Here in the Hills

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

the tile house - 8

Above....this is another area.....I showed the top part before, but not what is underneath it..... This is all above the area of that previous post where the gate and staircase are......And a closer look at the designs here. I love the use of all the Tans and Browns and related colors in-between, plus those little colorful tiles of blue and red and yellow, etc., in that area towards the bottom of the picture..... George, talking about his work, as Ivenia stands by and listens....Going back inside that area over on the left is a very complexly tiled section---in a way, it mirrors what you have just seen, though it is very different in it's specific design...... It's the 'archway' that is mirrored....But look at that very complex wavy design , and the grayish areas that complete it. I find it all utterly fantastic, especially knowing the work that went into this.....It is really Astounding......! Oh, and see that one little tile towards the bottom left side of the picture that is completely different than any of the others? Another "George" Surprise.....lol!

Then.....we went inside the house on that level into what George calls "The Dungeon". It is an area that he dug out and made into a two room-plus-shower living space. Because the house sits on a hill, this area was part of the hill...... So George dug deep into the hill and as you can see, created an infrastructure that is quite amazing. I know why they call it "The Dungeon"....lol....there are no windows, so the 'light' is all artificial....... This is the entry into the shower and the walls that go up pretty high in this first room. When you enter this underneath area---this is the room you walk into. Looking into the Shower Room, there is a lot of 'tile' going on. Because of the poor light, I really couldn't get the kind of pictures I would have liked---even with the flash. But, you see that archways are a big part of this 'dungeon' area...... Looking at the whole area, once again, from a little further back---you can see the archways at the end of the room....a theme that George uses over and over.....Also, the small roundish stones that help form the infrastructure are in use in the back area of the house as well as here in The Dungeon, as you will see later. As you enter that first room, this is what you see on the floor. (That doorway in the niddle there is the Shower Room). There was pretty good light coming in from the door to the 'dungeon', so I was able to take a few better pictures. Another wonderful design. And here again, the round green things are the bottoms of empty bottles. We saw the use of them outside on one of the front walls......Something about this reminds me of a 'block' you might find in a quilt.......And below a little bit closer look. I love the diminishing triangular shapes as it gets closer to the center...... And then, that center piece, isolated........ I also love the subtlety of the light gray and white tiles in that diminishing triangle design....So very pretty.
Then we went back outside again, and I got to see a much closer look at some areas one cannot really see very well from the street...... You may remember this area from one of my earlier posts---here is a reminder, below. Sitting in that wheel chair right under this area, you can see all the tile work that was done by George in a more complete way... And you can see quite clearly way over on the left part of the picture, that this underneath section is unfinished. You actually can see that in the very first picture of this post. above, as well.....Below--a closer look at the finished areas...... And, as you can see, the design changes as it goes over to the left. George had said that he tries to use up most of his left over pieces---even cutting them smaller to fit what he needs to do. Considering that most people don't walk looking up at the underneath of these windows, the designs are quite extraordinary in their complexity.....! And above, a little bit of a tease of what will be coming next in our continuing journey through George & Ivenia Ehling's 'Tile House'......Yes, Yes, Yes.......There is.......

More To Come..........

20 Comments:

LL Cool Joe had this to say:: I really love all the tile work on the outside of the house, but I'm not sure I'd like it inside too. But maybe I'd change my mind after more photos!; Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 12:28:00 AM PDT
Michaela had this to say:: Wow, that really is amazing! Love your photos too, thanks for all those beautiful detail shots. I feel like I am there! Have a great day, Old Lady Naomi xxoo Michaela; Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 4:08:00 AM PDT
Bobkat had this to say:: Beautiful! The whole house represents such a labour of love I feel. This amazing man has such an eye for colour and design. I love how he mkaes such abstract patterns feel almost organic in that they flow over th thouse, if you know what I mean!

I am so glad I made time over my lunch break to pop by and catch up on these posts. It is so hard for me to find time to blog at the moment!

I do hope you and Sweetie are well (as well as possible anyway). Much hugs to you both! :); Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 4:41:00 AM PDT
Anonymous had this to say:: The amount of work involved is just mind-boggling. I'd be overwhelmed just thinking about the massive undertaking.; Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 5:19:00 AM PDT
Kay Dennison had this to say:: WOW!!!!!! The mind reels at all the hard work and love he's expended in making this showplace!; Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 8:18:00 AM PDT
Shionge had this to say:: I bet I'll never run out of topic if ever I do meet the lovely couple.....this house is an art piece :D; Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 8:18:00 AM PDT
colleen had this to say:: Unbelievable! Every inch of it is art. I feel like I've just toured an amusement park of art and had a wonderful ride!; Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 10:20:00 AM PDT
Rain Trueax had this to say:: that is amazing. They need to do a book; Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 1:31:00 PM PDT
Chickie had this to say:: Oh, wow....it's amazing how even UNDERNEATH things are tiled. You can tell that this is something that he does because he truly loves it.

I am so glad that you got to meet him and go inside! From what you've shown us of the inside so far, it's as stunning as the outside.; Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 4:15:00 PM PDT
debra had this to say:: I was really looking forward to seeing more photos of the tile house. Thank you! And I am so glad you got to meet George and see the inside. It's an amazing place.; Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 6:09:00 PM PDT
Minnesota Mamaleh had this to say:: GORGEOUS!! this must have been an incredible experience to get up close and see every little detail! such love for a home. that's exactly how it should be! my neighbor always says treat your home like it's your castle. in this case it's literally true! thanks for sharing.; Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 6:21:00 PM PDT
Ileana had this to say:: I love how he uses the bottom of empty bottles to create those designs...amazing!!

Everything in the house just gets more elaborate and detailed...I'd be happy to live in that "dungeon!" lol

The curvy tiles are incredible! I'd love to watch him work. Thanks for sharing more of this man's talent with us, my friend.

Happy Wednesday!!; Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 8:11:00 PM PDT
Arkansas Patti had this to say:: This man really should offer tours. All that work should be seen. I am so glad he has let you and your camera in.
His work is amazing but I would think dizzying to live with.
I keep looking for a bare spot but see none except maybe the ceiling.
I wonder if he is finished now.
Can't wait for more.; Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 4:10:00 AM PDT
tweetey30 had this to say:: its amazing work.. i bet that house is worth more than anyone can imagine.. it amazes me what people can do..; Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 8:08:00 AM PDT
Diane J Standiford had this to say:: I am so proud of you for going inside. I hope you let him know how thankful we all are to be treated to his art.; Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 6:59:00 PM PDT
sonia a. mascaro had this to say:: Wow! This house is fantastic! They need to do a movie. Love your pictures, Naomi! Well done!; Thursday, May 27, 2010 at 4:11:00 PM PDT
Lilly had this to say:: Thank you Naomi and thank you George. Amazing really. I just cannot imagine the hard work involved in all of that, the planning and then the back breaking work involved. I thought tiling a table once was the hardest thing I had ever done. Just incredible and so beautiful.; Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 8:51:00 AM PDT
Rachel had this to say:: It's all so beautiful! I love the small stones used in the archways of the dungeon too!

The hours and hours of work he has put into this work!! Amazing!!

I'm so glad you are sharing this with us Naomi! I look forward to more!!! xxoxx; Monday, May 31, 2010 at 5:09:00 PM PDT
Pat had this to say:: The odd tile reminded me of MTL's late mother who was a wonderful Fair Isle knitter and amongst the colourful stripes and patterns there would suddenly be an unrelated stripe - maybe a shocking pink in a man's pullover. I think it was her humour.
What a wonderful place to have a shower - like being in the far East.
George must feel so proud that you have exhibited his art on your blog.; Tuesday, June 1, 2010 at 1:58:00 AM PDT
Melody had this to say:: My goodness what a house Naomi!!

His work reminds me of Gaudi - are you familiar with his work in Spain? (I studied Ceramics in my previous life (!) and loved Gaudi's work - ceramic architecture, they call it.); Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 11:41:00 AM PDT