Here is the creator of ALL the designs and the Mosaic work you have seen previously in my Six (Count Them) Six posts showing the beautiful fantastic results of all the years that George Ehling has devoted to his passion---His Work Of Art! His Home. Incidentally, that picture behind George is him as a young man.....
And above....here is George with his beautiful dear wife, Ivenia,(there should be an accent over the "e" because Ivenia is from Brazil.....). They have been married for twenty-three years and have a very talented musician son, Otto, who is twenty two years old. I heard him playing the piano the very first time I stopped to take pictures of this AMAZING house. It was August, and it was hot....And this gorgeous piano music was wafting out of the open windows. It was Otto playing Rachmaninoff!
I didn't know that at the time. All I knew was that this fantastic "live" music was coming out of this amazing tile house. By the way, the picture above was taken at his concert in late April of this year, held at The University Of Nevada at Las Vegas, where Otto is a student.......George Ehling bought this house in 1967 and began working on the house back then.....For those who haven't seen the previous posts...it's this house, below.......
George said the house was built in 1927, the same year he was born. Every inch of the outside of the house---including the 'stand-alone' Garage, is tiled in these very fabulous Mosaic designs---all created by George....If you haven't seen the previous posts, do go back to March, 2010 in the archives, and take a look at those first six posts. It will help you appreciate what you will see here in this next series of posts...... Around the middle of April, my friend Shawn took me to The Ehlings---We rented a wheel chair for me because there was no way I could go up all the stairs....Shawn and Ivenia, literally dragged me up to the first level and there we stopped so they could rest, and, so I could take a lot of pictures of the many areas that one cannot see from the street...For instance, this area below.....which is a partial close-look, taken from the street and blown-up......
And here below......what you can see of this section from the street as you look up....
The area I am concentrating on is right in the middle of the picture above and just slightly above the center. Being able to see this area much closer and in a lot of detail, was very exciting.......I concentrated on that 'arc' shape that you can just see the top of in that first picture...Now, as you look at these, remember I was sitting in a wheel chair......
The angle is quite severe because to get right in front of this area wouldn't have produced the kind of pictures I wanted to take......
Let's take a closer look at that red and green design going around the interior of the arc.....
Always, there are optical illusions in George's designs....And as you can see there are at least five different designs in this one picture....Amazing! All around the outside of the house are things like this Lion's head---a few of these things were here when George bought the house, but many were made by George from these template-casts he got from the Studios....Movie Studios, that is, where he worked for many many years.......
This is the Archway below the upper 'arc'.....Some more very intricate and very interesting designs, and another interesting bit of 'statuary' over there on the left.....Below....there are two poles on either side of this Archway....I love the colors George used on these poles....And by the way....the wall next to the left pole has a completely different design than the one on the right, as you can see....And the poles are each different, too.......
And when you see these poles up close, like this, you can see how small some of the tiles are. Those gold tiles are really really small.
And I love the tiles he used on the wall next to this Archway.....there are a combination of lovely small pastel tiles fitted into a complex design of tan-brick-shaped tiles, which covers the entire wall.......
When you look carefully, you can see the variations of pastel colors on this wall......
So lovely and simple---yet complex. And then, there over on the right in the second group from the top and the second tile in from the right, is a strange little 'being'---not really quite like all the others....I love that George does that. There is always a surprise of some kind. And of course, you cannot really see all these amazing subtleties when you are standing on the street.....
This next section is so complex....I mean, so many designs are happening here---well, it is almost too much, yet----It Is Fantastic! George explained a lot as we went from section to section.....
A closer look at this very densely tiled section. Again---there are so many designs using so very many different size tiles and many colors, too....This area had a staircase which you cannot see, going up to another level, which you will see later.....We got to that level a completely different way.....
An even closer look at the interior area that we could see in the picture above this one.
This photo above was taken from the next level up, looking down at that whole area......George had told us that he finds a lot of the tile he uses in Dumpsters....things that Tile places have tossed out because there is no call for that design anymore and/or there is very little of the design left. He uses all of it!We will pick it up here in the next post....So, I have just scratched the surface of what we saw that day----there is much, much much more that you will see, including the inside of the house.....
More To Come........
NOTE: Today, Friday,May 21st, we will be celebrating Betty's 91st Birthday, and Lee M.'s 75th! A"Ladies Who Lunch" event, at which I will be taking lots of pictures.....And which you all will see as soon as I am able to get them all together.......So if I am not around very much...it's because of this very special Luncheon......
- had this to say:
Naomi, how wonderful to see a picture of George and his wife and son. I salute his genius and your photography and description of his home. Just amazing. It leaves me with my mouth open and cannot wait for more. Wow Betty is 91, now that will be a special birthday. hope the day goes well. Thanks agin for this post. Such a beautiful home and piece of art.
- Friday, May 21, 2010 at 4:02:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
So much time and dedication, it is such a wonderful house!! can't wait to see the inside :)
Enjoy your lunch! Warmest birthday wishes to the birthday ladies!- Friday, May 21, 2010 at 5:12:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Wow! He truly lives in a work of art! Breathtaking and how kind of them to find a way to get you up there!
Oh the birthday celebration post is definitely worth waiting for so you are excused :)
I am such a fan of Betty G and the beautiful Lee too.- Friday, May 21, 2010 at 5:39:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
I'm guessing that meeting Mr. Ehling is right up near the top of your life's highlight list - how stinkin' cool. Thank you so very much for letting us in on the experience.
- Friday, May 21, 2010 at 5:45:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Happy Birthday Betty and Lee. Know you will have a wonderful party and hope this day and the coming year are wonderful.
I am so glad you were able to get inside this man's home. Curosity was killing me.
The fact that he recycles helps to explaing the huge variety of patterns and materials.
Pretty sure I would get dizzy trying to see every thing. That is a home you could visit hundereds of times and never see it all.
Keep the pictures coming but first, have fun with your friends.- Friday, May 21, 2010 at 5:45:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Absolutely fantastic. And to imagine viewing, meeting such lovely people with the piano music in the air...wow. Just amazing.
- Friday, May 21, 2010 at 10:31:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
i love your photo essay! what an amazing way to tell the story!! and yes, the tiles are amazing, gorgeous and well worth all of the time i have just spent pouring over them! thanks :)
- Friday, May 21, 2010 at 12:47:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Wow! Just... Wow! All that tile work is so beautiful, it must have taken a lot of love, time and dedication to do.
Take care and have a wonderful weekend :)- Friday, May 21, 2010 at 1:29:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
It is wonderful to see this house again; to meet the owner and his family and see the lovely designs up close and personal, as it were.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Lee and Betty!! I always look forward to your photos of the birthday parties.- Friday, May 21, 2010 at 2:12:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Tell Betty and Lee "Happy Birthday" from all of us fans out here reading your blog. As for George and his tiling, what made him want to tile the entire property? I assume he did this in his free time?
- Friday, May 21, 2010 at 3:31:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Thank you so much for continuing to share this beautiful tile house. It really is something to see. Did I miss how he comes up with the designs?
Happy birthday to Betty and Lee. Awesome milestones they've reached!- Friday, May 21, 2010 at 9:45:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Naomi, how amazing is to see this wonderful house and his creator! Nice to know this very artistic family. And his Brazilian wife is very beautiful.
I am enchanted to see all those mosaics and its details. You did a good job here. Your photos are fantastic.
I am looking forward to see the
celebrating Betty's 91st Birthday, and Lee M.'s 75th! The "Ladies Who Lunch" is always a great event. As I always say, I would love to be there! Lol!
Have a happy weekend.- Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 5:44:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
I just never tire of seeing that tile house! Thanks for showing such wonderful detail.
- Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 9:41:00 AM PDT
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had this to say:
Outstanding part of the series. I really wanted to know more about the person behind this. The house must have been built at the start of the Art Deco era and the tile additions are a perfect compliment.
Cheers.- Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 10:14:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
How great to see the master behind all that beautiful work
His wife is stunning
I am sure the luncheon was a grand affair :)
Looking forward to the photos
Hope sends big hugs- Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 2:07:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I was so hoping to see the master behind the tiles, and what a pleasant surprise. Thank you Miss Naomi, and this is exactly why I'll always visit bloggers even when I stop our blog as you offer so much pleasure to my mind.
I really enjoyed this post...their son must be amazing with all that parental talent.
Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com- Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 5:15:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I'm thrilled to "meet" the artist behind the beautiful tile work. He is amazing!! I love the photo of him with his wife...the way he is looking at her, you can tell he's a passionate man. The detail and colors on the archway are fantastic! Thanks for sharing more of Mr. Ehling's designs with us, my friend. It never gets old.
Speaking of never getting old, Happy Birthday to your wonderful, spirited friends! I can't wait to hear more about your lunch!!
Happy Sunday! xo- Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 7:27:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Wow! It never ceases to amaze me. I feel happy every time I look at pictures of that house and it's so nice to see the faces behind it. You've done a great job documenting this, Naomi. Thanks.
- Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 6:39:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
I am forever in awe of how you see the world around you. The people you keep in touch with. The humility with which you present your enormous talent and good taste. Bravo.
- Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 8:14:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
First of all, Happy Birthday to Betty and sorry I have been late in wishing her. Wishing her the best of health always.
Next, I am totally totally amazed by the sheer dedication and hardwork in designing this house. George and his wife is so gracious to show you around this lovely house and I hope I get to visit it someday too :D- Monday, May 24, 2010 at 12:15:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
that house is fabulous and it's nice to see photo's of the man who did it all!!!!
I can't believe Betty is 91 and no way is Lee 75!! Oh my~ nope, I cannot believe it!!
I know you will have another spectacular luncheon! Oh how I love your pictures of your luncheons!!! there is so much love and happiness that shows in those pictures! I do think you should have someone else get a few with you in them too.. I know the luncheons make you feel happy too!- Monday, May 24, 2010 at 4:06:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
That is one amazing house! And lovely that you know the folks and talent that lives there! Enjoy your 'lunch'!
- Monday, May 24, 2010 at 10:01:00 AM PDT
- had this to say:
Those are beautiful photos of a work of art that spanned a lifetime. just amazing what he has done and how you captured it to show it and give him the credit he didn't even ask for.
- Monday, May 24, 2010 at 7:54:00 PM PDT
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had this to say:
Sorry, but this place does nothing for me. However, it does give me a headache from looking at it.
- Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 12:09:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
Hi Naomi! I'm finally here catching up. I have been waiting for the lovely tile house pictures!! Can't wait to go on and read the next part, which will be No. 8!
This is so amazing that he has done all this work, and intriguing that he finds lots of this stuff in dumpsters! Who would have thought?? LOL
What a lovely couple they are! So sweet that they showed you around their home. I am just amazed and delighted by this beautiful tile work that he has done! What an accomplishment!!
I'm off to read the next part now!!!- Monday, May 31, 2010 at 4:55:00 PM PDT
- had this to say:
I'm so glad you visited them and met them. George looks nothing like 83 but with such a beautiful wife and so creative a life one can't wonder.
Well done to everybody for bringing it off and thank you for recording it all so well.- Tuesday, June 1, 2010 at 2:06:00 AM PDT
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