Preserving the Batchelder Tradition (and Breaking the Mold)

When Cha-Rie Tang arrived in Pasadena with her husband in 1977, she was entranced by the architecture. “I spent a whole year sketching buildings,” she said. “I learned a lot more about Craftsman architecture and it seemed like every house had a Batchelder fireplace."

Working as an architect, Tang was also making art by hand, exploring silkscreening, tie-dying, and designing cards and posters. Her interest in tilemaking was piqued when a friend found some old Batchelder tile molds in his signature Mayan design while gardening in his Eagle Rock backyard. Tang made some molds from the originals and spent the next 10 years perfecting her technique, branching out from the Batchelder molds to do her own thing. “I was doing it for fun,” she said.

But she was also entrepreneurial, and eventually took her tiles to market. “People oohed and aahed” at the Batchelder-inspired tiles, she says, but the Mayan design didn’t sell. Instead, she got a commission that launched her career.

A homeowner restoring a Greene & Greene house wanted to replace a conventional brick fireplace with an Arts & Crafts-inspired recreation of a eucalyptus tree outside her window. “I had never done anything like that, but I said, ‘Of course I can!’” Tang said, laughing. “Together we designed the fireplace. She loved it and I loved it. My first major project and I went all the way to the top: a Greene & Greene house!”

As her practice grew, she decided to seek a blessing from Batchelder’s estate. “I went to [noted architectural historian and Batchelder expert] Bob Winter and he introduced me to Alan Batchelder, Ernest’s grandson,” she said. “Alan said, ‘This is great, just don’t try to sell it as original Batchelder.’”

Which suited Tang just fine. Although inspired by Batchelder in many ways, she sought to innovate. “I’m doing new things all the time, still learning, developing glazes by trial and error.” She lets the clay lead the way. “I don’t have too much control – all the minerals are developed in the earth. I embrace all the variations.”
Tang launched Pasadena Craftsman Tile in 2000. Her daughter Mei-Ling Hubbard joined the firm nearly 10 years ago.

Batchelder may have been the starting point, but their work also reflects Art Deco and Mid-Century Modern influences. “We are in the spirit and tradition of the Arts & Crafts movement, with our emphasis on handcrafting,” Hubbard said. “But aesthetically we’re taking a more modern approach.” Frequently that means brighter colors and more durable high-fire glazes, providing warmth in contemporary settings as well as more traditional ones.

In addition to her work in private homes, Tang has won commissions to create art in many public settings, including the Monrovia Metro Station, the Los Angeles Public Library’s Exposition Park branch, the Los Angeles County Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, and the Disney Grand Californian Hotel. Her work will be highlighted in a show at the Pasadena Museum of History in late 2025.