Handmade Tile

UPDATE 12/3/2015  The last elephant tile I had in stock has sold! THANK YOU to everyone who purchased one of the inital 10 tiles! You can still order a tile now, but it will be made to order and the amount of donation will now be $4 per tile to Big Life. Thank you so much for your support! If you have ever wanted to order a tile from me, please make it one of these! I designed this elephant tile as a way to raise funds to help protect wild elephants. For the first 10 that sell, I will donate 100% of the purchase price ($18...

I am sorry to say, one of my favorite glazes has been discontinued by the manufacturer. I still have close to a gallon of "Pistachio" glaze in the studio, but from now on I cannot get any more. For obvious reasons, we are taking it off the website as a standard glaze option. If you want a small order in Pistachio, I can probably accommodate you. A big order, not so much. The good news is, we are replacing Pistachio with a lovely new "Gray" glaze, which I have big plans for! It is pictured above on my new, 4"x4" Diagonal Tree of Life tile. And...

(photo courtesy of DancingEye.com) Today is the first day that Emu Tile will be available for sale at "Dancing Eye Gallery," a 20 year old art gallery located in Northville, Michigan.  Northville is a cute, walkable town approximately halfway between two cites known for handmade tiles, Detroit and Ann Arbor.  I am thrilled that my work is now being shown in the home region of both Pewabic and Motawi handmade tile companies. The first batch of tiles I sent are mostly in the blue color range, with just a few white tiles.  Here are some of the 4"x4" size: And here are some of the 2"x2"s.  The glazes are: Watercolor Blue, Celadon, Pacific...

photo courtesy of HoldenArb.org Looking for a unique holiday shopping experience? If you live in northeast Ohio, consider visiting the Holden Arboretum during their annual holiday gift show and sale, "Gifts from the Heart of Nature," which runs from November 14th until January 3rd. It is a juried show that include only crafts that are locally made and feature natural themes and/ or materials. I am thrilled that my work will be featured in this year's show, along with the work of 28 other talented makers.  Although the first full day of the show is Saturday, things kick off on Friday, November 13th with a preview party. Here is...

Frames are now available! If you would like to order a tile framed in a beautiful, Ohio-made, craftsman style oak frame, you can do it two different ways. First, we are now carrying these frames and have added them to our online shopping cart. If place an order though our website, you should be able to check box that adds a frame for an additional fee. Remember, if you order this way our normal lead time to make the tile will apply.  If you want to select from tiles that are in stock, you can order a framed tile directly from our frame supplier, Family Woodworks LLC in Piketon, Ohio. I just sent...

This butterfly design has been part of our line of handmade tiles for years, but only in the 2"x2" size.  We decided it was time to make it bigger! Now you can order it in the 4"x4" size as well. The larger version is shown here in the "spearmint" glaze: I posted a picture of the sculpting process in a previous blog entry. Here are a couple of pictures of the mold making process... Above is the original tile in the bottom of my homemade mold making apparatus, waiting to be covered in plaster. The box is then filled to with plaster. Once...

The latest addition to our glaze collection is called "Honey," and we are very excited about it! It is a warm amber with brown highlights. We love how it brings out the details in the tiles. Here it is (above) on the "Dahlia" and "Honey Bee" handmade tiles. "Honey" is replacing the equally delicious sounding "Cinnamon" in our normal glaze lineup. "Cinnamon" is still available by special request, but the formulation has changed and it has gone from this..... ....to this: The new version is lighter and more matte than the old version. It is not bad, but it is different from all of the previous photos of "Cinnamon" glaze...

I love the idea of being an "artist in action." That's me! This is the 6th year that I have had the pleasure of participating in indigenous gallery's annual artTILE extravaganza in Cincinnati, Ohio. It has been a huge honor for me to have my work shown alongside some of the best handmade tile art in the US. Darrell and I drove down over the weekend and we were truly blown away by the quality and diversity of work. As a featured artist, I spent Saturday at the gallery, demonstrating my sculpting technique, meeting new people, and catching up with some of my Cincinnati friends and family. It was a fantastic weekend.  Throughout the day,...