The Process

There is great satisfaction in taking a material in its most basic form and creating from that a work of art.

My process begins with a wet slab of clay that I flatten out with a very large rolling pin. I then lay the clay onto sheet rock in order to absorb the moisture. When the clay is dry enough to be handled, I use templates and rulers to cut out the shapes of what will eventually become my “ceramic canvases”. This is also the time that I am carving and impressing designs and textures into the clay that will become the decorative borders of these three dimensional tiles.

When the clay has reached the correct level of dryness, I construct the ceramic box. I cut out a hole in the back for hanging and sign my name to each piece. I then use a ceramic “slip” to glue the panels together. After the box tiles have dried for a few days, they are fired in a kiln to “bisque” fire.

Now my ceramic canvases are ready to paint. I choose to paint mostly organic shapes and mix them with geometric shapes for distinctive contrast. I apply several layers of glaze to achieve a strong color pallet. I then use a very fine detail brush and sometimes add some accents with a textured glaze to create a more interesting surface.

 

 

Group of 4 long and narrow (2"x8") vegetable tiles.