One of the aspects I’ve always enjoyed about tile is the diversity of decorating and forming techniques available and the facility with which one can combine them all in one piece. Utilizing different approaches in one panel gives you the opportunity to frame, to provide contrast, give dramatic focus or to just plain ol’ make the piece more interesting. In this workshop, I will guide you in doing just that. Participants will create tile panel pieces that combine a variety of tile decorating techniques. Working with my terracotta tile clay, I’ll start you off with a primer on basic tile and mosaic making methods. Then I’ll demonstrate a selection of wetware decorating techniques such as carving, stamping, sgrafitto, relief sculpting, slip trailing and inlaid techniques. Students will have the opportunity to practice these methods on small individual tiles, but will be lead to apply them right away on a larger panel. Starting with a small central image or panel, I’ll encourage you to build the piece out, concentric row by row of tiles until the panel feels complete. In this exercise students will also be gaining an understanding of how to gauge and plan for shrinkage and grout lines as they figure the sizes of the tiles that will frame their central panel.

Using primarily wetware vitreous slips on terracotta tile clay body, workshop participants will get the opportunity to work on several outdoor tile projects. In order to be sure to have something to install by week’s end, we’ll start off with a wall tile piece. After that it’s your choice of either several smaller projects, such as small panels, stepping stones, a bird bath, or larger projects, such as, a table top, a larger wall piece or even a bench top, if you’re feeling particularly ambitious.

Materials included in your workshop fee are the vitreous slips, your first 50 lbs of clay, including firing, and substrate and all installation materials for your first tile wall panel. Pre-cast concrete objects, or furniture you want to work on, are your responsibility. Also some additional installation materials for those objects, may have to be purchased separately, such as specific grout colors or for a particularly large project. If you need additional clay, you may purchase it by the bag for additional fee which would cover firings as well.