Watts debuts 70-tile Muresque mural at October Golden California Show

 

Eric Ramos to the rescue in risky Fresno salvage job

Highlighting this year’s Golden California Show slated for October 9th and 10th will be a 70-tile mural that dealer Eric Watt is still in the process of salvaging from the estate of the owner of Muresque Tile. He will be showcasing this phenomenal 7′ x 10 1/2′ Spanish Courtyard scene, along with several dozen tiles from the Fresno estate.

Major tile dig
“I have been digging around there for about a week,” reported Watt, owner of Caltiles.com, in early September. He hopes to have the showstopper out of the wall in time for the sixth annual show, but he will certainly have plenty of never-before-seen tiles from the estate. He enlisted master tile salvager, Eric Ramos, to help in the process of the massive extraction.
“It is either Claycraft or Muresque,” he said of the tile mural, adding that Muir was a big collector of tile, especially Claycraft, so it was not necessarily made by his own company. ” I won’t know for sure until I can see the back of one of the tiles.”
Watt is not certain what he will price the mural at yet, but suspects a likely buyer will be somebody who is custom building a large Spanish style home.
Watt will be featuring other tiles from the estate of Muir, who founded Muresque Tiles in Oakland in 1925. The factory was located at 1001 22nd Avenue. Muir was not always a California boy; he was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, where he apprenticed as a tile setter.
Watt’s selection at the show will include nearly a dozen individual tiles that belonged to the founder. He will also debut an original Muresque catalog from the 1930s, a couple of old boxes in which the tiles were shipped, prototype fireplace surrounds depicting the history of California (certainly appropriate for the Golden California Show, and large tiles hand signed “W. Muir.”
“These were probably prototype pieces,” said Watt.

 

Inspired by both Batchelder and Claycraft
“There will be all kinds of neat historical items,” he said. “The more I dig, the more I find.”
Muresque tiles, among the finest tiles produced in California, were inspired by both Batchelder and Claycraft tiles. Among the many tiles, trim shapes and accessories offered by Muresque, the company produced over 130 decorative tiles, most molded in high relief with a raised border and used as wall or mantel inserts. The subject matter was always romantic, depicting the majestic California landscape, scenes from nature, medieval imagery, and most notably, ships at sea.
In addition to Watts’ tiles, there will be more than 40 other dealers in the 11,000 square foot Glendale Civic Auditorium. Offerings will include California Rancho style and Arts & Crafts furniture, early California pottery, fine art, iron metalwork and lighting, American Indian and Old West, Mexicana, and even smaller specialties, such as Big Bear Lodge and High Sierra Cabin.
Los Amigos del Arte Popular will be holding a panel discussion of masks, “The Arts of the Mexican Mask,” on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The lecture is free with paid show admission.

 

Associate producer, Ted Birbilis, made a last minute announcement of some additional dealers. Just joining the roster were Federico, Andrew Munana Collection, Caskey Lees, Stephen Johnson, Michael Tierney Fine Art, Rod Bartha Antique Interiors, Brian Kaiser, and Len Woods Indian Territory.
Show hours are Saturday from 10-6 and Sunday from 10-4. Tickets sales ($12 each) start at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday morning.
This is producer Ted Birbilis and Sandy Raulston’s first Golden California show since their new and wildly successful Antiques & Objects L.A. which was held in the same venue, in March.
For more information on the Golden California Show, contact Ted or Sandy at (626) 437-6275 or tednsandy@goldencaliforniashow.com, or Eric Berg at eric@goldencaliforniashow.com.

Wells' Silverlake shop inspires Smith to start Santa Monica Tile Show

Scott Wells is one of the true pioneers in the vintage tile world and as far as quantity and quality, he has remained on top for more than two decades.In fact, it was his Silver Lake shop that set the stage for the first Southern California antique show dedicated to tiles. When California Heritage Museum director Tobi Smith saw all the brightly-colored tiles, many from the 1920s tile renaissance in Los Angeles, her jaw dropped.”She (Tobi Smith) got the idea for the Santa Monica tile show from coming into my store,” said Wells. “She said, ‘wow, we can do a show on tiles.’”Wells agreed with her and had already tried his hand at a pottery and tile show with Marc Tisdale. They held a few at the Elks Lodge in Pasadena.However, it was the inaugural tile show held at the California Heritage Museum that served as a springboard for the tile world.”The Santa Monica Tile Show ended up being the most successful show she ever held at the museum,” said Wells. Eminating from that show were two books that Wells helped to compile, and there has been a Santa Monica Tile Show every year since that first groundbreaking one.Further spreading information on this growing genre was Norman Karlson’s comprehensive and photo-intense hardcover books on the subject, which documented the major tile makers from A to Z. ”It was a series of four books,” recalled Wells. “Those raised tile collecting to another level.”When Wells started buying tiles in the early 1990s there wasn’t much of a market. However, he was able to find them in sizable quantities and inexpensively. He admired their beauty and was convinced that they would catch on with vintage home decorators. At the time, there were no books on the subject, she he set the prices and developed a market.”A lot of people get into this and they get addicted and start collecting them like stamps,” said Wells. For some its the colors and the designs, and for others, it’s the way the glazes feels on their fingertips.Either they mount them in walls which is what they are for or they set them on tables,” said Wells. There is plenty to choose from. According to Wells, collectors can get copies of original company catalogs and try to track down examples of specific tiles. There were more than 100 Los Angeles area tile companies during the 1920s heyday, including Batchelder, Claycraft and Malibu.”When your eyes are opened to the beauty of tiles, you will see them everywhere in L.A.

Rare Batchelder bathroom hooks at Golden California Show

A recently uncovered group of high glazed Malibu tiles and rare Batchelder bathroom towel hooks dazzled in the space of Jose Vera at the Golden California Show.Vera is in a better position to speak authoritatively about the ceramics and wood that he sells because of his vast and indepth knowledge of the cultural issue surrounding his merchandise.In his double booth he offered a wide range of items from Navajo blankets and plein air paintings to massive oil jars and garden urns. For those who didn’t make it to the show, Vera has a 4,000 square foot gallery in Eagle Rock filled with Mexican, Chicano, Latin American, European and American Art, as well as furniture, tiles, pottery and architectural pieces from the Mission, Spanish Revival, Art Deco and Arts & Crafts periods. Jose Vera Fine Art & Antiques is located at 2012 Colorado Blvd. in Los Angeles. Call (323) 258-5050 for more information.

Ordeal is finally over thanks to tile dealer

After two years of trying to regain ownership over his website, which was being held hostage by unscrupulous internet technicians in India, Roy Shabla has finally regained complete control over Blesstheworld.com.After being abandoned by his webmistress and friend of nine years, Shabla and tile dealer and computer whiz, Karen Guido staged a coup over the domain name on June 23rd. The takeover was successful and Shabla has regained control over the website that was rightfully his and his website now pops up on the first page of hits.His website, which is now simpler and easier to navigate, focuses on spiritual healing through meditation and feng shui. It offers spiritual books and newsletters, as well as bottled holistic remedies, such as flower and gemstone essences for all sorts of physical and mental maladies.Although he is a regular dealer at the Los Angeles Pottery Show and the Arts & Crafts Show in San Francisco, Shabla makes his living by teaching meditation and the art of feng shui.Many people have heard of feng shui but consider it a pseudoscience that is a couple of notches below astrology. However, it is a science as exacting as thermodynamics.If your feng shui is off by a single millimeter, it can lead to divorce. Feng Shui is an ancient science which manipulates the inherent subtle energy of buildings. Feng shui theorizes that features of architecture (form and placement) affect the inhabitants of that building in real ways such as financial and romantic. The term literally translates as “wind-water” in English. Traditional feng shui always requires an extremely accurate Chinese compass, or luo pan, in order to determine the directions in finding any auspicious sector in a desired location. Until the invention of the magnetic compass in China during the Qin dynasty (221-206 B.C.), feng shui relied on astronomy to find correlations between humans and the universe.Modern feng shui is practiced by many people who believe it is important and helpful in living a prosperous and healthy life either avoiding or blocking negative energies that might otherwise have bad effects. Many of the higher-level forms of feng shui are not so easily practiced without either connections, or a certain amount of wealth because the hiring of an expert, the great altering of architecture or design, and the moving from place to place that is sometimes necessary requires a lot of money. Because of this, some people of the lower classes lose faith in feng shu, saying it is only a game for the wealthy. Others, however, practice less expensive forms of feng shui, including hanging special mirrors, forks or woks in doorways to deflect negative energy.Even today, feng shui is so important to some people that they use it for healing purposes, separate from western medical practices, in addition to using it to guide their businesses and create a peaceful atmosphere in their homes. In 2005, even Disney acknowledged feng shui as an important part of Chinese culture by shifting the main gate to Hong Kong Disneyland by twelve degrees in their building plans.

Tlaquepaque piece would have cost a few pesos

Not all of the pots at the Orange County Pottery & Tile Show were done by mainstream, well-known companies like Bauer and Roseville. Dealer Jane Mertens offered a piece of 1930s Mexican tourist pottery from Tlaquepaque that she hoped would peddle for $375.The glazed black terra cotta piece with hand painted Mexican motifs would have likely sold for the equivalent of $2 back then, according to Mertens.

Coates, Ramos among California Heritage Dealers

Marc Tisdale, Eric Ramos and Bob Lainson will be among the 40 antique and contemporary tile dealers, collectors and artists will be setting up at the California Heritage Museum’s 9th Annual Tile Sale on Saturday, June 13th.Regular dealers include Catalina book author, Carole Coates, San Francisco area pottery dealer, William Warmboe, Norman Karlson, Eiffel Tower enthusiast and tile expert, and architectural salvager Eric Ramos. Tisdale will be bringing a 1905 Newcomb high glaze vase with calla lilies, $15,000, to the show. Bob Lainson planned to bring his 22″ tall blue Bauer pot, the largest of the glazed production pieces, $2,800.Those that attend this colorful event in Santa Monica will find Malibu, Catalina, Calco, and Batchelder tiles, along with old tile tables, murals, art pottery, and even some Monterey furniture.Early bird tickets, which permit admission at 9:00 a.m., are $10. General tickets will be available from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for $5 per person. The California Heritage Museum is located on Main Street in Santa Monica and can best be reached by the 10 Freeway. Free parking is located behind the museum. For more information, call (310) 392-8537.

Ramos' special exhibit

Aside from setting up his high end salvaged tile at the upcoming Orange County Pottery & Tile Show on May 16th, Eric Ramos has announced that he will be bringing a stellar exhibit of both Harding Black tile murals and Hillside pots.Texan potter Harding Black, who died a couple of years ago at the age of 92, was known primarily for his pottery, but spent a few years designing Spanish-themed tiles that are now among the most highly coveted of his creations.”His single 6″ x 6″ tile scenes go for around $1,000,” said Scott Wells. His pieces, coupled with Ramos collection, make up the largest collection of Harding Black murals in existence. At a recent Los Angeles Pottery Show Wells offered two Harding Black multiple-tile scenes, one of a Mexican couple, $20,000, and another of a traveling Mexican peasant, $18,000. Ramos offered half a dozen single Harding Black tiles at the L.A. Pottery Show, as well as a panel in iron for $25,000.Black was almost more of a chemist than a potter. Self taught and modest to the proverbial fault, the San Antonio master potter spent a lifetime experimenting with glazes. In 1932, when Black began glaze work, there were no ceramic classes in Texas and few available tests so his expertise was gained through making thousands of tests on clay bodies. He is well known for his Chinese red, mustard, lava, and luster glazes.Wells describes his resulting tiles as very tactile, meaning there is a full separation between colors that can be felt by brushing one’s finger over the surface. His figures are a bit more naive than that of San Jose Pottery’s, but above all, they are very distinct.”You don’t have to look at the back of a tile to know it’s Harding Black,” said Wells.Ramos’ collection of Harding Black will be for show only. It is part of promoter Marc Tisdale’s attempt to expand the depth of the show. He will be featuring several Not-for-Sale collections in the the lobby of his one-day show. Don Shorts, owner of the Old California Store in Ventura, will be bringing some prized Oscar Theodore Jackman paintings. The painter was associated with Monterey, which makes sense since Shorts is the godfather of Monterey furniture.Ron Ely will be showcasing his private collection of Catalina pottery and tile. Ron Vandermolen, a specialist in early California art, will be sprucing up the entryway with artwork including a Manuel Valencia mission scene, and a couple of prized Joe Duncan Gleason. Oil paintings by Hernando Villa, creator of the Santa Fe Indian head illustrating “The Chief” can be seen, along with a small exhibit of Prescott Chaplin Mexican woodblocks.Tisdale is also expanding his show to include furniture, art and accessories that complement early California pottery and tile.Grueby, Bauer, Catalina and Teco pots will be assembled atop Mission Arts & Crafts sideboards. Old Mexican blankets, American Indian jewelry, and California paintings will complement Weller, Rookwood, and Fulper pieces.Tisdale has been getting the word out about his show. He has kicked off an unprecedented radio blitz. His show is being hyped on KOCI 101.5 FM.Admission to the show is $12. The UFCW Auditorium is located at 8550 Stanton Avenue in Buena Park. Call (818) 644-9307.

Secret publisher

Cristi Walden is working on another book about the historic Adamson House in Malibu. The photographically-intense book is expected to be completed and published in late 2009.Although this is not the first book on the Adamson House, it will be the most detailed, according to Walden. It will focus on many of the architectural details in the Adamson house, down to the very hardware on the furniture. The house is known for its ample use of Malibu tiles, Persian rugs, French windows, and Spanish Colonial furniture.”It will have between 400 and 500 photographs,” said Walden, who is not yet at liberty to reveal the photographer or the publisher of the upcoming book.This classic home was designed by Stiles O. Clements in 1929 and was built for Rhoda Rindge Adamson, and her husband,Merritt Huntley Adamson. The couple were the daughter and son-in-law of Frederick Hastings Rindge and May Knight Rindge, last owners of the Malibu Spanish Land Grant.The house, designed by well-known architect, Stiles Clements, was constructed beginning in 1929, occupied by the Adamsons during the summer, beginning in 1930, and lived in all year beginning in 1937. One special feature of the two-story house is the elevator, which was installed specifically for Mrs. Adamson in 1958. She died in 1962. Visible from most places on the state beach, but with entry only off the Pacific Coast Highway, the Adamson House is located a few hundred feet down coast in Malibu Lagoon State Beach. In 1892, Henry Keller sold the 13,000-acre Rancho Malibu to Frederick H. Rindge, for a price variously reported as $10-$22 per acre. Keller, it is said, had acquired it for 10 cents an acre in 1854. Rindge, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, had recently inherited an estate of more than $2 million and moved to California, where he wrote a book called Happy Days in Southern California. Then he looked for “a farm near the ocean, and under the lee of the mountain, with a trout brook, wild trees, a lake, good soil, and excellent climate.” He found his “farm” in Malibu Canyon. He described the Malibu coast as the “American Riviera.” He built a ranch house there, which burned to the ground in 1903. There were no roads to Malibu at that time. Everyone and everything came in by horseback or boat, or by horse-drawn wagon, over packed sand, at low tide. In 1904, the Southern Pacific Railroad tried to change all that by building railroad tracks across the Malibu area, to link Santa Monica and Santa Barbara. Rindge wanted none of the Southern Pacific, and to thwart it, he incorporated his own railway line, the Hueneme, Malibu, and Port Los Angeles Railroad, to bring in supplies and ship out hides and grain.

Kaiser & Casey's rooftop adventure

Both Brian Kaiser and tile restorer Sweet Ol’ Bill Casey have been dedicated to uncovering and preserving what may be the largest buried tile mural still in existence.Last spring, workers were on top of the historic Campbell Apartments in the Lafayette Building complex to do roof repairs to the 1928 structure. As they dug through the tar, asphalt and sand on the roof, they hit something solid. It was an 8′ x 8′ tile mural with an Egyptian motif dating back to when the building was constructed, and it may be worth as much as $250,000.”Pictures showed the seven tons of material being removed to unveil the mural beneath,” said Casey at the Golden California Show.That is when Kaiser got involved as the leader of the effort to safely extract the rare and unique mural. Not only is its size remarkable, according to Kaiser, it was custom made and signed by a company known for their tile murals, adding to its value.Research is still being done to get an exact fix on the origin of the work. The tiles, believed to be from the 1920s, were made by the D&M Tile Co., which was in business from 1928 to 1939. The mural is signed by artist Cerillo Torres and depicts an Egyptian scene of a kneeling camel and Moores with the pyramids of Giza in the background.Trying to get a Long Beach Naval Grant to be able to clean the tile further and have the Busheres possibly make an iron frame for the massive mural.D&M was one of about 100 tile companies that flourished between 1915 and the 1930s, when tiles were in vogue. D&M tiles often featured Western and Spanish themes, but the firm was also known for their bright Moorish-inspired tiles.

Wild Excavation Theory

Brian Kaiser, the world’s leading authority on Malibu tile, recently had a wild excavation theory proven true.For the last several months, he has been working with Alamitos Library, Long Beach’s oldest still-standing library, to preserve and restore their vintage American Encaustic Tile.The library, which was built from 1928 to 1929, has a lot of interior American Encaustic Tile remaining, but it really broke Kaiser’s heart when he discovered an archival photograph that showed a facade created entirely of American Encaustic.”There were tiles as far as the eye could see,” he said stretching his arms to indicate the width of the mural. The tiles created a Persian carpet-like tapestry, he explained. They most likely crumbled during one of the major earthquakes over the years.Despite any tile losses, Kaiser has been hired to help preserve what tile is left. During the politically correct era, when the Americans with Disabilities Act forced businesses to accommodate wheelchair bound patrons, a cement ramp was laid at the front of the library.”Now they are being told that the ramp is too steep. They have to rebuild a longer zigzag ramp,” said Kaiser.”I told them that since there are American Encaustic step risers all along the front and rear of the building and even leading out to the courtyard then they most likely have the original steps underneath the ramp.””At first they hadn’t even thought about it,” he said. “In the 1960s and ’70s they wouldn’t have taken the time to tear out the steps.”Money was allocated for the project and Kaiser was correct