California Pottery and Tile Works re-creates all historical ceramic designs and receives many original designs from Owners, Architects and Interior Designers. However CPTW also has an active in house design department where we develop ideas and produce original works of art, murals , fountains. Other architectural details and embellishments. The "Animal Kingdom Fountain", at the Santa Barbara Zoo, is a recent example of a monumental three dimensional Public/Private Art piece.
This project began November of 2008. CPTW owner and artist, Michael Kelly, was approached by the design company Kavoian and Associates whose client wanted a memorial for her late husband. After several meetings Kelly produced a rendering which illustrated a stylized tree of life with various wild animals attached. Another meeting with the Zoo Director, the client and the designers, it was decided to create a more realistic piece and Kelly began research into the Zoo collection, into the nature and forms of the animals and finally produced a large color rendering which was approved and used to push the project through the Santa Barbara Historic Commission.
The process of manufacturing took about three months. The original drawing was enlarged to exact size, the drawing was then traced onto acetate with ink. Silk screens were then made from the acetates and the design was screened onto the ceramic bisque and then glazed. The challenge was that most of the zoo animals are similar in color - the range is Grey to beige, beige to brown, yellow ochre - beige. The birds and fish provided alternate colors. To offset this problem CTPW created new glazes, textured glazes, multiple firings and different clay bodies and the result is seen here in the photographs. The fountain mural sparkles in the sub and provided fun for the kids and a work of art for everyone to enjoy. These types of projects are as exciting for CPTW as they are for the client.
View the entire SB Zoo gallery HERE
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