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"They're whimsical. Some people say they have soul," Licha said.
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ENLARGE
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Margaret Licha, owner of Margaret Licha Designs works on one of her many whimsical tiles.
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ENLARGE
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"I was in my first store in Berkeley twelve years ago, and now forty-five stores carry the tiles throughout the country," she said.
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Margaret Licha designs and creates colorful folk art tiles in her Grass Valley studio that have ended up in kitchens and bathrooms all over the country and as far away as Japan.
Her whimsical style includes eleven design series, a wide variety of tiles with distinct personalities and flavors. There are flowers, critters and more abstract creations, both flat and relief.
Her critter series is particularly fun. There's a dog, cat and horse series, and a farm series with cows, chickens and eggs set against a background of red gingham checks. Many of her critters look like they are sticking their heads out of the border of the tiles.
One customer was so attached to the mural of cows above her kitchen sink that she recreated the barnyard scene three times after three different moves. She swears the mural is what sold her house each time it was on the market.
Licha lived in Venezuela for many years and the rich and colorful folk art of South America might have influenced the colors and patterns of her original designs.
She began taking clay classes at Sierra College in Rocklin in the seventies, then went on to get an art degree at Sacramento State.
For years, she did clay sculpture, showing her work in galleries in Sacramento and also taught at the Neighborhood Center for the Arts.
Her whimsical style includes eleven design series, a wide variety of tiles with distinct personalities and flavors. There are flowers, critters and more abstract creations, both flat and relief.
Her critter series is particularly fun. There's a dog, cat and horse series, and a farm series with cows, chickens and eggs set against a background of red gingham checks. Many of her critters look like they are sticking their heads out of the border of the tiles.
One customer was so attached to the mural of cows above her kitchen sink that she recreated the barnyard scene three times after three different moves. She swears the mural is what sold her house each time it was on the market.
Licha lived in Venezuela for many years and the rich and colorful folk art of South America might have influenced the colors and patterns of her original designs.
She began taking clay classes at Sierra College in Rocklin in the seventies, then went on to get an art degree at Sacramento State.
For years, she did clay sculpture, showing her work in galleries in Sacramento and also taught at the Neighborhood Center for the Arts.
She had always loved tile, so started out making it in her garage. Her handcrafted, hand painted tiles and plates sold in San Francisco.
Now she has her work in over forty tile stores around the country, including Sierra Tile and Stone in Grass Valley and Hills Flat Lumber in Colfax.
"Business has grown," she said. "I was in my first store in Berkeley twelve years ago, and now forty-five stores carry the tiles throughout the country," she said.
When you enter her studio in Grass Valley, every available space is covered in diverse tiles in all different stages of creation. Licha does all the work herself and it takes her six months to get a tile on the market. First she makes the design, then creates a master mold.
From there, each tile is made, painted and goes through two firings, layering and underglazing. "I do every part of it from start to finish. I consider myself an artist and craftsman," she said.
Her work has been featured in a couple of books and some magazines: This Old House magazine and Period Homes and Traditional Homes, for example. She competes with a lot of tiles that look handcrafted but aren't.
"It is nice to have something hand crafted in today's mechanized world and made in the U.S," Licha said. "There is pride in doing the work myself and in working for myself," she added.
Some of her designs have soft muted colors and backgrounds resembling 19th century tapestries or old worn Turkish rugs. Her fish, turtles and birds look like wood cuts. "I like texture and I like to do etched, wood-cut feel patterns," Licha said. She rubs the colors into the tiles and everything has at least two colors. There's a wash underneath, which is then washed off, then the glaze has color, which gives more depth to the tile.
"I like things to look layered, aged, weathered. Maybe that is part of getting older," Licha said. "I'm always trying to create something new," she said.
Now she has her work in over forty tile stores around the country, including Sierra Tile and Stone in Grass Valley and Hills Flat Lumber in Colfax.
"Business has grown," she said. "I was in my first store in Berkeley twelve years ago, and now forty-five stores carry the tiles throughout the country," she said.
When you enter her studio in Grass Valley, every available space is covered in diverse tiles in all different stages of creation. Licha does all the work herself and it takes her six months to get a tile on the market. First she makes the design, then creates a master mold.
From there, each tile is made, painted and goes through two firings, layering and underglazing. "I do every part of it from start to finish. I consider myself an artist and craftsman," she said.
Her work has been featured in a couple of books and some magazines: This Old House magazine and Period Homes and Traditional Homes, for example. She competes with a lot of tiles that look handcrafted but aren't.
"It is nice to have something hand crafted in today's mechanized world and made in the U.S," Licha said. "There is pride in doing the work myself and in working for myself," she added.
Some of her designs have soft muted colors and backgrounds resembling 19th century tapestries or old worn Turkish rugs. Her fish, turtles and birds look like wood cuts. "I like texture and I like to do etched, wood-cut feel patterns," Licha said. She rubs the colors into the tiles and everything has at least two colors. There's a wash underneath, which is then washed off, then the glaze has color, which gives more depth to the tile.
"I like things to look layered, aged, weathered. Maybe that is part of getting older," Licha said. "I'm always trying to create something new," she said.
Her dog series includes tiles resembling a Labrador, Border collie, golden retriever, terrier and an All-American `mutt'. She can even customize a tile to resemble a beloved dog from a photo, if he is one of the above breeds. (Check out her website to see the possibilities.)
The Internet has been incredible for her business. Someone from Japan saw her website and contacted her, though the cost of shipping overseas is prohibitive. But most of her business still comes from the stores. "Customers like to see and touch something before they buy it," she said.
When customers contact Licha through her website, she sells her tiles for the same prices as in the stores. "I can't undersell my suppliers," she said. She ships the tiles all over the US with UPS, using all recycled materials for the shipping-the boxes and popcorn packing material.
What does she love about her work? "There is always something to think about," Licha said.
And what does she think about her tiles? "They're whimsical. Some people say they have soul," she said.
Looking ahead to the future, Licha would like to grow just enough to have someone to help in her studio so that she has more time to create new designs. She doesn't want to grow too much, though,
enjoying the `hands on' aspect of her business. "If you're too big, the tiles don't become yours after a while," she said.
To find our more about her tiles, you can reach Licha at 477-1486 or on the web at www.margaretlichatile.com.
The Internet has been incredible for her business. Someone from Japan saw her website and contacted her, though the cost of shipping overseas is prohibitive. But most of her business still comes from the stores. "Customers like to see and touch something before they buy it," she said.
When customers contact Licha through her website, she sells her tiles for the same prices as in the stores. "I can't undersell my suppliers," she said. She ships the tiles all over the US with UPS, using all recycled materials for the shipping-the boxes and popcorn packing material.
What does she love about her work? "There is always something to think about," Licha said.
And what does she think about her tiles? "They're whimsical. Some people say they have soul," she said.
Looking ahead to the future, Licha would like to grow just enough to have someone to help in her studio so that she has more time to create new designs. She doesn't want to grow too much, though,
enjoying the `hands on' aspect of her business. "If you're too big, the tiles don't become yours after a while," she said.
To find our more about her tiles, you can reach Licha at 477-1486 or on the web at www.margaretlichatile.com.
