This week found me installing a “few” tiles…
arranging… trying to create that “controlled random” placement effect…
glueing… sliding… straightening… sliding… straightening again… and again…

My sister and her husband had “commissioned” me to do another tile wall
installation, much like the one in my place, but this time… in their home!
So I’ve spent the past few months making tiles, and trying to get enough tiles
soda fired for the installation. Complete with some “custom” tiles with their
names, initials, address and other fun things “hidden” in the textures!

We started with a blank slate – a section of the wall painted dark brown.
The cabinets will “frame” the tile installation as the plasma TV will “float” on top.
Soon to be the main focal point of their family room!

I started tiling with high hopes of finishing in just one session. That plan quickly
dissipated as I needed to leave a little early for a concert at Ravinia. So after
Day One, I was about halfway finished – and very excited about how it was looking!

So I came back a couple days later and picked up where I had left off.
I cranked up the caulking gun and started adhering tiles again! For this sort
of tile installation project, I like to use Dab “Seal & Peel” for the glue. It’s kind of like
industrial strength rubber cement. Idea being that if the homeowner ever decides
to move, they can easily peel each tile off the wall, rub the rubber cement off
the tile and the wall, and re-install the wall at their new place! Plus, we leave the
brown wall paint showing instead of trying to grout around all of the textured tiles!

Well into the second “session” of tiling, my niece Taylor decided to take on
the role of “project photographer” and document the momentus tile event.
Surprisingly, she actually did a really nice job with the camera!

So the tile installation process went fairly smoothly. The real kicker is that
every tile starts to slide down the wall before the glue sets up. Damn gravity!!!
I think that is the main downside to the “Seal & Peel” adhesive… it doesn’t dry
fast enough. So as you add more, you always need to go back and straighten
the others. It’s like keeping those darn circus plates spinning up on sticks!!!

So after two sessions of tiling, a lot of straightening, some bad fumes and a little
playtime & biking with my niece Taylor… the wall was finally done. We re-installed
the plasma TV, connected the bottom speaker then sat back to admire the new wall.

And then it was done… finally…  just a mere 1,145 tiles later!!!

With an incredible bricolage mural already gracing the Bryn Mawr underpass
of Lake Shore Drive here in Chicago… it’s finally time for another one!
Rumor has it that the Alderman wants to do all of the underpasses along
Lake Shore Drive in her Ward. And I’m all for it!!!

So the new one is a work in progress… starting with a rough drawing on the wall
of the “basic” design & structure of the wall. Both sides of the street are being done
with different designs. One of the key properties of these bricolage projects
is the random assortment of tiles, shards and mirrors all creating the big design!
As well as special tile pieces made to commemorate different aspects & events
of the neighborhood. It will be fun to watch the bricolage project continue over
the next few weeks – ending with the final grouting to finish it all off.

So I’m spending this evening cleaning out old e-mails…
and I ran across this picture which I received quite awhile ago!

But it’s still nice to see that one of my tiled wall pieces has found a home!
My friend Sarah Chapman bought it for her mom as her Mother’s Day gift.
Her mom had seen it the day before during a visit to my studio. Then Sarah
“picked up the hints” and bought it for her mom. Who immediately hung it
up in her kitchen as she “had the perfect spot for it.” And it looks great!

Another bike ride, another “treasure” on the Lakefront…
Apparently, at some point during the fall last year, there was some roof repair work
done on the terra cotta tile roof at Promontory Point along the lakefront.
But what a nice surprise to see that someone had a “vision” and decided to create
some art instead of just throwing away the old shingles?! So cool to find random surprises
like this along the lake. And even cooler that no one has messed with it, taken it or ruined it!
Kinda restores your faith in humanity… and creativity, no?

Today was a beautiful day.
Even better once I got out on my bicycle…. dust it off… pump up the tires…
It’s been a long time coming… but biking season is finally here!!!
Let’s hope the nice weather stays this time…

The above artwork is a beautiful bricolage project that was completed last summer
by a group of local city artists and kid’s groups. It is under Lake Shore Drive at Bryn Mawr.
It’s a huge mural project that covers spans the entire width of Lake Shore Drive along both
sides of Bryn Mawr Avenue. It’s made up of a large collection of mosaic tiles, mirror shards,
as well as ceramic pieces created just for the installation. It even includes images & historic
items embedded in the artwork for all to enjoy. Rumor has it, they’re going to do the same
thing this summer to the Foster Street underpass too!

Spice it up with textures & tiles…
and trying to combine the two into new salt & pepper shakers!

So I’ve been working on a new batch of shakers that combine the textures
of my tiles, the soda fired colors & flashing – with the functionality of
salt & pepper shakers! They’re still in the works… with trays to come!

Once the shakers are built, I’m applying a thin coat of soda slip on some
of them to give them different colors & flashing effects to be created in the
soda firing atmosphere. Seen below before & after…

Tiles… tiles.. and more tiles!
I spent last night making a lot of tiles in the studio… more than I had planned!
Each tile is handmade from a slab of fresh clay. Each tile is textured by hand
creating one-of-a-kind tiles that will later be put together into hanging
wall pieces or installations. My sister has “requested” a wall installation
for her living room between some cabinets, around the wall mounted television.
So I’m back in production mode – making a lot of tiles! Many of them will be used
for her wall installation, while others will get to travel on the summer art fair circuit.

This batch will be for the soda kiln, so not only were they textured,
most of them are also covered with a layer of soda slip which will help give them
different colorations in the final glaze firing. So now they need to dry, then be
bisque fired. When I get ready to do my next soda firing, they will all need to be wadded
individually, as well as given a quick wash of dissolved soda solution and some get
a minimal spraying of glaze for a splash of color. A lot of work for a little tile, huh?
Now multiply that by hundreds of tiles…