Kurt Niece 2017-02-14 22:35:50
Happy accident isn’t just an oxymoron cooked up by Pollyanna wannabes. Sometimes happy accidents are the real deal, like when a subcontractor flakes out.
“I’d hired a professional tile installer to do a kitchen project and he didn’t show up,” says homeowner Lisa Benaglio. “I had already taken days off work so I went ahead and tackled the job myself. I didn’t have a tile saw, however, so I just broke up the pieces I couldn’t cut. I’d already bought the supplies and four-by-four-inch Mexican tiles, so I used red-colored pieces in the countertop and designed a chile pepper.”
That one red-hot chile pepper spurred 16 years of tiling passion, an avocation and a far cry from her work as an owner/operator at the local Arcadia Home Care and Staffing franchise. Lisa’s professional background is medical. Her mosaic artwork is pure serendipity — a combination of passion and natural ability.
“I have no art background, but I’ve always been interested in vibrant colors. I was inspired in the backyard when winter came and everything felt so drab. I wanted to add color to all the walls.”
And so she did.
At first Lisa used only store-purchased tile, and tons of it judging from the sheer scale of some of her early mosaics. Equally vivid ceramics and imagination converge on walls vivid with mermaids, ocean and beach scenes, palm trees and sunsets. Whales and tigers flank the outdoor fireplace and all are created from store-bought tile. That is, until recently.
The purchase of an electric kiln pushed the envelope and broke the commercial tile ceiling. Now, she’s creating custom pieces, from raw clay to fired to glazed. It’s as if Lisa creates her own ceramic jigsaw puzzle pieces. Now, creativity is the only limiting factor. Well, that, and the electric bill.
Lisa jokes about her husband Roger Malkin, who is the co-owner/operator of Arcadia, when he casually inquired about the number of kiln firings the previous month.
“I told him six, and then he told me it’s running about $25 a firing, so I really, really want to thank him, too!”
A lot of Lisa’s work is about messaging positive energy and playful, child-like images. Beautifully detailed unicorns joust, manes twisting and curling. Little Bo Peep herds a flock of sheep. An indoor bathroom depicts Mission San Xavier Del Bac and Tucson street scenes.
RIGHT The wall surrounding the pool is covered with murals of various scenes and animal vignettes.
BELOW The cantina and its rooftop deck are conveniently close to the pool.
The exterior of the garage wall is embellished with a collage of windows scenes.
Her Italian and Mexican heritage converges on the walls as well, in the form of inspirational messages.
“My Mexican grandmother would say, Que Sera Sera, a favorite expression of hers. And then there’s Mangia Mangia, which means eat. That’s what my dad’s mother ‘Nonna’ would say before mealtimes, as if that was something we hadn’t done all day.”
It’s a lot for the uninitiated to take in, but an old-fashioned claw-foot bathtub nonetheless stands out. The interior is tiled to depict an underwater scene, as if gazing into a tidal pool of octopus, colorful fish and turquoise blue water. The tub is a delightful piece of sculptural art, tucked away in the garden of a yard inundated with beautiful, bright imagery.
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