I have been going by this house for probably 35 years....It's on the way to Theatre West using a back route--one I used to take so I could avoid the traffic on the very crowded popular Los Angeles streets.....and as long as I have been going by this house, the look of it has kept changing.......
The whole outside of this house has been hand tiled by the man that owns it and lives in it.....You really cannot tell from these far-away pictures how truly fantastic the tile work is and how fabulous it looks from just about every angle. I will try to give you a small idea....! It's easy to see the tiling on the wall going around the street side and driveway of the house....but let's look a little closer anyway......
It's not just that he has tiled everything...it is the "artistry" with which he has done this.....everywhere you look on this wall----the detailing is fantastic.....! And you can see how much thought went into all the decisions.....!
Do click on these pictures to make them bigger....it really shows all the details which are thrilling to see....I will get in closer on some of these details, but there is so much to see---well, part of me wants to go back and get even more pictures than I already have. I believe this front wall was one of the first things this talented man tiled.....
Above, a somewhat closer look at this one part of the design.....And let's get even closer.......
I have done some Mosaic work many years ago---I made quite a few tables of different shapes and sizes---And I know the work that goes into something like this. It is monumental!
Above is a somewhat closer look at another design....this is just a small portion of it---But you can see more of it in those first few pictures.....Again, here is some of the detail of all this. He had to cut all the pieces himself.....And, see below:
The time and care that it took to do all of this----I find it absolutely staggering. I so admire his tenacity as well as his true 'artistry'.....Then...continuing on with this front wall as it goes up into the driveway of the house.....
As you can see in the picture above---there is some kind of problem that occurred. It looks as if maybe a truck backed into the wall and knocked off some of the tiles and this section needed repair....Hopefully, it has been repaired by now......I want you to see how complex the design on this section is....it just takes your breath away!
Remember, every piece has to be cut to fit and just in this section above there are any number of 'designs' that he executed....The tiles as backdrop to that very complex beautiful design, and the tiles on the bottom and the top---two other completely different designs with different sized tiles and colors, etc.....Nobody can tell me that this is NOT Art! I think it is "art" of the highest order.....! And there is so much more.....Below. to the left of the house itself---still on the street....He "Tiled" the Garage......
The thing that is so amazing about all of this is that everywhere you look, there is a different design.
Look at how complex these tiles are in the above picture....You can really see that complexity 'close-up'.......And below....more designs there on the garage.....
There are five---yes 5----different designs in this picture above. And by the way, that plain grey area is the interior of the actual garage....I don't know if he plans to cover those walls or not...but, just look at the many interesting and varied designs we can see on the outside....The glittery red and blue tiled thing is a kind of small round column, and on the other side is another one, but the design is different even though the colors are the same.
This pole above is more like a Barber's Pole---and the top is very similar to the one on the other side......And the pole that is beyond that has no relation to the two we've seen...but, he is not finished with that one.....
There is a lot more tiling you haven't seen yet and I will be doing a 'part two', next time....Here below is a little bit of a treasure-tease to wet your appetite........
Fantastic........!More To Come.........
- had this to say:
Gorgeous. I shall look out for it when I am in Hollywood in May for 4 days. I'm a (blogging) friend of Pat, btw.
- Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 1:05:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
a work of love, fueled by creative expression. That is very cool. Mosaics fascinate me. Like stained glass windows, they always feel like they hold such stories.
- Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 2:40:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
incredible as you have captured here...has it been the same owner for 35 years? would love to see inside...i bet it is artistic too!
- Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 6:43:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
The amount of time and effort that this man has devoted to his work is staggering. Clearly he loves doing this. I hope you get an opportunity to talk to him some day...and tell us all what he's like!
- Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 7:02:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
beautiful!!
I once put down giant plain tiles on a small floor and messed it up
I can't imagine the vision and craftsmanship that goes into work like this- Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 8:56:00 AM PDT
-
had this to say:
It would be interesting to know about the background of the owner. The house's decoration is reminiscent of the Moorish influenced designs of Spain and North Africa--very intricate and breathtakingly beautiful.
Cheers.- Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 9:44:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Ansolutely gorgeous, Naomi! A labor of love, no doubt. That man is an artist. A what a pleasure he provides for all who see his work of art.
Happy Spring!
Renie- Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 11:43:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
so much time and consideration. he has the soul of Gaudi.
- Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 12:42:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
That is so cool Naomi.. So cool.. I would love to come to Los Angles some day.. Or just go to California..
- Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 6:29:00 PM PDT
-
had this to say:
OMG, I'd sure love to meet the talented person who did all that! Awesome beyond belief!
- Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 3:07:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Indeed a very creative piece of work on their very own house, so cool. I bet it is hard work too.
- Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 4:56:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
This is fantastic and makes me wonder what is inside the house so glad you brought this to our attention. The art of this kind of craft is long gone we'd probably have to look hard and long to find people who are able to recreate this kind of home ever again.
Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com- Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 12:43:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
What incredible patience that man has. Such intricate work. What a lot of free time he must have.
I too am curious about the inside.- Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 1:59:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
it is lovely! Must be quite the sight to see in person. Delighted that you shared it here with us, Naomi.
- Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 3:13:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Imagine coming home every night to a home that you've not only decorated on the inside but took the time to pretty it up on the outside...with your own hands! I love it!!
The way he combines design with color is amazing. I love mosaics!
PS - If I'm ever in your neck of the woods, I want to cruise around with YOU!! (I'll drive!)- Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 4:27:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I love tile art. I have a few pieces in my home. In Seattle, we have a street, Broadway, that has a tile covered sidewalk. What caught my eye were the toters, all perfectly lined up. Most certainly an artist lives there.
- Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 6:25:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I love tile work, especially when it is art like this. Looking at your pictures makes me want to get my hands on some tiles!
- Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 9:54:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
This is truly the work of a patient, dedicated person; a life-long creation of beauty. I wonder if [he] has ever been interviewed?
- Monday, March 22, 2010 at 1:52:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
That mosaic in your last picture is really hard to do. I also love the circle/diamond pattern he does around the wall. This is fantastic as a work of art. I wonder how much all the tiles cost and the number of hours he's put in over the years to do all this tiling. If he ever sells the house, how would you put a value on all of this?
- Monday, March 22, 2010 at 9:12:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
It is incredible. Are the tiles on top of the brickwork or does he have to gouge out the bricks to make it flush? Whatever - it is an incredible feat and reminds me of some of the facades in Portugal.
You'd enjoy Daphne's blog.- Monday, March 22, 2010 at 9:34:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Beautiful. I also love colorful tile work and those are excellent examples of it. Definitely art.
- Monday, March 22, 2010 at 10:05:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
I love that house!! it reminds me of Gaudi's work, gorgeous!!
I am back after 3 weeks. I sure missed blogging and my dear pals :)- Monday, March 22, 2010 at 10:58:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Wow that's amazing. The amount of work that must have gone into that is incredible. I love the way you've captured so much of it and the close ups show just how beautiful the intricate work is.
I'd love to do something like taht myself!- Monday, March 22, 2010 at 1:37:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I'll just repeat what Joe said; it is fantastic art and craft! If I had tried that, I'd have more broken tiles than I'd know what to do with.
- Monday, March 22, 2010 at 4:31:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Beautiful artwork; ditto what others said, but also like your photography.
At first I was gonna ask if Google Maps had done their usual drive-by shooting (bad joke, I didn't mean it that way), to save you the trouble of making more exposures, but that would have been wrong!
Your documentation has a life & beauty of its own.
Lorraine,
and I've lost my apostrophe-training...- Monday, March 22, 2010 at 5:25:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I love it! I'm surprised passing this house is the low traffic route. I would think people would drive by just to see it. Do you know anything about the people inside? Did they know you were snapping photos?
- Monday, March 22, 2010 at 6:35:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
All I can say is WOWWEEE! That is absolutely awesome in so many ways!! What a talent he has and what a devotion by doing so much work. I see it is all over the house and even the windows, some of them anyway, are tiled beneath and around. So many colors and designs.
I think you need to go meet this man Naomi!! He must be fascinating! I loved this post and will be looking forward to more!! I'm so glad you shared this awesome home with us! I wonder what the inside looks like.....
Love and hugs,
Rachel- Monday, March 22, 2010 at 8:17:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
My goodness- this guy is your local Gaudi!! Definitely a labour of love there...
- Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 4:22:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Just gorgeous, really amazing, Naomi! Love this house of tile! Looks Gaudi's masterpice.
I will see the other post soon.
Thanks for these fantastic pictures.- Friday, March 26, 2010 at 10:25:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
i've been remiss, naomi! and now i'm at the beginning. how did i live in l.a. all those years and never see this? (i was and probably still am, the queen of shortcuts!) i'm sending the coconut krewe out and hoping they'll find this magnificent piece of architectural art! xoxox
- Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at 6:26:00 PM PDT
x4
