Handmade Tile

This "new" design was over six years in the making! I first sketched out the idea for it on January 28th of 2012. I know the exact date because right after I drew it, I cheerfully wrote a blog post about it, and then proceeded to forget about it for over four years. (above: picture from 2012) Nothing more happened with the dandelion until the summer of 2016, when normal tile production was stopped for 6 weeks so Darrell and I could make improvements to the studio, and (to a lesser extent) so I could work on some new designs. The improvements...

This hearth is in a 1929 bungalow that is being restored in the Arts & Craft style. The couple who lives there designed and built the mantel (the husband is a woodworker) and also chose, laid out, and and installed the tiles themselves. The results are beautiful and period appropriate.  The birds and trees were made by me (glaze: "autumn"), the field tiles are by "Clay Squared to Infinity" (glaze: "wasabi") Here are the feature tiles before they were installed: On the left if is a 3"x3" chickadee, in the middle is a 6"x6" elm tree, on the right is...

This family wanted to bring some fun and whimsy to their children's bathroom, so they decided to sprinkle an assortment of multicolored animal tiles around the shower. The frog, butterfly, caterpillar, bunny, owl, turtle, chickadee and more are featured. These 2"x2" are great for kids, but they also work just as well for grown ups. Which is good, because kids don't stay kids for long. This is a great way to incorporate some reminders of the natural world into the home.   Thank you so much, S.S., for sending pictures!     

It is definitely time for me to post some installation photos! To say I have a backlog of beautiful pictures is a bit of an understatement. It always thrills me to get installation pictures in my inbox, but that doesn't necessarily translate into me putting them on the website in a timely fashion. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to send pictures. They will all appear on the site eventually, starting with this very special installation by fellow Ohioan and small business owner, Catherine S. Vodrey ( OutspokenWomen.org. ) She  She lives in the woods near a creek,...

What a thrill it is to be part of the ninth annual artTILE extravaganza at indigenous gallery in beautiful Cincinnati, Ohio!  The show features over 1000 tiles by 30 contemporary tile artists, including yours truly. I have participated in all 9 shows, but this year I believe I sent more tiles than ever before. Above: 2"x2" tiles, Below: 4"x4" tiles. Without a doubt, I sent more "four leaf clover" tiles than ever before... The show opened on April 28th and runs until June 10th, 2018. It is open seven days a week at: indigenous gallery  2010 Madison Rd  Cincinnati, OH 45208...

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....