Jeff Shelton Architect

05/26/2026

Progress on the Equestrian project thanks to Matt Metcalfe and the team .construction

03/18/2026

Benches are an important part of any project. They provide a place for pedestrians to slow down, take a seat, and be refreshed.

Nut thief and limestone horse heads sculpted by Andy Johnson at El Andaluz.
Animal tiles by Elizabeth Olsen.
Rose tiles for bench and dog water fountain at Cota St. by Linda Hail Godless.
Circle bench tiles by Alvaro Suman.

First two photos are by from our book The Fig District: Some Buildings in Downtown Santa Barbara. Available at the link in our bio.

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03/09/2026

The curving tiled blankets seen from the back of the Pistachio House that have become most photographed (swipe to see), but the exterior contains plenty of small details.

#805

03/05/2026

The home that inspired the Vera Cruz building, Sanford Darling's House of 1000 Paintings, hasn't stood in its painted glory in downtown Santa Barbara for 50 years, but the house and it's paintings are not lost to time. It was well-photographed in its day, and there are online archives detailing the original paintings. We've even heard a few made it into the Smithsonian's collection. Vera Cruz is a loving homage to Darling’s vision to completely enrobe his home in artwork. It didn’t quite make it to 1000 paintings, but at more than 400 (with some artists contributing more than 50 each), it keeps the spirit alive.

Photos by from Jeff's book, The Fig District: Some Buildings in Downtown Santa Barbara.

03/03/2026

A variety of doors from different domiciles.

Stair risers and curving blue and white arch tiles on the Ablitt Tower made by by
Metal doors at Cota Street Studios and the Oak Tree House fabricated by David Shelton.
Embedded ceramic plates at Cota Street Studios by Linda Hail Godlis.
Mazzy Flower tile at La Roca available from
Striped Door at the Oak Tree House painted by Jeff and family on a hot summer afternoon at Fig Avenue.

01/12/2026

This week we're talking tessellations on our tile account . Here is the Wood Duck tile, a tessellation of a wood duck surrounded by two colorful fish. Swipe to see the original sketches done "on a plane somewhere" in 2013.

12/04/2025