Steve Hartbauer is a self-proclaimed hermit, but he'd encourage adults and children to step outside of their bubbles, leap out of societal boxes and do what pleases them.
Why not be an artist and present yourself to the world, he asks? Why not bask in the sunlight of Venice Beach (more on this later) and absorb the UVs along with the sense of calm and chaos that comes with any gritty but gorgeous beach setting?
Why not cover your home in iridescent tiles that gleam in shades of reds and yellows, blues and greens throughout the day creating a prism of fun, memories, and passion like he did?
For the past 13 years, Hartbauer has been adding those brightly colored tiles to the panels of his home on Syracuse Street in the East Colfax neighborhood, sparking the curiosity of pedestrians and drivers alike. He calls his creation the "Enchanted Hart Haus."
Hartbauer began using the tile medium during his studies at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. Whenever he thought about his future, he knew some gallery work would be involved but he wouldn't be confined to just that.
"I wanted to do something different than the gallery thing," Hartbauer said. "So, it's like what if I made my own gallery. And two, not everybody gets to look at art. Our lives are consumed with so much other s***, you know, so why not?"
The Watts Towers Arts Center in Los Angeles was also a source of inspiration.
Hartbauer said he saw the installation in his 20s and the imagery and backstory always stuck with him. The Towers were created by Sabato Rodia, an Italian construction worker and tile mason. He purchased a piece of land in Watts area of L.A. and began constructing towers made from salvaged steel, wire mesh, cement and tiles.
Rodia had no art training per se, but he went with his own flow, even though the city wasn't supportive of his art. After repeated issues on permitting, one day in 1955, he gave the property to a neighbor and left. That same year, the city tried to tear down the Towers, citing that the structures weren't structurally sound but they couldn't. The Towers would bend back into shape, proving their structural integrity. The site is currently a historic landmark.
"It was just really beautiful. He was a tile installer and he was really good at his craft...and it's like, wow I can't believe that it's still standing. He was just a working class man," Hartbauer said.
The idea of creating a large-scale piece that incorporated a living space and the "I'll build what I want" attitude was forever embedded in Hartbauer.
So after he and his partner purchased their East Colfax home 14 years ago, and a year in, Hartbauer began tiling.
For the technique nerds, Hartbauer doesn't use the commonly available construction material Quick Set to adhere the tiles to the house. He just has an adhesive gun. He'll break a piece of material, decide where he wants it, grab the gun, slather the adhesive on the back and then stick it. And repeat.
Hartbauer's tiling method is thematic and leans toward the elemental.
"It easy," Hartbauer laughed. "I could say it's about a spiritual connection to the outside world but that's just not true."
Entering one side of his property, through an archway of green bottles (it's also the arch Hartbauer used at his wedding) one can see the representation of earth, where yellows, greens and browns create the sky and a huge centered tree with branches coming down the sides.
"It'll feel like a canopy once it's finished," Hartbauer said.
The back of the house is covered in fiery reds and oranges and the other side of the house isn't complete.
The fencing on that side is complete, however, and it's made up of 31 various size doors, each with its own theme. There's a door dedicated to Hartbauer's partner Amy with a Virgin Mary in the center. There's a cat door and dog door and a jungle door all with more tiles and figurines adorning the frames.
Then there's the door dedicated to Willa, a dog Hartbauer cared for while volunteering with the Dumb Friends League.
Willa was a nervous dog but eventually warmed up to Hartbauer, pawing her way into his heart like animals tend to do. She later passed but is memorialized on the door he tiled.
The front of the house is all shades of blue to represent water. Checking out the pieces up close, you'll see fragmented tile mixed in with blue and white plates that resemble Delftware or Chinese porcelain.
The porch is reminiscent of the beach, Hartbauer said, specifically Venice Beach, one of his favorites. The floorboards feel like sand and the ceiling is painted yellow with bits of golden tiles like the sun.
"You can pick whatever beach you want, but I thought of Venice," Hartbauer said. "It's a pretty rough and tough place but there's something that I just identified with, and it was like oh, this is something that feels absolutely natural to me. It's kind of like this neighborhood too. It's the same kind of feel a little bit."
Colfax Avenue as a whole and the eastside neighborhood tends to have a bad reputation. Hartbauer said the neighborhood vibes are mixed. Sure things can come alive in a crazy way at night, but if you look closely, you'll find the hidden gems. Like on the front of the house, mixed into the blues, you'll find a plate with a beach and a mini home that looks like Hartbauer's.
Hartbauer added that the reaction from the neighborhood has been wonderful. People have left him cards in his mailbox with requests for tours or just pieces of their own work.
The reaction and the artwork from children may be his favorite part.
"I keep all that s***," Hartbauer said. "You have to create things for them to be able to grasp and keep going or why muddle through all this bullshit."
Hartbauer has a wall to go before the house portion is complete. He'd like to add white fencing to the earth side that looks like clouds. And really fencing all around the home in different themes. In the back, he'd like to add water features with statues that he's found along the way.
Hartbauer says the house will probably be "completed" in about 10 years, and whatever happens after that, happens. For now, he's enjoying the present.
"I'm looking at 10 years. If I could be healthy for 10 years to finish this thing and then go to whatever's on the other side, then it's like, OK, I left my mark," Hartbauer said. "It's been a lot of fun. You know, if it wasn't fun, I never would've done this...They tear it down, they tear it down. I can't control any of that. I just like making stuff."
Hartbauer asks anyone interested in checking out the house to stop and stare from afar and to refrain from walking on the grass or going into his backyard.
Once, Hartbauer said laughing, a stranger wanting a tour wandered into the back and interrupted his sunbathing hour. But if you are interested, feel free to leave a note, Harbauer says.. If he has time, he can show you around, especially any youth tours.
While backyard strangers aren't fun, Hartbauer said the point of the house is to create that strong intrigue. Who did this? Why?
But again, why not? Hartbauer took the leap out of the box and he hopes folks follow suit.
"I want to be able to tell adults, you don't have to be in a box. You can kind of do what you want to," Hartbauer said. "With kids, I just want to say I hope this touches you in some way where you want to do something later. Doesn't have to be even in art but music or theater or poetry or whatever. Do something creative. You too can do this. Don't do it for the money though."
