Area artist's ceramic tiles accent historic Camarillo chapel
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

Like the ceramic tiles she creates, Kathleen Waggoner is one of a kind.

The Moorpark mother of four adult children has for the last decade made a living as a full-time artist.

"It's a lot of hard work," said Waggoner, who's sometimes at it seven days a week. "You have to have exposure to the public. . . . (It's a matter) mainly of good education and hard work."

Waggoner's tiles are beginning to show up around Ventura County.

She recently was commissioned by Studio Channel Islands Art Center on the campus of California State University at Channel Islands to create the tile design and then sculpt it onto scores of 6-inch-sqare tiles that will cover the lawn furniture in the center's garden.

Sculpting tile is a painstakingly precise process that involves pressing and carving the surface of individual tile squares.

"I love tile design, so I'm always working in both arenas: designing tile and working in sculpture," said Waggoner, who holds a master's degree in sculpture and ceramics. Work on the project is expected to begin in a few months.

Waggoner also fabricated the dozens of accent tiles that dot the courtyard of the historic St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Chapel on Ventura Boulevard in Camarillo.

During an earthquake retrofit three years ago, church administrators also decided to renovate the courtyard. Hedges and grassy areas were replaced with masonry walls and planters featuring Waggoner's work. Her tiles also adorn the courtyard's centerpiece, a large water fountain that's nearly as old as the 93-year-old chapel.

Camarillo architect Rich Brinser headed up the chapel's renovation and designed the Neoclassical courtyard. He was familiar with Waggoner's work and, after finding a compatible design, commissioned her to sculpt the clay tiles.

"I knew she had the ability to create the tiles I had chosen," Brinser said.

Many people consider the chapel that sits atop a hill just south of the 101 Freeway to be an historical landmark, although the state has yet to recognize it as such. Its belfry tower is depicted on flags lining major city streets and is a familiar sight to freeway drivers.

"It's almost synonymous with the city of Camarillo," said Joe Esseff, business administrator for the parish. "The chapel--it's a gateway to the city, if you will.. ... There's a lot of history with it." St. Mary Magdalen Chapel was built in 1913-on the brink of World War I-by the Camarillo family, who also donated the land and commissioned the architect. Its 13 large stained-glass windows were made by a famous guild in Germany but, with war looming, were lost in transit and thought to be at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. They were located and installed in 1919.

In 1940 the family chapel became a parish church, and a grade school was built next door in 1954.

A crypt containing the remains of family patriarch Adolfo Camarillo and his wife, Isabella, is located on the chapel's grounds.