Tiles

About the tiles process

First, I prepare the glass pieces: I cut a piece of glass from a sheet of (compatible) glass and decorate it with copper wire and colored glass, then fire it at a low (fusing) temperature.

I use handmade slabs, made of white clay with grogs to create the shape of the tile. Then, I cut a hole in the tile whose size fits the already fused glass piece. After adding some texture and decoration to the tile, I dry it slowly. Bisque fire at Cone 06 (1000 °C). After the glazing, I fire again at Cone 04 – 02. At the end, the already fused glass is attached with silicon on the back side of the work. Usually one tile needs 3 to 4 firings to be completed.

Some of the tiles are glazed with redox glazes (redox ist either glaze nor engobe), that requires one firing but at higher temperature (1170 °C or more). It is important to calculate the shrinkage of the clay, so that the glass fits properly. I always make the hole on the back of the tile bigger.