Animals

Capistrano Swallows - Hand Painted Art Tile

Capistrano Swallows - Hand Painted Art Tile

Grey Whale & Baby - Hand Painted Art Tile

The Grey whale is a Baleen whale that feeds on small crustaceans on the bottom of the sea. He has 2 blowholes which create a unique V-shaped “blow”. Each October the Grey whales make a most amazing annual migration of 7000 miles one way from his feeding grounds in the Bering Straight to the tropical seas of Mexico where the females give birth. I have seen Grey whales in the famous Scammons Lagoon in Baja where they came right up to our small Mexican“ponga” boat and we could actually touch them. It is in this warm water lagoon where the mother’s give birth. I have portrayed my grey whale with a newborn calf close beside her.

The Grey whale is a Baleen whale that feeds on small crustaceans on the bottom of the sea. He has 2 blowholes which create a unique V-shaped “blow”. Each October the Grey whales make a most amazing annual migration of 7000 miles one way from his feeding grounds in the Bering Straight to the...

Garibaldi Fish and Baby - Hand Painted Art Tile

Now I have seen these little guys up close and personal in the kelp beds off of Catalina Island. They look like a giant Goldfish and their babies have these beautiful iridescent blue spots which fade away as they get older. They live off the coast of Southern California and Baja and are the official state Fish of California and are protected.

Now I have seen these little guys up close and personal in the kelp beds off of Catalina Island. They look like a giant Goldfish and their babies have these beautiful iridescent blue spots which fade away as they get older. They live off the coast of Southern California and Baja and are the...

Blue Crab - Hand Painted Art Tile

The Atlantic Blue Crab is the most common invertebrate in the Western Atlantic found from New England down to Florida. It might be common but I think it is beautiful with its stone-like blue tones and bright red colored accents – an artist’s delight.

Panda Bears - Hand Painted Art Tile

There is nothing more lovable looking than the Giant Panda Bears. They live in very remote mountainous regions of Western China up in the Himalayas and very little is known about them. These plumpish, clumsy bears live almost entirely off of bamboo. They are an Endangered Species and there are only about 2500 of them left. In fact they are the representatives of all Endangered Species and are the symbol for the World Wildlife Fund.

There is nothing more lovable looking than the Giant Panda Bears. They live in very remote mountainous regions of Western China up in the Himalayas and very little is known about them. These plumpish, clumsy bears live almost entirely off of bamboo. They are an Endangered Species and there are...

Sea Otter and Pup - Hand Painted Art Tile

Now I have first- hand experience with these guys! Along the California coast near Monterey I was able to put in my kayak and paddle amongst the kelp beds and saw several pods of sea otters floating atop the water. Some of them even had little pups on top of their stomachs as they floated on their backs in the water. They like to entangle themselves in the kelp beds to help anchor them. I saw and heard one of them using a rock to hit a mussel in order to open and eat it. They are considered an endangered species and have a very limited habitat.

Now I have first- hand experience with these guys! Along the California coast near Monterey I was able to put in my kayak and paddle amongst the kelp beds and saw several pods of sea otters floating atop the water. Some of them even had little pups on top of their stomachs as they floated on...

Japanese Sandhill Cranes - Hand Painted Art Tile

I was so enthralled watching a video of this elegant bird’s mating dance in the snow that I was inspired to create this crane design. Because the Sandhill cranes mate for life the Japanese consider them a symbol of eternal love and their wedding kimonos incorporate crane designs into their satin brocade silks. The Japanese character on the tile is the symbol for “love” so I like to give these as wedding or anniversary gifts. I found out Sandhill Cranes also live in the USA and I was able to visit a crane reserve in my area and see them up close and personal. These birds are typically 5 foot tall with a red forehead and black legs. When they migrate in the Fall you can hear their “trilling” sounds but can barely see them as they are flying @ 10,000 feet catching the “thermals” so they don’t have to flap their 5-8 foot wingspans very often. They are truly a magnificent bird.

I was so enthralled watching a video of this elegant bird’s mating dance in the snow that I was inspired to create this crane design. Because the Sandhill cranes mate for life the Japanese consider them a symbol of eternal love and their wedding kimonos incorporate crane designs into their...

Polar Bear - Hand Painted Art Tile

Actually I must give credit to my son, Jeremy for this polar bear’s design. He drew this bear in class during high school as a proto-type for one he would be eventually carving out of soap stone. It was such a playful yet elegant design that I “borrowed” it from him. After all this is a family business and we all chip in! Due to climatic changes in the ice patterns up North the polar bear is currently listed as a threatened species.

Actually I must give credit to my son, Jeremy for this polar bear’s design. He drew this bear in class during high school as a proto-type for one he would be eventually carving out of soap stone. It was such a playful yet elegant design that I “borrowed” it from him. After all this is a family...

Full Rooster - Hand Painted Art Tile

For this design I had to run out in my backyard and try and follow around one of our fast-moving Bantam Roosters. He would never sit still and pose for me but I was able to still glimpse flashes of his beautiful greenish- blue iridescent hued black feathers he had on his perky curved tail. Actually he was like a rainbow of colors one merging into the other – what a work of art. This tile is hand painted the same way where one color glaze merges into the next one.

For this design I had to run out in my backyard and try and follow around one of our fast-moving Bantam Roosters. He would never sit still and pose for me but I was able to still glimpse flashes of his beautiful greenish- blue iridescent hued black feathers he had on his perky curved tail....

Flying Fish - Hand Painted Art Tile

Flying Fish

Humpback Whale & Baby - Hand Painted Art Tile

Found in almost every ocean the Humpback whale migrates 16,000 miles each year from their Polar feeding grounds down to tropical waters where they breed and give birth. They feed only in Summer and fast all Winter long living off their fat reserves. The male produces a complex song lasting 10 – 20 minutes and is repeated for hours at a time. I have seen Humpbacks off the coast of Hawaii, Mexico and California. I am always so impressed by their sheer size and magnificence. Over-hunted their population fell by 90% until a 1966 moratorium was introduced. They are slowly coming back. My humpback has her calf swimming alongside her.

Found in almost every ocean the Humpback whale migrates 16,000 miles each year from their Polar feeding grounds down to tropical waters where they breed and give birth. They feed only in Summer and fast all Winter long living off their fat reserves. The male produces a complex song lasting 10 –...