Houston Llew - Spirit of Muse Spiritile - 001No. 001
"A smile is the light in your window that tells people you're at home." - Anonymous
Release Date: November 1, 2008
Collection: Winter 2008
Made by hand with USA-sourced copper, glass enamel, and a custom wood box frame.
5¼" x 8½" x 1¾" - akin to the size of a novel.
Artist Statement
The first thing I ever enameled. When Zingaro, my mentor, asked, "what do you want to make?"
My first instince was that of a snarky, arogant & ambitous student. I shot back, "You fancy yourself on the creative level with the all-time greats, I'm just going to steal y'alls tricks. How about you show me how to capture the emotion of DaVinci's Mona Lisa?" And he gleefully accepted. Later that night, defeated & exhausted we summized that for years DaVinci left the piece unfinished out of frustration. I took our progress and showed my mother... who took out a sharpie, scribbled on the fired enamel metal... and captured it perfectly. This is actually her rendition of that smile, which was much easier to recreate once she showed me the way & explained why it was so impactful.
This piece holds a special place in my heart, the first sketch to defeat what Hemingway once coined, "The White Bull." And it took a team effort. Every Spiritile that came after would be new and different, but this remains "The Muse." I am still attempting to capture her today. And each time I do, I get a glimpse of a different smiling emotion from a different inspriting source.
Care & Use
CARE: Enamel artwork is best polished with household glass cleaner and a soft cloth.
DISPLAYING: These delicate yet durable artworks are made to last, resist fading, shine under light, and fire up a meaningful conversation. Spiritiles can stand up on a flat surface or hang on a prized wall. They can stand alone, but love company. Each piece is sized the same to mix and match for a collection that tells your story.
HOW TO HANG: Drywall screws work great! When affixing the screw, leave a ¼" lip to rest the frame's hollow on the screw head. The art will sit securely and flush with the wall. When hanging multiple pieces, the ideal spacing between screws is 7¼" horizontal and 10½" vertical.