was two days away from the Culver City Art Group Holiday Art Show, I was about to do my second firing of a few tiles that needed tweaking. But running my little electric kiln is very expensive so I prefer to have a full kiln as much as possible. As it takes about a week to paint one of my detailed tiles (from concept in Photoshop to drawing on the tile to painting, outlining, and final glazing before firing) I decided to have some fun. Not that creating all my tiles isn't fun—just intense and time-consuming.

I have nine "weird" glazes that I have never really used for anything so I decided it was time for them to see the light of day. So I did some doodles with my Wacom tablet in Photoshop and traced the outline on two tiles so they would be identical. Then I painted both the tiles with the same nine glazes but in different sequences, then outlined the shapes with black paint (as I do for most of my tiles).

The next morning I expected to retrieve nothing but a mess from the kiln. But I was pleasantly surprised and during the day as I was framing and grouting my other tiles for the show, the "Amoeba" tiles started to grow on me. When framed they looked even better. Now I love them and want to experiment more with these particular glazes.

(Photos and design copyright roslyn m wilkins)

Thank Goodness It's Friday!

It's Monday morning and another Culver City Art Group Holiday Art Show has come and gone. It was a lot of fun (as usual) and I am very grateful for the people who took time out of their busy schedules to stop by and visit. This year was so hectic with all kinds of projects I didn't even have time to send out my own invitations! I must be better organized next year (yeah, right).

Anyway, the show went really well, as always we had some fabulous entries that deservedly won prizes. As our show isn't big enough to have categories (less than twenty five artists participated this year) it is a difficult job for the judge to select nine winners. However, in my eyes, just being willing to put artwork out there for the scrutiny of fellow members and the general public, makes everybody a winner.

Maybe that sounds trite but I remember when I first started doing artwork (in the form of collages) in the early 90s, I hung the artwork all around my house and invited friends over to view it. When nobody laughed, and in fact, most people praised it (I know, they were my friends!!!), it gave me the courage to display it publicly and I had a one-woman show for several months at a restaurant. It was a huge deal for me as those collages were so personal. They were the expression of all the pent-up creativity of a quarter century of doing no artwork at all.

Of course, I've moved on since then and now I have no problem displaying my art. I make art for myself and nobody else, but if somebody else out there likes it, so much the better!

Now my number one form of creativity takes the form of hand-painted ceramic tiles. The collages I did back then were full of energy exploding on to the paper. I need to do some more. My ceramic tiles now are very controlled with a lot of detail. They are on subjects that are important to me. I especially like my "Places" series based on photos I've taken of my travels. Well, I like all my series!

Near and dear to my heart is the tile I painted last year of my tuxedo cat Friday. Like all roommates, he has his problems, but basically he is a sweetie. Just before I painted his portrait I had visited the Getty Center to view their fairly recent Gauguin acquisition (Arii Matamoe or The Royal End) which I fell in love with. (Click here for that blog entry.) I used my impression of the rug in the painting for the background of the tile. The photo I had taken of Friday looking up at the camera and the Gauguin rug all came together perfectly.

I was very happy that this tile won an award at the show. And Friday is very proud too!

(Photo and design copyright roslyn m wilkins)

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, What is the Fairest Bird of All?

I can't really answer that as I love all the birds (and animals, insects, and plants) of the Ballona Wetlands. My Wetlands tile paintings aren't strictly about the Ballona Wetlands and the creatures and plants I draw and paint would not hold up in any scientific textbook. My paintbrush does its best to translate what is being transmitted from my brain, and that's all I can say about it. But I enjoy painting what I call "My Ballona Wetlands Series."

This mirror has been gestating for probably three years. I could see it in my head but I couldn't get it on to paper, let alone tile. I did complete one design in Photoshop—could have been a couple of years ago—but I didn't like it. In the meantime I took a mosaic class at UCLA and decided I wanted to use the frame for that. So I ordered another frame and after a few months took another stab at a different design. I still didn't like it so another few months went by.

Then I decided to draw the design on the ten tiles just to see what it would look like. Hmmm... not really sure so I packed everything up and put it away. Another few months went by.

I thought, well, maybe I should paint one or two of the colors and then decide as I could always wash off the tiles and start over. So I did, lost all motivation after painting two or three colors, and packed everything up again.

With the mirror kicking around in my head and feeling guilty about not working on it, I was unable to work on any other tile projects. So a few weeks ago I realized, come hell or high water, regardless of whether or not I liked the design, I HAD to finish painting the tiles or I would never be able to work on another tile project for the rest of my life!

So with the Culver City Holiday Art Show coming up on Saturday I forced myself to finish the painting. As it moved along I began to halfway like it. Of course, with ceramic glaze you can't see the real colors until after firing. So I held my breath until the morning I removed the tiles from the kiln.

Then I started breathing again. They looked okay. And when I placed the tiles in the mirror frame, the whole thing sprang to life and I am rather pleased with the end result. If I had to do it over again would I do things differently? Absolutely yes. I see all kinds of stupid mistakes and glitches. But I know they are there and maybe nobody else will notice.

Anyway, the main point is the mirror is finished and now I can move on with my life!
(Mirror is approximately 20" wide x 26" high.)

(Photo and design copyright roslyn m wilkins)

Help Preserve Archaeology in Italy, Nov. 2nd Deadline

Below is the text of the email I received from the Archaeological Institute of America regarding an important agreement between Italy and the U.S. that needs your support. I already faxed off my letter to the Cultural Heritage Center.

October 29, 2009
Hello,
On Nov. 13 the Cultural Property Advisory Committee (CPAC) will review the Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Italy that governs the trade in antiquities between the two countries. The committee has asked for public comments, with a deadline of Nov. 2nd.
Specifically, CPAC will consider Italy's actions under Article II of the Memorandum. You can read the agreement at exchanges.state.gov/heritage/culprop/itfact.html. Article II calls for Italy to loan material to US museums, allow Americans to excavate, and otherwise promote the protection of archaeological sites.
If you have visited American museums that have objects on loan from Italy, if you have excavated in Italy, if you have done research there, then you should write a letter to CPAC describing your work. Letters from the public are extremely important in CPAC's assessment of the impact of the agreement.
Letters can be fairly brief, one page is fine. Make it clear you're writing about the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and the Republic of Italy as amended in 2006. Identify yourself. Give specific examples of museums you've visited or places in Italy you've worked, and end with a request that further co-operation between the US and Italy be encouraged (or something similarly positive). Your letter will make a difference in protecting archaeological resources for future generations.
If you can write, please do. Letters are due by Monday, Nov. 2nd and can be faxed to (202) 632-6300 or sent by mail to:
Cultural Heritage Center, SA-5, Fifth Floor, Department of StateWashington, DC 20522-0505
Thank you, Sebastian Heath, Vice-President for Professional Responsibilities Archaeological Institute of America
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the AIA at Sitepreservation@aia.bu.edu

I Lived to see Herculaneum

I had the good fortune to snag a ticket for the lecture yesterday at the Getty Villa on Herculaneum: Conserving and Interpreting the Roman Past with architect Gionata Rizzi. Although I've been looking forward to this for weeks I had a relapse of the "fluey thing" and after retreating to my bed for two hours wondered if the trek over there would kill me. But I decided dying doing something I enjoy was better than passing away in bed... how boring. So I got dressed, put gas in the car, and jumped into the worst traffic I have seen in a long time. Fortunately I was meeting a friend who arrived early enough to save two good seats for this sold out event.

The Getty Conservation Institute is a collaborator on the Herculaneum Project for which Gionata Rizzi has worked since 2002 as the architect responsible for developing pilot projects and model designs. He talked about the difficulties involved in preserving and conserving such a large project while maintaining its ambience.

Of course, we all know that Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, and until the 1700s the town of Herculaneum lay protected under tons of volcanic material some 50 feet high. After a couple of centuries of excavation at least one third of Herculaneum now lies exposed to the elements. Structures, paintings, and mosaics that had survived pretty much intact are now being destroyed by the sun and rain and oxidation.

Over the years various contraptions were devised to build covers and roofs to protect the excavation, some of which were very ugly and detracted from the sense of place. The photo above shows one of Rizzi's solutions to provide a roof while maintaining some idea of what the original may have looked like.

Evidently this was Rizzi's first visit to the Getty Villa. He got some laughs (at least from me) by talking about what it was like to leave the ancient Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum and walk into the working replica, which is what the Getty Villa is. He said it was difficult to walk on the marble floor which is an exact copy of the ancient version, which, of course, cannot be walked on. I have been to the Getty Villa so many times (since it first opened in the 1970s) that I definitely take it for granted and no longer even think about what it represents. I should pay more intention to the building itself.

You will be happy to know (I hope) that I didn't die from attending the lecture. And I am certainly glad that I made the effort. Pompeii gets the lion's share of attention but Herculaneum is equally important in our understanding of life in the Roman Empire during that period, and I look forward to learning more about it.

After the lecture we stopped by to see the ongoing exhibit Molten Color: Glassmaking in Antiquity which is a wonderful display of over 180 ancient glass objects from the collection of Erwin Oppenländer and the Getty. About two years ago I took a twelve-week class at the Villa through UCLA Extension. One of my presentations for the class was on ancient glass, specifically Flask in the Shape of a Head (oh, note to the Getty webmaster, this has been bugging me for over a year now, the word is FLASK with a "K," not FLASH with an "H.") I was happy to see my flask is part of the exhibit. Sometimes research for a class can be useful and ever since putting together that presentation I have been fascinated by ancient glass. It's a nice adjunct to my obsession with mosaics!

(Photo: View of the multi-story House of the Telephus Relief with a timber roofing solution. Photo copyright The J. Paul Getty Trust)

See You at the 14th Annual Culver City Art Group Holiday ExhibitYou are invited to our annual art exhibit on November 14, 2009 from noon to 6:00pm. Work includes oils, water colors, acrylics, ceramics, photography, collages... and more! The show is judged with awards and prizes. Come at 3:30 to meet the artists and enjoy our snack buffet.

If you are an artist, registration forms and invitations/flyers are now uploaded to the Culver City Art Group website. Tell your friends there's still time to become a member to partipate, however all artists must work a show-related job and be present for installation and the artists' reception, so no fly bys allowed!

The Culver City Art Group is an organization of local amateur and professional artists meeting at different venues in the Culver City area. We embrace all visual arts from traditional to computer-generated, two-dimensional and three-dimensional.

For our members we have activities and special events such as painting/sketching afternoons, museum and gallery visits, group exhibits and artist demos. Just this year we already visited Descanso Gardens, Laguna Beach, the Huntington Library, and did a walking tour of the Culver City Art Galleries.

Although you must be a member to participate in our activities, anyone interested is invited to join us at our general meetings.

Members receive 30% and 40% discounts at Graphaids, worth the membership price in itself.
Contact Barbara Golbin at 310.837.2600 or mailto:b.golbin@sbcglobal.net for additional information.

Individual membership is $25 a year and is open to anybody interested in the arts, of any age.

(Flyer design copyright roslyn m wilkins)