Handmade Tile

Yes, yes, I know these are bison. I have my reasons for calling them Buffalo. They had been available in the 2"x2" and 4"x4" size for some time, but they both faced left only. Back in March I had a request to make them in both sizes, but facing right instead. So I did... Above: sculpting. Below: finished!  The originals got a bit messed up in the mold making process, but it doesn't matter. With the new molds I can make hundreds more...  Right after I finished this project, I got a request for a 2"x6" tile with two buffalos facing each...

None of these are new designs, but they are all new to the three inch size. Shown above is the 3"x3" butterfly alongside the 2"x2" and 4"x4" butterflies (with my hand in the picture for scale.) Below are all of the new three inch tiles grouped together: Here is a bit of the process of making them: Above is the frog, right after I finished sculpting it. Below is the bat. A customer saw the bat at this phase on my instagram account and told me, "that is one happy bat!" He was not wrong! The bat looks happier in...

A customer in Pennsylvania requested a sycamore leaf tile. Sycamore trees are prevalent where she lives, and she wanted tiles to reflect the local environment. My dad is really good at identifying plants, so I asked him there are any sycamore trees are here in Kent. It turns out sycamores are fairly prevalent here, too! There is a fine specimen just a few blocks from my house. There are some even closer, but they are in people's yards and aren't accessible. After a short walk to harvest a few leaves, I pressed them in a book for a few days, and then...

My "Willow" design is now available in two sizes: 6"x6" as well as 4"x4". I used the original, smaller sized tile as the model when I re-sculpted the design in a larger format. Here is the new tile with only a few leaves: And here it is with all the leaves attached: I then took this large, plasticine proof, and make a plaster mold of it. Here it is in the mold form, waiting to be covered with plaster: I didn't take pictures of mixing or pouring the plaster because it is kind of messy. After the plaster was poured...

This may or may not be what is commonly referred to as  "Cape Cod" style house, but I can tell your for sure that it is located in beautiful Cape Cod, Massachusetts; a place that is famous for its salt marshes, pristine beaches and diverse flora and fauna. The local plants and wildlife of the area are reflected in the choice of tiles for this bright and cheery bathroom. I love the way the homeowner chose to incorporate multicolored handmade tiles into this bathroom. The the lower third of the wall is covered with beadboard wainscoting. At the top of...

It has been far too long since I have posted installation pictures! Photographs of this lovely hearth showed up in my inbox this week, and there is no time like the present for me to share them with you.  The client sent this explanation for their choice of tiles: "We tore out our old fireplace mantel/surround and I designed and built one more to the craftsman style we like. We searched forever to find the tiles that we felt would be perfect for the job.  The leaf tiles represent the three types of trees we have in our yard.  The black...

This is one of my favorite times of year. The blossoms are blooming, the leaves are budding, and indigenous gallery is having their annual artTILE extravaganza!! It is a huge honor for me to be a part of this invitational show.  (They even put a picture of some of my tiny tiles on the back of the postcard!) If you have never been to indigenous gallery, you are missing out. I have been fortunate to be a part of every one of the previous artTILE shows, and they just keep getting better every year. There couldn't be a more perfect...

I am always hesitant to embrace any new social media platform. Fortunately for me, I have a husband who bravely signs us up and then turns the accounts over to me. (Thanks, Darrell!) That is why we have an Emu Tile facebook and twitter account, both of which I tend to update at least a couple of times a month. However, when he made me an Instagram account nearly four and a half years ago, I didn't see the value in it. I didn't have a smart phone at the time, just a tablet, so it wasn't that easy to...