Houston Llew's Spiritiles
Houston Llew's art speaks to just about everybody.
Working on a copper canvas, Houston layers powdered glass to create his design before placing it in a kiln –– a process he likens to drawing with sand and then toasting it on a very hot fire. After it's fired, the piece is cooled, and wrapped around a block, leaving edges of copper exposed.
Wrapping the enamel onto a block is what makes Houston's art a Spiritile. Each tile has a quote on the side – reading left to right, with attribution at the top.
"Music is my refuge. I crawl into the grooves." - Maya Angelou
Houston discovered enameling in the midst of the recession, studying with master enamelist Zingaro. With no other alternatives, he stuck to it, living off beer and ramen, until Spiritiles were born.
Houston pairs quotes from writers, luminaries, philosophers and others with images that evoke the source of inspiration.
There is a lot of inspiration.
Which one speaks your story?
See more Spiritiles at 25 Commercial Street in Wellfleet, 8 Cove Road in Orleans (shown above), and online at leftbankgallery.com