Handmade Tile

Not quite. More like "attack of the fifty foot tiles." If I laid all of these 4"x4" tiles out, end to end, they would come in at just under fifty feet. I am not going to lay them out end to end... my studio isn't big enough! Instead, I am going to pack them up carefully and send them off to their new home.  These tiles are glazed in Cinnamon, Autumn, Northern Lights, Leaf Green, and Watercolor Blue. I am really hoping to get pictures of these installed! I *love* customer installation pictures.

Look what a semi truck brought me yesterday. Two new kilns!!! After years of "making do," I am super excited to get modern, professional quality kilns. DRU and I will spend most of the weekend setting these beauties up (thanks, DRU!) and then I will do some test firing. After that, my workflow is really going to change for the better. More kiln space = more tiles in less time. Yay! Plus, I will finally be able to offer field tiles on the website.  admiring the fine craftsmanship  Stay tuned for updates! 

Not at my house! OK, there may not be any giant sunflowers blooming in the yard yet, but that is no reason not to enjoy their likeness indoors. Top row, right: nine 4"x4" Sunflower tiles in Autumn glaze. They were still warm from the kiln when I took this photo yesterday. Top row, left: detail on a batik table cloth I picked up at the Humane Society rummage sale earlier this spring. It is currently brightening up my dining room. Bottom row: some plastic sunflower lights that I found at a second hand store here in town a few years...

Earlier this month, I resized some of my old designs. Seven popular designs that were available in the 4"x4" size can now be made in the 2"x2" size as well. I also made one completely new design for good measure. I am thrilled with how they all came out and I hope you will like them, too "Oak Leaf" is the new design, so it is only available in the 2"x2" size at this time. But all the rest can be both big and small.  All the new tiles are available in 10 glazes, but the glaze menu has not been...

Insects are fascinating and beautiful. As a child, I spent many hours by myself observing them in remote corners of the playground & backyard (obviously, I wasn't a popular kid!) As an adult, I will be the first to admit that I don't like it when any sort of creepy- crawly gets into my home. Living insects belong outside, not on my walls! But insect art is a completely different story. More is better, as far as I am concerned. So of course I love this bathroom, with all of its charming & friendly little bugs: First picture: 2"x2" Ladybug...

I decided that my 4"x8" heron tile needs a friend, so I am slowly constructing one. Time to make a mold! When it is done, I will be able to make two heron tiles facing each other. With the magic of Photoshop, I can approximate what that will look like: I will post pictures of an actual finished tile here as soon as one comes out of the kiln. Handmade Tiles Referenced:  Heron 1 facing right 4"x8" Ceramic Handmade Tile Heron 2 facing left 4"x8" Ceramic Handmade Tile

Where does luck come from? Is it some quirk of the universe, or can you make your own? 2"x2" flour leaf clover tiles, leaf green glaze I am a lucky person. I wish everyone could have the things I usually take for granted. Good food, fresh water, a nice home. A strong, healthy body. A loving and devoted partner. Supportive friends and family. A satisfying job that allows me to express myself creatively. Yes, I have made many choices in my life. And yes, if I had made different choices, my life would be completely different. Heck, I make choices...

...it would have been WAY faster to convert seven of my most popular 4"x4" tile designs to the 2"x2" size. But it would have been way less fun, so it is probably for the best that there is no such thing as a shrink ray. If you aren't familiar with my work, these tiles I just finished sculpting probably won't look all that small to you. But to me, they look amazingly, adorably tiny. Like fun sized candy bars. I have been making most these designs for several years in the 4"x4" size, so they feel like old friends. It...