The big news this week is why I'm so late with this darned post.
Every year, me and some other wild gals throw a big fete for my son's charter school celebrating our marvelous teachers- and I do mean Marvelous with a capital "M"! This great idea, called Toast to Teachers, is the brain-child of my super-talented friend, Bronwyn, who wanted a way to raise money to supplement teacher's salaries at my son's first school. I brought the idea to our local charter school, and this is our 4th (and my last!) of these events. This year's theme is "Who was your favorite teacher?". We've been asking everyone- and the stories are beyond inspirational. If you don't believe that teachers inspire the future- take a minute to remember one of your own favorites.
And my really super news is that national treasure - Mr. William T. Wiley - of recent Smithsonian retrospective fame, and Californian extraordinaire, volunteered to create an "art chair" for our event's auction. We were all beyond impressed with the generosity of this kind artist during a time for him of obvious career benchmarks. He has long been a favorite of mine.
Many thanks Mr. Wiley- and for any of you looking for a deal on an authentic Wiley- let me know and I'll be happy to place a bid for you :) An amazing opportunity and a great cause!
Here is one of his amazing drawings featured in his 50 year retrospective that has since moved to the Berkley Art Museum. Check it out if you're in the hood!
BACK TO TILE LAND
But back to the task at hand- my take on the best of the tile news for March 2010. It's still slim picken's out there- but Contract Magazine issued a report on some new tile press releases. I also heard from some of the same PR folks - so here is the info and still hoping that I'll begin to hear from a lot more of my tile-making comrades out there. Remember, no "coefficient of friction" data or other such technicalities- just fun tile news to inspire us all.
March 2010-
SALVATORI
This feature caught my eye because I couldn't figure it out at first. But, I'm always curious about different ways to utilize one of my favorite materials - stone. Here Salavatori from Italy has taken various neutral shades of stone slab and tiles and carved and finished their edges with fine grooves that allow for a somewhat "seamless" installation capability. I had to look at several pic's of the stuff before my tiny brain could figure it out- but when it did- I really liked the idea of this super-trimmed and streamlined approach to stone slab and tiles. If you need a few more visuals as well, just click here. And even though I said - no coefficient of friction would ever be in this post- I imagine these slabs have tremendous coefficient of friction!
ARTISTIC TILE
Nancy Epstein has always had the eye of a fine jewelry collector, probably because she collects amazing fine jewelry. The many tile series presented in her Artistic Tile collections always reflect that sentiment. This particular introduction portrays that perfectly with sculpted ceramics that look more like pieces of carved and polished stones or cloisonne.
ELLEN BLAKELY STUDIO
Ellen Blakely's work was introduced to me by my pal, Paul at Ceramic Tile Design in San Francisco, and I was immediately drawn to her intricate glass mosaics made of shattered recycled glass. Her work was so unique I had to add it to my- "never seen anything like that before" list. Recently, Ellen has created a new line of tiles taking inspiration from elements such as Fire, Water, Air, etc.
WALKER ZANGER
My favorite tile design folks at Walker Zanger have a collection called their Helsinki Series which are stones crafted into planks and chevrons. I love this look and Tilevera has our own version called Zig and Zag. I first fell in love with these shapes when visiting a great apartment in Milan. The floors were made of wood- and the design was timeless. I saw this shape again last year when I stumbled upon a great interiors shop in San Francisco called - Anthem. If you're ever there - you must take note of their beautiful floors.
ANN SACKS
I couldn't figure out what these tiles from Blake Studio were- but I thought they were really amazing looking. So I broke out my research gear- and now I have the facts and a great video link that will allow you to have a front row view on how these tiles are hand crafted into their sculpted, carved wondrous-ness. A video paints a million words!
ECO DOMO
Speaking of tile comrades, Christian of Eco Domo has been a tile comrade of ours for years and his recycled leather and rubber tiles have been making their own waves in Tile Land with their unique take on sustainable goods. These particular tiles enhance Eco Domo's green story with some sophisticated and "manly" designs that incorporate both stone and glass.
There were about a dozen or so features within this Contract Magazine article, so I encourage you to review this tile story, directly, if you'd like to find out more.
But if you've got some of your own news to share or you're hearing about something that's creating a tile buzz- let me know, and I'll be happy to share.
(Header art from Fornasetti.com)