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| Israel Herrera paints a tile in his Phoenix workshop |
PORTRAITPROFESSION—Tile artist
COMPANY—One World Mexican Tile; 2222 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix; (602) 368-8453;
oneworldtile.comTRAINING—Self-taught
Spanish conquistadors brought the art of painting tiles to Mexico. It has since become a highly sought-after form of Mexican artistry that some people spend their lives perfecting. This is the case for tile artisan Israel Herrera, who has dedicated nearly 20 years toward becoming a maestro, or master, of his craft.
A native of Ciudad Obregón, a town in Sonora, Mexico, Herrera says he has always had an interest in art. However, it was not until he moved to Nogales, Arizona, as a young man and began working for a company that produced handmade tiles that he was exposed to the historic art form. “I started by spraying tiles a single color,” Herrera recalls. He worked his way up within the company, eventually learning to make, paint, fire and install terra-cotta tiles.
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From left: A sampling of tiles painted by Herrera includes Crucero, which means “cross” in Spanish; Claudia.
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In 1996, the now-Phoenix-based artist began working with Karen Gosnell, who has been an influential figure in tile design for more than 40 years. She was looking for a local artist to paint house numbers when she learned of Herrera through word-of-mouth and was impressed by his work. Today, he still collaborates with Gosnell to produce custom projects.
Throughout his studio, file cabinets burst with tile designs, drawings hang from clipboards, and samples of finished tiles adorn his desks—testaments to the work he has accomplished over the years.
To create tiles, Herrera stencils designs onto blank terra-cotta tiles before painting and firing them. A single tile takes approximately 10 hours to complete, and longer if it contains red pigments, he says. “Red is a ‘contaminating’ color,” the artist explains. “Red must be separately fired.” This technique prevents red hues from bleeding into other colors. Along with hundreds of painted designs, he also molds tiles that depict fruit, fleur-de-lis, rope and vegetables, among others.
Herrera says his career will come full circle when he becomes a maestro and passes his knowledge on to the next generation of tile artists.
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Clockwise from top left: Andelus • A bundle of asparagus spears is depicted on this handmade and hand-painted terra-cotta tile. • Alegria is made of terra cotta and comes in various sizes. • This tile, named Conchas, has a scrolling design.
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