Can I Use This As A Trivet?

My New Year's Resolution:
Remain calm no matter what question I am asked.

"Can I use this as a trivet?" I will admit to cringing the first time someone asked me that many years ago. But, it is a fair question as people look for "functionality" in what they purchase. I personally consider "art" to provide a function all its own. Our inspiration comes from the middle east where it is common to see intricately designed art tiles simply hanging on the wall or displayed on stands.   So -  the answer to the original question is - Yes, if you would like to use them as trivets I would suggest getting the self adhesive footies (rubber or felt) to put onto the back corners.

Selling the work that you create - makes you humble...and tough.

Another more frequent question is:
How should I display my art tiles?
There is a slanted slot inset into the back of each piece.
To hang: Use a flat head nail or screw. The flat head of the nail or screw gives enough of a lip for the slot to fit right over and allow the tile to securely hang flush to the wall.
Extra security wanted? Use the nail or screw BUT ADD a piece of double stick velcro to the bottom back of the tile and wall. 3M Command Products are advertised as not damaging to your walls. Remember: These mounting strips ARE NOT bearing the entire weight of the tile. The nail or screw is doing that. What the mounting strip does is stabilize the bottom of the tile for added security if the tile is hit, the wall is banged on or the door near to it is slammed.  Remind me sometime to tell you the story of how a Hamsa went flying across the yard. 

OR - just find a simple stand and display them on a table, shelf, desk or mantle. Nice. 

Once you have them displayed send along a picture to my email address: symbols@nwlink.com and I'll post them on our web site or you may just post them directly to our Symbols in Art FaceBook page.  We love to have ideas for others as to how they look set up in homes and offices and how they can add to a sacred space.

Aum Sweet Aum - What we can't fit on the label

There's no place like Aum

"What is this symbol?" a visitor to the booth asks. Well, it's said to be the first sound of the universe or some people refer to it as the yoga symbol. An utterance evoking peace and meditation.  Ahh-who-mmm-  ending with a humming sound and then silence.  The silence is important and counts as the fourth sound of the syllable.  It is necessary to be aware of stillness.  The focus is on the vibration and then the silence and stillness between the chants of ahh-who-mmm-  .  Once I sound out the syllable, the person instantly recognizes it but still knows little of its origin or meaning.  

Some even confuse the flowing script as Arabic.  This particular Aum is in the Devanagari script.  Sanskrit was an oral tradition way before it was written and became more of a liturgical language.  There are other scripts that the Aum is written in which is why you may notice a difference in the way it is depicted.  Artists also take liberties as they create the many representations of the syllable that you see in jewelry, bags, tattoos, t-shirts, etc.


The Aum, in Hindu belief, is in use daily.  Hindus begin their day, work or any journey by uttering and chanting Aum.  A new born child is washed, then the sacred syllable is written on their tongue in honey.  It is not a word but rather an intonation and like music, with proper intonation, can resonate throughout the body so that the sound penetrates to the center of one's being.  The past, present and future are all included in this one sound.

Jeff and I chose to refer to the syllable in English as Aum.  Some visitors to our booth will correct me and say that it should be written as Om.  Both are equally accepted so I will continue with Aum in this writing and on our labels.  

The label on the tile back simply reads:

Charged with religious energy, this most sacred of Sanskrit syllables is often articulated at beginning and end of recitations and prayers.  Early noted evidence of AUM (Om) use occurs in the Hindu text Rgveda, and dates in practice to at least 1200 BCE.

Rgveda is a Sanskrit compound of "praise,verse and knowledge".  The Rgveda Sanskrit qualifies as one of the earliest of the Indo-European language family which includes English and most European languages. 

This is certainly a "nutshell" version of what Aum is.  The depth and breadth of this syllable is awe inspiring and will take a great deal of meditation to more deeply understand and to feel even a portion of the power that it contains.

A young child bought our Aum art tile as a birthday gift for his mother who was turning 35.  I can now hardly look at the Sanskrit writing of the Aum without seeing the 35 that the child saw.  As I reflect on the powerful vibrations of this syllable I remember his joyful purchase.  "Aum is where the heart is."

Thine is Greatest

A Christian Woman speaks to a Muslim Man speaks to a Native Woman while a practitioner of Falung Gong goes through her meditation exercises in the background

Three young Sikhs walked by the booth, one saying so that I could hear, "Nothing for Sikhism I see".  "Actually Sikhism and Baha'i are the two that I get asked for the most."  They stopped and walked back to talk with me.  They picked up the sign that reads Art Tiles Reflecting Images of Five of The World's Great Religions.  One of them started typing into his iPhone to see if Sikhism is the 6th in line.

Actually, in a ranking by size from 2007, Sikhism is listed 9th.  Christianity and Islam are shown as 1 and 2 respectively.  Number 3 is Secularism/Non-Religious/Agnostic/Atheist - they get thrown together for this list. Hinduism is number 4.  Something referred to as "Chinese Traditional Religion" is in slot 5, evidently a counting together of Confucianism, Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, etc.  Buddhism is number 6.  Judaism, number 12.

We spent a great deal of time crafting that sign to convey an overall sense of welcome to people approaching our booth or web store. What I found is that people read with a preconceived idea and interpret any signage accordingly.  "Oh" some will say. "The Five Greatest Religions. Well, you don't have mine."  It actually reads Images of Five of the World's Great Religions.  We chose five that we were personally interested in and felt would reflect the majority of the people that we would come into contact with.  There are many more.  We didn't choose them in any particular order.  The word "great" refers to the sheer number of people following recognized religions and styles of philosophy.

Many visitors to our booth express thanks for the display of this even reflection of faith in one place, some are surprised.  I especially love the children who come running up with excited expressions and chirping voices.  "Om! That's om. We're Hindu.  We have many oms."

A young boy walks up to the booth and reads one of the other signs out loud. "Islamic Art. hmm." he says.  "We're Jews."  "Welcome" I say with a smile.   "Are you Jewish?" he asks as he watches his mother pick up and purchase a Magen David tile and a Hamsa.  "No, We just enjoy making and selling spiritual art.  I never know who I'm going to get to talk to next."

We're expanding our collection.  Keep a look out early next year for the new additions.  Sikh? Baha'i?  Perhaps, and hopefully a few more!

More about the Hamsa - What we can't fit on the label

We've been making our Hamsa wall plaque for years.  A number of them decorate and protect our own home, those of our children, other family members and, after 15 years, thousands of homes around the world.

What we do put on the label refers to it simply : This most ancient symbol originates from the earliest Mediterranean cultures.  The Hamsa is used to ward off the evil eye (ayin raah).  Often displayed near a door or window it will protect the bearer or domain.  That's what I can fit onto a 1 x 4 inch label in 9 point font.

Ah. But there's more.  

Hamsa is the Arabic word for the number 5 (the 5 fingers of the hand).  I've had many visitors from Morocco, where it is spelled "Khamsa", tell me that I have misspelled it.  I tell them each time that if I put a K in front of an H in the US it would make the name even more confusing.  It is spelled Hamsa,  Khamsa, Chamsa or Hamesh (Hebrew for 5).  The guttural sound of the the H, Kh or Ch is also quite foreign to most Americans so we just say "Hahm - sa".

The Hamsa has long been thought to bring it's owner happiness, health, strength and prosperity.  Similar to the old western tradition of hanging a horseshoe over a door, it's more an image of folklore rather than religion.  Our design has the eye in the center to deflect or repel the ayin raah or evil eye away from the bearer or domain.  We lived in Greece for a couple of years in the 70's.  Widowed Greek women dressed in black would often pin a tiny blue and white bead to the shirt of my infant son. There and in Turkey the focus is more on the eye than the hand and you will see the blue and white beads representing the eye to protect from ayin raah.  The concept of protection is the same.  As I've done more research on this I see that the "evil eye" is quite often thought of as envy.  The Hamsa with a center eye also protects against the bad luck brought on by the attention and jealousy of others.

There are two prominent Hamsa designs. One, a stylized hand with two symmetrical thumbs (this is our chosen depiction) and the other a more natural hand.  Both may be seen in jewelry, art and architecture with the fingers either pointing down or up.  Known by many names such as : Hand of Destiny, Hand of God.  By some Muslim communities as the Hand of Fatima (daughter of the prophet Mohammed) as a symbol of patience and faith. By some Jewish communities as the Hand of Miriam (sister of Moses). 

Archeological evidence suggests that a downward pointing hand predates both religions and is thought to be associated with Tanit, a supreme deity from Carthage whose hand was used to ward off the evil eye. 

You may have seen a Hamsa as jewelry.  I have visitors show me the Hamsa necklaces that they've brought back from Israel or received from friends that have been traveling in the Middle East.  Many of them say the same thing. "I've had this for years and I've never known what it means.  But I love it".

Traditionally a Hamsa wall plaque is hung inside the home where it would be the first thing you see as you enter.  Many people collect Hamsas and I've discovered that a home can't have too many of them.  We sell quite a few in the fall as children are going off to college.  Also as wonderful housewarming gifts.

The next time you come across one you will be so much more "in the know".  ~ kat

And so the story began...

Jeff and I are often asked how we came to be making art tiles reflecting Christian, Judaic, Buddhist, Islamic and Hindu images.  I've told this story for years from our booth at local farmers markets, arts festivals and now Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle.  It's time to let our on line visitors and customers be part of the story as well.

Jeff was born in Istanbul.  His family were ex-patriots, living mostly overseas.  The short time that he spent in Turkey and the beautiful art that his family collected while there so influenced his early life.  He was drawn to the balance and symmetry of Islamic art and especially to the form of art on tiles.  He has lived all over the world and is interested in art, history and the art of antiquity.

I was born and raised in Hawaii.  My family has lived there since the late 1800's.  Between the two of us we bring an eclectic view of the world to our art.

I managed a small software company.  Jeff worked in shipping as a Customs Broker until he stepped away from his job in search of something more meaningful.  The search was lengthy and unrewarding until we decided to start our own company creating art with the look of antiquity.  Our focus was spiritual art.  That was 16 years ago.  We both stepped away from our "real life" jobs and have been doing this work together ever since. 

Everything was learned from the ground up.  Jeff had the concept and was faced with skeptics saying that we couldn't do what we envisioned - Using cement to cast intricate molds that we had designed and then finish the cast tiles with sophisticated coloring and finishing techniques.  Cement was for garden art in particular and no one believed that we could get the kind of detail that you now see in our work.  It was a process with a steep learning curve.  So much to learn about every aspect of the design work.  Creating originals, making the molds, casting and then the mixing and application of the finishes.  Cement was our chosen medium because of the authentic heft and feel we knew that it would give our tiles.  There are many people who cast but our work is set apart by the detail captured and Jeff's color finishing techniques.

Jeff's vision was always in front of us as it still is as new designs are researched and hand drawn then turned into originals then molds.  We recently found out that the casting medium that we've used for years was discontinued.  Quite honestly we had to sit and just think through what we were going to do.  What was quickly realized is that we love what we do.  We love spiritual art, the look of antiquity that each piece has, the character of a cast tile - we had to find another medium.  We discovered a sturdy polymer plaster that is working well for most of the pieces.  More then a third of our designs have been removed from our web site because they just didn't translate to the new medium.  But - they will be redesigned.  New originals will be made, then new molds and the casting will continue.

 We have been able to continue with the core of our designs - The World Set (Christian, Judaic, Buddhist, Islamic and Hindu images) - The Buddhist Wheel Set - The Garden of Bismillah - and a favorite - The Hamsa.  In our opinion they are more beautiful than ever.

Come visit us sometime - Online at Sumon Company ~ Symbols in Art or at our Daystall Shop at Pike Place Market in Seattle

~ Kat