I’ve put together a collection of new maker videos that show how I press a variety of tiles and featuring a video from the studio creating the Elegance II Mural from raw clay. The feature video is below, and the rest available on the Clay Decor YouTube channel.
Finished clay mural (step one)
Finished Elegance II Mural with Chair Rail Molding in Gloss White with Curved Acanthus decorative liner and commercial marble tile.
Anne's work is part of the Salt City Clay exhibit at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY. Salt City Clay features juried selections from the Syracuse Ceramic Guild. The exhibit runs into January 2015. Here are the two works that Anne created:
Join us for amazing artwork in ceramics, glass, metal, fiber, and much more during the Delavan Center Holiday Open House and Sale! A.M. Foulke's work will be included in the Syracuse Ceramic Guild's Pottery Plus show, entrance off of Wyoming Street. Join us for fabulous art and light refreshments!
Looking for something no one else has? Clay Decor now offers one-of-a-kind works of art by Clay Decor artist, A.M. Foulke. These Crystal Creations are designs hand-sculpted into clay, then filled with melted glass. We can use our existing designs and a rainbow of glass colors, or create a completely new design to any dimension (individual pieces not to exceed 17 x 21 inches). Explore the possibilities below!
"King of the Yard" for the Everson Museum Robineau Gallery exhibit Aug. 30-Jan 4. Ceramic and melted glass with Gloss White glaze 24 x 21
Here are the latest additions to the Crystal Series; handmade ceramic tiles with carefully applied glass inlay. Every tile has a unique combination of artisan colored and clear glass, making each tile a single work of sparkling art.
We at Clay Decor are currently obsessed with using glass in our ceramics. The latest in that quest is our most popular design, Concordia (used with the new acanthus leaf center). More designs to come, as 3 new 6x6-inch designs will be released by the end of June. Crystal Concordia is a single large ceramic tile (12x16 inches) with fired glass inlaid into the design. The artist created a reverse-mold, hand-presses the design, glazes the tile, then hand-fills the design with crushed glass in colors custom to each client. Here are just a few examples:
The glazes that work with glass are: Gloss White, Buttercream, Moonlight, and Candlelight. Glass colors are a rainbow of options--samples can be provided!
Did you know that we do line renderings of tile layouts regularly? There is a archive of these drawings on the Design Ideas page, under Layout Sketches. The sketches can give you new ideas, or help your clients visualize tiles together. We can also do renderings of new designs as part of a new project proposal!
Thank you, Skippack tile for this project!
Here are just a few of the dozens of sketches available on Design Ideas:
3 Aurelia Companions with Chair Rail Frames
Acanthus Flower Medallion, 4-part Surround, Chair Rail, and Wrapped Field Tiles
Anaglypto Fireplace with 4x8 Subway Fields Hearth
Backsplash Featuring Aquarius 7x7 Compiled Medallion with Chair Rail Frame, with Rhomboid Fields
Aquarius 7x7 Medallion with Chair Rail Frame
Aurelia Centerpiece with 2 Aurelia Companions and Chair Rail Frames
Medallion with Aurelia Centerpiece and 2 Aurelia Companions, with custom fields and Chair Rail Frame
Backsplash Featuring Aurelia Centerpiece Medallion, Liners, and 4x8 fields in Green and White
Concordia Sero-Elaborate Tile Design Sketch with Narrow Rope and Chair Rail Molding
Mural with Concordia and Concordia Seros, 6-part Surround Lucescere, Chair Rail, and 6x6 Fields
Corono 3x3 Fireplace with Handmade 4x4 Fields
Dragonfly Garden mural horizontal
Elaborate Bloom Mural with Sculpted Leaf and Chair Rail
Elegance Mural with Sculpted Leaf and Chair Rail
Fireplace with Imaginatio, Delicatus, Quies, Custom Fields and Chair Rail
Foliage Medallion-Surr-chair rail
Medallion with Fruit Tableau, Gothic Border and Chair Rail
Fireplace with Quies', Imaginatios, Delicatus and Chair Rail
Tall Panel with Imaginatios Mirrored with Chair Rail
Quies Imperial cut into an Oval with Blank Surround and Chair Rail
3 Vinaceus Panels with Chair Rail Frames
We've added a new spin on Concordia, Clay Decor's most popular tile! This new design is a custom-commission, (originally made to a specific client's request) and now part of the collection for everyone! Also, introducing a new Concordia Sero in 17x4 inches sizing! See below for the total mural...
Here is Leaf Concordia pictured with Concordia Sero tall and narrow, with Kallisto molding frame. The tiles pictured here are loose/uninstalled in the studio, and are in Buttercream glaze. Total size, approximately 35x24 inches.
Special thanks to Stone and Tile Emporium for this new project!
Meet the latest in modern classic combinations: commercial mosaic tiles and handmade tile medallions with frames.
Mosaics are a popular trend in backsplashes for their beauty and ease of installation. The latest in kitchen design combines many materials, where stone, glass and ceramics live in harmony. With all the choices in mosaics and customization in handmade artwork, homeowners are able to create completely unique personalized spaces. Handmade tiles are the ultimate in couture: Clay Decor offers custom designs, custom sizing, custom glazes, and custom shapes. Throw in a dash of mosaics, and watch your kitchen sparkle!!
Mosaics can provide the perfect backdrop to handmade tiles of all sizes:
Mosaics can also be used as a matting in between handmade tile and handmade tile moldings:
Unusual mosaic tiles set in a herring bone pattern work well with a custom-cut handmade medallion. The tile was originally a rectangle, but cut to an oval, and paired with handmade molding frames.
Here is the latest custom commission; a family coat of arms made into a mural, and custom sized to the client's space! This mural has three parts, and it roughly 23 x 17 inches. Chair Rail molding frames the work as a finishing touch, making the total size 28 x 22.
A window that can sparkle anywhere! Our NEW sculpted ceramic 'windows' are multi-level ceramic sculptures filled with Fractured Glaze. Fractured Glazes are created from artisan glass and our own hand-formulated glaze finishes. These one-of-a-kind sculptures feature a totally unique combination of colors on each panel. Also, the work is about an inch tall, making them more dimensional than our other tiles. Edges are glazed, so the panels can be installed on a wall OR we can create a hook to allow the sculpture to hang independently.
Clay Decor's artwork was featured in an award-winning kitchen in suburban Philadelphia! Harth Builders, working with Tile Gallerie in Dublin, PA, won a 2012 CotY (Contractor of the Year Award) for the Northeast Region Residential Kitchen Remodel Over $120,000. This beautiful renovation includes classic styling and historical design motifs. Here is the article featuring the kitchen from House and Home Magazine (DelValMedia, March 2013):
Tiles pictured above are loosely laid out in the studio before shipping/installation.
Move over 2x2 accents! For the first time, thanks to HomeTech Renovations (Fort Washington, PA), we can feature this unique finish as part of a large scale mural!
This mural was created using the Teres 5x5 tile design. Teres, meaning 'elegant' or 'rounded' in Latin, has a raised border along the edge, making it perfect for the Fractured Glaze finish. Subtle almond accents highlight the design where the interaction of Buttercream glaze and Ice Fractured glaze come together. 'Ice' Fractured finish makes the design sparkle as light reflects on the surface of each tile.
The finished kitchen will feature this mural amid handmade 4x8 subway tiles in Buttercream. Hopefully we can bring you the finished kitchen installation soon!
Somehow a lump of clay turns into a tile, and tiles into a mural. Here's how tiles are created and pieced together to form a cohesive single work of ceramic art.
Step 1: Turn clay from a 25-pound chunk into a smooth, even slab
Step 2: Press the clay onto the wood mold. We always HAND PRESS every tile--no mechanical presses involved. Truly handmade tile.
Step 3: Refine the Design
Step 4: Create the surround. The surround is typically a 4-part combination of plain tiles cut to the client's specific size needs.
Step 5: Build the Frame/Moldings. Moldings are made from castings of antique picture frames and moldings, and are also hand-pressed.
Step 6: Finished mural dries slowly in the studio. When the clay is dry, every edge will be smoothed with a sponge, then all pieces fired in the kiln; what is called a 'bisque' firing. This takes two days, and fires to 1945 degrees.
Next Steps: After the Bisque firing, the tiles are hand-glazed by dipping into or pouring the glaze over tiles, the backs of each piece cleaned of glaze, then fired a second time to 2100 degrees. This melts the glaze and fuses it onto the tiles. More to come about glaze...
Clay Decor's backsplash is featured in Central Jersey House and Home interior design magazine this month (June, 2012)! The article (page 46) "Timeless Kitchen Trends" by Beth Puliti, features an entire installation of Clay Decor Tiles on page 47. This amazing installation (courtesy of HomeTech Renovations in Fort Washington, PA) includes Imaginatio tiles with Chair Rail frames and custom 4x8 handmade tiles. Imaginatio and all 4x8s are in Earthly Plum glaze, and the Chair Rail is in a light application of Antique Bronze glaze.
