Ceramic Concepts makes custom hand-painted tiles. Moorish tiles ( Moroccan tiles), Spanish tiles, and modern tiles are some of the tile styles produced at the studio. Catering to private homes and commercial spaces, Ceramic Concepts brings a touch of beauty to every space.
The Ceramic Studio
The Ceramic Concepts studio was established in 1992 and was located at the heart of Venice Beach, California. The rich golden light of Southern California and the relaxed beach lifestyle make it the perfect creative environment.
The Studio played an important role within the Venice community, serving as a venue for children’s education programs such as ‘Dreamteam,’ ‘The Arts Mecca’ and ‘Social Point.’
Now the Studio is located in the artsy “inner city” of Los Angeles, in Echo Park, where the old and the new meet creating a culture potpourri that is at once enlivening and creatively energetic.
The Ceramic Philosophy
Clay, the first material humans used for daily purposes, became more ornate over time and grew into a cultural expression. Fire, clay, and minerals are the fundamental tools of a ceramist. Cultural heritage, personal taste, and environment determine color and design.
Daily life at the studio involves a process of tile cutting, design, glazing, and firing. Cutting tiles, designing patterns and art murals – formulating glazes to match specific hues and colors, as well as – firing every day to see the outcome of each design, each glaze, each tile!
Man and machine, It has to be done right. Form, shape, and size. Creating a playground for color and design. Diamond blade wet saw. The tile maker’s best friend.
The look and the field, the thin black line. Squeezing through the soft silk. Creating spaces to be filled
The blackline is an integral part of the design for the style used. Clean art burned to screens.
Concentrate. Don’t cross the line. 10 or 20,000 times… a zen-like exercise. Everything is touched by hand. An unpredictable human variation is inherent in every tile.
Fire, Fire… Feuer. The kiln God melts and slowly transforms.
Sometimes happy, sometimes not.
Glaze formulas and different bisques can sometimes create an unpredictable outcome. At which point, as would a detective – we must find the culprit that changed the outcome.
German-born Felix Schmeing trained as a potter in Germany and moved to California in 1990. There he opened his own studio as a production potter.
While participating in various shows and workshops around Los Angeles and California, he soon developed an interest in tile making. Further, he trained with the Malibu Tile Factory in California to make hand-painted decorative (deco) tiles, a reproduction of vintage Californian tiles. His great interest is the exacting art of glaze formula mixing.
He became known to many architects, designers, and contractors.
Felix Scheming
‘Most of my design work is based on the Moorish and Spanish tile tradition. I started experimenting with classic Malibu tile designs when I moved to California. The color palette I developed perfectly matches the Malibu style, reflecting the Californian landscape. The distinguished look of my tiles is achieved using the Spanish “Cuerda Seca” or Dryline method.’
Today Felix lives in the Echo Park area with his wife and twin boys. He enjoys a studio tile business where people from all walks of life can gain from his extensive experience and know-how in mixing that special glaze….or matching that special color.
If you are ready to discuss your project with us…
