Perry Harvey, Sr. Park
A History Through the Art
Perry Harvey, Sr. Park, Tampa, FL Located at 900 E. Scott Street, the park is a place where generations can come together to share the history of the Central Avenue, through art, music, and cultural attractions.
Clay Tile Murals by Natalie Blake Studios
The Encore!® trio of murals, was made by Natalie Blake Studios This Public Art Installation was commissioned by the City of Tampa and Bank of America in 2014 as part of the Perry Harvey, Sr. Park.
History of the Scrub and Central Avenue
"The Scrub, once Tampa's oldest and largest African American neighborhood,
traces its history to just after the Civil War,
when newly freed slaves built homes in a scrub palmetto thicket outside of the Town of Tampa.
The heart of the Scrub was the Central Avenue Business District."
~ Visit ~
If you are in Tampa, Florida be sure to visit the park, and wander through the neighborhood! If you see the three Natalie Blake murals, send us your photos so we can add them to this post! Thank you!
Perry Harvey, Sr. Park 900 East Scott Street Tampa, Florida Information for Perry Harvey, Sr. Park: Phone: (813) 274-8854 Email: specialevents@tampagov.net
We did it!
Ceramic Tile Murals Tell the History of a Tampa Neighborhood
Natalie's public art grant installation in Tampa, Florida is complete! Natalie and Nick rolled back into the studio last Thursday after spending 18 days on site mortaring and grouting 3, 6' x 15' ceramic tile murals onto concrete walls that run the perimeter of a new mixed-use development in Tampa. This installation was made possible through a generous public art grant awarded to the studio in 2013 by the City of Tampa, and Trio at Encore LP. Through this grant, Natalie researched the history of this largely African-American neighborhood and then traced its 200-year history in a series of three large murals. Through interviews and consultations with several historians and community members, Natalie compiled a rich history of this incredible community. She then translated these collected stories, using a blend of abstraction and realism onto three, 6’ x15’ murals comprised of 18” square ceramic tiles. The title of the piece, "The Gift of Gathered Remembrances," is inspired by Secrets of the Talking Jaguar by Martin Prechtel. In this book Prechtel recounts the story of a people who are deeply secure in their cultural identity because of their daily remembrance and reverence towards their ancestors. As Natalie says, "It is so awesome to make clay tiles. As I move into making public art, I appreciate more and more that my ceramic tile murals can be part of the story-telling. The tactile quality of my carved tiles means that the viewer can appreciate the work through several senses. I love the permanence of tile too. The mural not only relays the history, but becomes part of the history as well. It's an art form that we shouldn't lose." In a playful moment, Natalie carved a replica of the Encore development into the third mural. Then, on the wall that lines the development she carved a little sun, the recurring element in each mural. You'll find her signature in the lefthand corner of the second (middle) mural. 
After months of carving, glazing and firing 120, 18" x 18" tiles, we were ready to begin the installation. Nick Marchese, Natalie Blake Studios' installer, and Alan, his assistant, drove the tiles to Tampa to begin the job. The installation got off to a rocky start as Nick and Alan were delayed by rain and thunderstorms for the first two days. But after a few fitful starts the project got rolling. They prepped the concrete walls by scoring them (slightly scraping the concrete surface so that the tiles would adhere better).
After a week Natalie flew down to relieve Alan. By that time many tiles had been mortared to the concrete walls and the mood on the site was much better! Nick used the ultimate thin set for porcelain and glass tiles. The mortar is so strong that it is used for tiling swimming pools. In fact, a crew of workmen who were installing a swimming pool on site, came by to watch Nick work and were impressed with his choice of mortar. After admiring the mortar (as tilers will!) they hung around to admire the murals too.
The work site quickly became a hub of colorful activity. Natalie and Nick (and all other workers on the development site) had to wear bright, fluorescent shirts and hardhats for safety. The murals themselves were glazed in rich colors and the concrete walls around the murals were stained in lush orange, blue and purple.
Nick not only installed the tiles, but also created a beautiful "frame" of stained concrete around each mural. First he applied a deep orange acid stain to the entire concrete wall. Then he and Natalie went back and, with small sponges, dabbed on a soy-based stain in blues and purples. This "faux finish" look was then sealed with a soy-based product that created a beautiful sheen. He and Natalie were very happy with the results.
There were other visitors to the work site: Three older Black women who lived in one of the apartment buildings in the complex dropped by one day and told Natalie that they'd grown up in the neighborhood. So Natalie invited them to look at one of the murals. Natalie heard them laughing as they peeked under the protective tarp at the tiles. They were traveling down "Memory Lane" as they saw Natalie's depictions of historical events from their lives. Then one of the women, her hand raised as if in a High Five, exclaimed to Natalie, "Memories!" For Natalie this was the most special moment of the installation. Natalie and Nick also received kudos from representatives of the Bank of America (a major funder) and the Tampa Housing Authority. "It's greater than my expectations," said David from the Tampa Housing Authority. Melissa LeBaron, Tampa's Public Arts Coordinator, also dropped by and was so relieved to see that the last box of tiles had arrived safely from Vermont. (the backstory is that some of the tiles had cracked during the firing process--due to a bad batch of clay--and the studio staff were hard at work remaking those tiles in order to get them to Nick for the installation) Natalie and Nick really enjoyed their time in Tampa. For the most part the weather was beautiful, though quite hot! Because the sun beat full blast on their job site starting at about 1 pm everyday, they began work at 7.
As Natalie says, "We were honored to be part of this amazing project to revitalize this important neighborhood. There's so much history here; the ancestors are watching and waiting to see how it will all turn out. We made our own offering to the ancestors; with the leftover mortar and grout Nick made his "heavy hearts" and we put them in special locations. Now, it is up to the residents to breathe new life into this neighborhood. We trust they will."
Watch this video clip of the unveiling of the murals: 
The Gift of Gathered Remembrances, I, II, III
What size should my artwork be?
Unless you work with an interior designer, it may be difficult to know what size wall art will look best in your space. When it comes to finding the right size wall art, there are a few tips to keep in mind so that you don't overwhelm (or underwhelm) your space with your art:
In general you should work around furniture, using the general rule of covering 1/2 to 3/4 of that area with your artwork.
One guideline is that the artwork should take up 4/7 of the selected space. Here's a math trick to help you figure that the size of the art you need:
Measure the width (or height) of your wall space, in inches. Multiply that number by .57
So, for example, if your area is 36 inches wide, you want to look for art that's 20-21 inches wide.
Here's an example of an appropriately-sized mural for this wall. The width of the wall is 96". Using the calculation outlined above, the artwork for this wall should be 54" wide. This ceramic tile mural, Live Oak, is comprised of 12" x 12" tiles, with 1/2" spacing between tiles. So the width of the piece is about 50". You can see that the mural fills the space nicely, with a nice "frame" of wall around the piece so that the room doesn't look cluttered by the artwork.
sculpted, carved ceramic wall art tile by Natalie Blake
In the example below the width of the wall is 144". Using the calculation, the mural should be about 82". The mural is 75" wide. Even without using the calculation we can see that the piece fits in the space. A large room such as this, with high ceilings, can take a larger piece of artwork. The benefit of a ceramic tile mural like this one is that the work can be appreciated from a distance, or up close to see the carving lines.
sculpted, carved, ceramic tile mural
ceramic wall art tile by Natalie Blake
Feel free to contact the studio if you'd like help determining what size ceramic mural would fit your wall. Our tiles are made in sizes from 12" -20" square. If you send us an image of your wall/space we can Photoshop a mural into the image to give you an idea of what the piece will look like.
Mural hangs in Hawaii
This piece, called Mauna Kea, is installed on a stone wall in a garden at a Hawaiian residence. Natalie met the clients at the Philadelphia Museum Show. They saw her work and commissioned a mural to decorate this wall, which blocked their view of the volcano, Mauna Kea (side note: it's the highest point on the island of Hawaii). They wanted a piece that would "show" them the volcano. Natalie embellished the design with flora from the island, including the wild ginger plant. Natalie's fiance, Nick, installed the piece. His meticulousness ensured that the tiles are straight and inline with each other--not an easy task on an irregularly-shaped, stone wall. Here's what the client says about the piece: "Your work just keeps on amazing us. We love our volcano, especially during the evening when the setting sun lights it. I also love the face that inadvertently showed up in the clouds to blow the wind. Absolutely genius."
Outdoor installations of ceramic tile murals
Natalie Blake Studios tiles can be installed indoors or outdoors. The high-fired, durable, sun and weather resistant tile can be grouted into a permanent installation or hung as a tile mural. The modular format of the tiles can be adapted to suit architectural niches, angles, large or small spaces, curved walls, and indoor or outdoor applications. Check out these outdoor installations: Click on the images to enlarge them.
