LARGE AND FASCINATING ARCHITECTURAL POTTERY LIDDED POT OR PLANTER BY RENOWNED MANHATTAN BEACH CALIFORNIA POTTER, FRANK MATRANGA (American 1934-2016)

DIMENSIONS: 14”H x 14”W

Frank was born in Alhambra, California. His father and his mother’s parents were from Sicily.

He originally wanted to be an architect. But when he was offered a job as an art teacher that included teaching ceramics, he threw himself into the medium. He spent a satisfying and prolific career making pottery here in Southern California. After training under Vivika and Otto Heino and Carlton Ball, and working for several years for Raul Coronel, Matranga opened his own studio in the late 1960s. He is probably best known for the large scale ceramic mural installations scattered around Southern California. His first mural commission came in 1970. Not all still exist, but at one time there were 57 of the murals.

In 1977, Matranga spent five months teaching potters in Japan and, himself, learning from Shoji Hamada. Two years later, Matranga was rewarded with a series of one-man shows in Japan. The Japanese culture remained a major influence on his work throughout his career.

“You either have a feel for your hands in clay or you don’t, and it was immediate for him,” said Casey.

In the 1960s, Matranga went to USC for grad school. A yellow “SC” can be seen on the red chimney sticking out of his house. Matranga belonged to a local artists collective, the Twigs. A fellow member, Mariann Scolinos, praised his work.

“As a potter, I think he was bar none,” she said. “He had a wonderful command of the medium.”

In the 1970s, he did two residencies in Japan. He incorporated the aesthetic into his work and into his house, which he bought in 1970 and remodeled.

“There’s a slight Japanese feel to the home to create the sense of serenity you see in Japanese architecture,” said Casey.

He made about 60 murals, including one at a former Sears store in Escondido and six at different Los Angeles County libraries.

In 1976, he served as the president of the Southern California chapter of the American Ceramic Society.

From 1986 to 1987, he had a gallery in downtown Manhattan Beach, Earth and Fire Gallery. Casey quit her job as a travel agent to help run the store.

“People would walk in and ask how many artists were represented,” she recalled. “They were always astounded that it was the work of one person.”

His work ranges from slabs depicting the Manhattan Beach pier to containers with polished branches as handles.

A former student, Tom Williams, will fire up Frank’s last commission, a pair of swivel chairs and a table.

In addition to pottery, Frank also loved jazz, riding his bike on The Strand, and his yellow Porsche.

“He was a very happy person because he did what he enjoyed — that summed up his life,” said Casey. “Or as people more commonly stated, he only did what he enjoyed.”