This piece explores a problem that has recently perplexed me: how do you actually "restore" a creation without turning it into something different? Certainly far greater minds than mine have been consumed by this issue in light of recent cleanings of and repairs to high-profile historical pieces (such as the Sistine Chapel ceiling).
I am a long-time fan of the unique tiles and ceramics created only on the island of Santa Catalina for a brief period early last century. I chose images, colors and patterns from those tiles to explore the notion of "restoration". This design includes the popular "double parrot" pattern still seen in original installations on several buildings in the Catalina town of Avalon. As the softness of the local clay used in creating the original tiles proved their undoing over time (and lead to the shut-down of their manufacture), many original tiles are showing the damage accumulated throughout the years. Though still glorious, it is painful to see the condition of some of the more heavily damaged tiles (and so many more have already been destroyed and lost forever).
In this piece I sought to represent classic tiles with the rich sepia of age in contrast to the "not quite right" colors of a single replacement tile (and the concern of such an intrusion as shown by one of the parrots).