Irwindale's Mosaic

Who knew Irwindale had a mosaic? I sure didn't.

Two weeks ago, I mentioned that artist Joyce Kozloff created the movie fantasy artwork at the Metro station at 7th and Flower--in fact, I promised a future post. But I decided not to blog about that piece, mainly because I can't define it as a mosaic. The Movie Fanatasy art is made of a couple of long rows of specially-designed, painted, and glazed large tiles. Yes, each tile makes up a part of one long mural, but I don't think it's a mosaic.

It's still lovely and well worth seeing--just go to Joyce Kozloff's website, click on Public Projects, and select the 1993 Los Angeles Metro Station.

But today I'll feature Kozloff's beautiful work "Underwater Landscape," designed for yet another Home Savings and Loan. In Irwindale--well, some listing call it Baldwin Park.

When this piece was installed in 1989, Irwindale had become the corporate headquarters of Home Savings & Loan, and remained so until Washington Mutual bought the company in 1999. The address is 4910 Rivergrade Road, and the building is available right now. 40,000 rentable square feet, just off the 605. None of the listings speak of the beautiful art in the atrium or of a 17 by 25 foot waterwall, so I hope it's well cared-for.

UPDATE: The fountain has a few leaks and so is not operational. It can be repaired, though.

These pictures came from Ms. Kozloff's site and are credited to Tom Vinetz. To the right is a close up of one of the mosaics. Two panels frame a blue mosaic wall over which water falls. The mosaic was fabricated by Travisanutto Mosaics of Spilimbergo, Italy.

The two side panels, each 6 ft wide, are of transparent and iridescent glass. The fish at right are inspired by a Greek vase at the Getty, but Japanese and Chinese influences are also clear.

And then there's the floor: Kozloff says the four circles reflect pottery designs from four cultures: Aegean (the dolphins and octopus), Greek, Japanese, and Chinese.

Here is the entire piece in all its glory:

Well, if I had won that lottery drawing last week (which would have been astounding, as I didn't purchase a ticket), and I needed to rent space for all my media interviews, I'd go here.