Last week when I visited the Casino in Avalon one of the things that fascinated me most was the artwork.
At the entrance to the Casino are nine huge panels depicting an undersea world ruled by Regina del Mer (Queen of the Sea).
They are designed by John Gabriel Beckmon who also worked on Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood
Originally planned to be executed in all tile, Beckman and his team of artists worked around the clock painting directly onto the concrete surface completing all 9 panels in an astonishingly short 3 month period in time for the Casino's grand opening.
In 1986 Beckman (then 88) and Richard Thomas Keit of RTK tiles worked together to restore the centrepiece panel and finally complete it in tile as originally designed.
Both Beckman and Keit signed the tile work and donated their labour for the restoration.