Handmade Tile

This year is rapidly coming to a close and I still haven't posted about the coolest project of 2021. Time to fix that! I first learned that my city was planning to build a tower to house chimney swifts way back in late 2019 when Rhonda Boyd, Kent's lead engineer, called me up to pitch the project. Rhonda explained to me that chimney swifts used to live primarily in hollow trees which are now in short supply, especially in urban areas, so the birds have adapted to live in chimneys. Unfortunately modern buildings often do not have traditional chimneys so when...

A large number of fresh tiles recently arrived at indigenous craft gallery in beautiful Cincinnati, Ohio. From October 13th through the end of the month, 20% of the purchase price of all tiles made by me will be donated to the Save the Animals foundation. Here is some of what is available: 3"x3" handmade tiles in leaf green glaze and cobalt wash Save the animals is a non-profit, no-kill animal shelter which has had a challenging year this year. You can help by shopping at indigenous gallery! 2"x2" handmade tiles    I tried to include lots of animals designs in...

Getting pictures of this kitchen put a smile on my face. It is always a delight to receive customer installation photos! What a thrill and honor to see the creative ways that people integrate my tiles into their homes. These particular homeowners ordered 4x4 inch maple leaf tiles in autumn glaze, then asked their installer to spread them randomly throughout their kitchen backsplash, as if they were sent fluttering by a gentle fall breeze. The installer suggested turning them in all different directions to really give the feel of leaves in fall. The field tiles are by another Ohio tile company...

A couple of different people requested that I make the dandelion design in a size smaller than 6"x6", so I re-sculpted it as a 4"x4" tile and made a mold: The first few tiles are out of the kiln and I am very pleased with how they turned out. Here is how it looks in gray glaze: And here the same tile alongside its twin, amid matching field tiles: The new four inch version has been added to the online store. And, of course, the six inch version is still available as well. If you do decide to purchase one,...

It is always a pleasure to receive customer installation pictures! These are a great example of how it is possible to mix handmade feature tiles with field tiles of a different size. Here, handmade 4"x4"s mix happily with 3"x6" subway tiles from another tile company: The homeowners said that at first they weren't sure about mixing different types of tiles, but they are very happy with how the installation turned out. Their tile setter clearly did a great job. Above are the "Maple" and "Wildflower" designs, in honey and spearmint glazes, respectively. Below are the "Elm", "Pine", and "Locust" designs....

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...

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...

I am so pleased to share these photos! All three of these projects are by the same family. They mixed different sizes of art tiles in various shades of green, brown and gold with 1"x1" small glass and quartz tiles to great effect. The kitchen island pictured above has a light under the edge of the counter so it looks extra pretty at night. The homeowners say they have received many compliment so far, and I can see why. They created a similar effect on a smaller scale for their hearth. They used 4"x4" handmade tiles along with more of...