Transfigured Earth Studio

I make my tiles by hand using a centuries old method to replicate a highly detailed carved master into many tiles with great fidelity to the original; think of it as printmaking in clay if you will.

I carefully carve, harden, and seal a master made after one of my hand drawn designs, and then cast a plaster mold of the master. Once the molds are cured and dried, i pitch a specially blended clay into the negative space, ram it in with a mallet, and scrape away the excess clay. After some time, the clay shrinks slighly in the mold, allowing me to turn it over and carefully tap the mold to release the new tile. The days tiles are laid out on boards, and annother board laid on tip for a long slow even drying to prevent cracking and warping. After the tiles are dry, the edges are cleaned up with a knife and wet sponge, they are bisque fired, the bottoms waxed, and they are hand dipped in homemade glaze before being fired to over 2350f in a kiln.

This whole process yields back from atleast the roman era, producing beautiful tiles and motifs which have adorned some of the finest architecture ever since. It allows me to produce very fine examples of my intricate and historically inspired designs much more efficiently than hand carving each tile, thus being able to offer alot of beauty at a much more egalitarian price. Still hand made with great care, but in a cottage industry production sense

This tile pattern is based on a unique folky tree motif found in 17th and 18th century new england tombstone art, this may seem a morbid thing to replicate, but such symbols where used to represent the continuation of life. It has been lovingly produced and dressed in a homemade stone ash glaze. It measures 6″x4″x.5″, making it perfect for installation as an accent in your next home tiling project, for use as a trivet or coaster, or simply as a unique stand alone art piece for display on your favorite desk, bookshelf, or curio cabinet for all to enjoy.

* please note! My tiles are hand struck in the old time honored way instead of the industrial dry pressing used for modern commercial tiles… this means they may not sit quite as flat as a modern tile. This is perfectly fine for installation, as they are well within tolerance, and i do institute strict quality controls which reject any which have warped outside of standards… but small eccentricities are perfectly normal

*Note to customers* i do not offer automatic checkout, because of the wide range of shapes and sizes of pieces i make, order sizes, and diverse locations of clientele, i find it best to offer custom shipping quotes and payment options to best cater to my patrons. After placing your order, please keep an eye on your email, where i will respond (generally within 24 hours) to offer a shipping quote, and payment options. Thank you for your patronage and understanding.