Hand Crafted Tiles

Above is a photo of the Samara Aqua design before and after firing in a kiln.  Various shades of gray turn into blues and greens when fired.

Creating new glaze colors is chemistry – it is not like combining pigments to match a paint color.  A color is arrived at after a long process of experimentation and approximation, where many different minerals may be used and swapped out if the desired outcome is not achieved.  Some chemical combinations are not as stable as others, and slight differences in temperature within the kiln, or of the gasses involved in the burning process may cause variations in the outcome – in rare occasions, even across the face of a single tile with the same glaze!  We try to search for tiles that vary excessively from target colors and manage any occasional difference between or within batches of fired tiles.

There is also a type of variation that may occur between two tiles of the same design and size. The differences may occur for a variety of reasons:

They are being painted by two different artists

They are located in different parts of a kiln during firing, whereby one tile was fired slightly higher than the other, causing the glaze to spread out slightly more than the other

They may be from two lots painted months apart, where the artist painted slightly differently.

Also, with solid color tiles and molded pieces, slight variations may occur in shade from lot to lot. The deep cobalt color is the most susceptible to this, but variations are by far the exception and not the rule.

Additionally, the cobalt blues applied to decorated tiles vary in darkness according to the thickness of the application of the glaze. The thicker the application, the closer the color approximates our cobalt field tile. The thinner the application, the closer it approximates our blue field tile.

The image shown above is by far an exception – most decorated tiles have differences between them that are much less apparent to perceive. Please do take into consideration however the nature of this product when sampling and purchasing.

This is a handcrafted ceramic product. Variations in size, color, shape, design, and surface quality are inherent and desirable aspects of this product. Please work from several different cartons for the best results. No returns or adjustments will be made after installation. Installation constitutes acceptance.

California Proposition 65 WARNING: Products may contain a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer birth defects and other reproductive harm

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Tile Presentation

Creating new glaze colors is chemistry – it is not like combining pigments to match a paint color.  A color is arrived at after a long process of experimentation and approximation, where many different minerals may be used and swapped out if the desired outcome is not achieved.

Some chemical combinations are not as stable as others, and slight differences in temperature within the kiln, or of the gasses involved in the burning process may cause variations in outcome – in rare occasions, even across the face of a single tile with the same glaze!  We try to search for tiles that vary excessively from target colors and manage any occasional difference between or within batches of fired tiles.