Today in the Studio: Pine Branches and Cones on Tile

Here Bob is cleaning up the edges of a plaster cast which will become a tile for a custom fireplace we're working on. The fireplace is in a 1930's era home which is being renovated in a lighthearted contemporary interpretation of craftsman style. These pine branches will grace either side of the fireplace, which will also feature pine cone tiles in several sizes. I took a long walk this morning and gathered pine branches and cones; by the end of the day we had translated them into plaster. More on this project as it progresses!

Today in the Studio: Whimsical Earthenware Flower Tiles

These cuties were a special request from a designer at one of our favorite showrooms. A client brought in a picture of a funky flower similar to these, wanting a three inch tile in the same style, with a variety of flowers. Here is the colourful and whimsical result; in progress, above, and fresh out of the test kiln, below. I really like the effect of the deep red claybody showing through in the outline of the design, and I love the humorous personality of the flowers!

Today in the Studio: Handmade Tile Workshop

Four students joined us in the studio this weekend for an intensive workshop on the basics of creating press molded relief tiles. We had a wonderful time! Here's a bit of what we did:

Early Saturday morning, the studio is shiny clean with student workstations set up on my glazing counters:
We spent the morning learning how to design for clay, and refining our imagery. Here, two students work on thumbnail sketches:
Bob helps a student roll out her slab for carving:A beautiful owl takes shape in clay:

Time for a break and a chance to peruse our library of design books:Next weekend the students will finish their tiles & I'll post some of their work! If you'd like to know about upcoming workshops in the studio, sign up for our newsletter in the sidebar, or check back here for updates to our schedule. Have a wonderful week!

Today in the Studio: Round Moorish Tile

Today I thought I'd feature this magnificent piece from our Alhambra collection, because it's getting a lot of attention on our Etsy shop. We originally created this piece for a custom Moorish fountain; six of these medallions were placed atop the six points of the star shaped fountain. Today I was asked by another client to draw up some designs for a Moorish style wall fountain, and I'm looking at ways to incorporate this piece in that project - I think it would be beautiful and dramatic to have the water spout emerge from the centre of this piece. I'll post more on this project as it progresses. See this post for more about moorish fountains.

Happy Easter! Spring Flowers on Cream Jugs

Coming soon to our tableware shop!

Today in the Studio: Hand Made Cream Jug in Spring Colours

I spent the morning hand building a half dozen cream and sugar sets for our Blossomware Collection. Here are the creamers, in their raw state, above, and finished, in a Lime/Turquoise glaze combo. We love these sweet little jugs - they fit the hand so nicely, and they're so useful! We use ours for cream, of course, but also salad dressing, syrup, and gravy. You can buy one here.