There are lots of reasons I love the cardinal. It is Kentucky’s state bird. I see them all the time. Red is strongest color on the artist palette. In folklore, the cardinal serves as a messenger between the heavens and Earth….that’s a special bird.
They are prominently featured in my work and the cardinal on a branch is a design that I’m very comfortable with. A perfect subject for exploring a new medium: art Tiles.
I start my tile with a sketch and then used carving tools to create a relief design from a flat slab of clay.
Instead of adding clay to build volume, I am cutting away, making the parts I don’t touch pop out towards the viewer.
after making a mould, i do a quick press test to check the mould—if everything looks good, I let the mould dry and then start casting tiles.
Here are the results of some glaze tests.
This is a handmade process, and clay has a mind of its own, so each tile is a little bit different. which one is your favorite?
these tiles are a work of art, and even though they can hang on their own, I have been making frames to give them just a little extra presentation
Here’s a link to the post about the Fox tile-on the right –
I can’t wait for you to get a chance to see them in person. You’ll have an opportunity to do that this final Friday at the Pendleton Art Center, May 29 from 5 to 9 PM hope to see you there!
Leave a Reply