How an Idea Becomes a Tile
Once an image is formed in my head, there are multiple steps before that design becomes a reality!
Rough Paper Sketch of Idea
A full size sketch of the tile is drawn on paper. This is used to trace outlines onto wet clay.
Clay tiles are carved
Details are carved into clay when it is still wet. After drying, the tiles are fired in a bisque kiln before glazes are applied.
Glazes are painted on the bisqued tiles
Using a small paint brush, glazes are applied to the tile surfaces. The tiles are now ready for the raku firing. In raku, tiles are heated to about 1860F and removed from the kiln while still. hot. They are placed in a container filled with combustibles such as paper. After the hot tiles ignite the paper, the container is closed and allowed to cool. After cooling the tiles are removed and surprising results can be observed. Areas where no glaze is applied will turn black after the raku firing. Metallic and other glazes develop color and surfaces that are shiny or matte.
The final step is framing the raku fired tiles
The finished product is now ready to grace that barren space on your wall!
