The Tile Gallery

ThisTile Gallery contains large tiles that are 12" x 20" and 1/2" thick.  First, the tiles are pounded into a form and then scraped and smoothed to an even thickness.  Next, about a week or more of slow drying is required to keep them from warping or cracking.  After they are dry, they are placed on special kiln shelves that have a thin layer of fine sand on them to act as "ball bearings" to help it move as it shrinks during the first firing which goes to 1850° F (1010° C).  After a slow cooling period the tiles are slowly and carefully handpainted using numerous layers of high temperature glazes and stains. They are then fired to a higher temperature of 2250° F (1260° C), and are therefore suitable for indoor or outdoor use as wall or floor tile. They could also be matted and framed as you would a painting as they are "tile paintings".  The beauty of these paintings is that they will never fade or peel even if in direct sunlight everyday!  They can also be inset into interior or exterior plaster work.

Click on an image to see a larger view and description of the piece.