Peacock Bench and Green Man Fountain - Los Arboles
I think these are two of the loveliest art pieces in Ojai, partly because they are so overlooked. The peacock bench and green man fountain are located on South Montgomery St. at the Los Arboles Condominiums. These pieces are near replicas of tile-work found at the Adamson House in Malibu, now part of the Malibu Lagoon State Beach. Merritt Adamson and his wife Rhoda Rindge Adamson built the home in 1929.
There is an interesting history with this area once known as Rancho Malibu. The tile works was begun by Mrs. Adamson's mother, May Rindge, who opened the Malibu Potteries to make decorative tile for the home she was building in Malibu. The Malibu Potteries was very successful from 1926 to 1932 providing beautiful tiles, not only for the owners, but for homes throughout Southern California. The Adamson House is open to the public for tours. Please visit www.adamsonhouse.org for a schedule.
The Ojai reproductions were made by California Pottery & Tile Works of Los Angeles. The company was founded in 1994 by Sean and Desmond McLean for the purpose of bringing back the tile artistry of the Malibu Potteries and other potteries of the 1920s. Michael Kelly, an artist and musician living in Ventura, became a partner in the company and has brought these tiles to Ventura County.The tiles for the Peacock Fountain in Ojai were donated by California Pottery to the citizens of Ojai.
Story of Ventura mural
In addition to the two pieces in Ojai, California Pottery tiles can be seen in downtown Ventura at the Groene building (Watermark Restaurant), Jersey Mikes, Cafe Fiori, Star Lounge and the Red-Brick Gallery. One magnificent piece made by the company is the mural of the history of San Beunaventura located in the entryway of the new Offco Building on California Street. The mural is 12 feet by 6 feet and tells the story of the city from the Chumash through to the present. Read more about the piece in the article below.
"Artist's Mural Tells History of Ventura", by Brenda Loree, Ventura County Star, Monday, August 24, 2009
California Pottery also did the beautiful tile-work in the fairly new Camarillo Library.
