Artwork Detail

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Old La Verne Landscape

Artist: Matranga, Frank

Date: 1985

Medium: Ceramic

County Department: Public Library

Artwork Site: La Verne Library

Supervisorial District: 5

Current Status: On view

About the Artwork:

Frank Matranga was commissioned to create a mural with a historical theme for the La Verne Library in 1985. Composed of glazed ceramic tiles, this mural in the foyer of the La Verne Library is described by the artist as a “very traditional design" compared to the more abstract works he made for other County libraries. The mural features motifs and local area landmarks, such as the Church of the Brethren, the Lordsburg Hotel and the Lordsburg depot with citrus trees and mountains in the background.

About the Artist:

Frank Matranga received his BA and MA from Los Angeles State University. While working on his MA, he was offered a job teaching ceramics at a local high school. This led him to discover a lifelong love affair with clay. He completed his master’s degree in art and later studied at the University of Southern California under Carlton Ball. In 1961 he started his own ceramic studio in Redondo Beach (later moved to Manhattan Beach) and began to teach in the Los Angeles Community College system, which he would do for the next twenty years. His public art career began in 1970 when Sears, Roebuck, and Company commissioned him to create seven murals for Sears stores in the Southern California area. In the following decades he has completed over 50 ceramic mural commissions for libraries, private companies, and homes. In 1977 and 1979 he was invited to be an artist in residence in Japan, where he exhibited at the American Embassy Gallery in Tokyo. His work has also been shown in Australia and Germany.