Edith and Me

I have known Edith Heath as far back as I can remember. A close family friend, she and her husband would share in many gatherings and occasional family vacations. Though she has long since passed, my memories of her are clear to this day.

After time spent in New York during my early 20s and 30s, when I returned home to California, I was glad to cross paths with her again. With my father’s 80th birthday coming up, I asked Edith if she would help me make a mosaic for my father’s birthday present. She graciously agreed.

After gathering broken ceramic tile from the back of her Sausalito-based shop, we carted it back to her home studio in nearby Tiburon. First, she asked me to hammer the tile into little pieces. Then, in her unique way of teaching, she left me on my own to select pieces and fit them together on a cement board. 

Returning, Edith looked over my shoulder and took one of my tiles and placed it somewhere else on the board. I remember her rustic voice as she instructed me and the sound of her bracelets as they jingled in time with her roughened hands as they moved the tiles to their perfect places. She continued this process until I understood her method and meaning. She explained to me how the human eye perceives that color has a certain flow--or path--and how the shapes of the tiles as they fit together and the color marry to create a design that takes an observer’s eye on “a tour.”

From Edith, I learned to think about the visual and sensory paths that I want viewers of my art to take and experience. I eventually realized that though people looking at any work of art will naturally take their own paths, there are myriad ways to present color and shape that open doors to many paths—physical, emotional, sensory, and even spiritual. The wondrous thing about any piece of art, in any medium, is that it speaks to everyone differently.

I have used Edith’s techniques throughout my artist’s journey, and though, relative to her impressive sojourn in the art world, as my journey is just beginning, her teachings resonate in me and are visible in my pieces, “Gentle Waves” (Water Gallery), “Deck of Cards,” and “Golden Glass” (Reflections Gallery).

I was inspired by this amazing artist and so fortunate to have her in my life. Thank you, Edith.