Sgraffito Tile

The subject of this is an abstract carving onto a ceramic tile. This was made by first heating a simple circle of clay. Then, I added a layer of black primer. After that dried I used one of the carvers to scratch the design I wanted into the clay. Each scratch took off the top layer of black and revealed the white clay underneath creating strong contrast. The slab was divided up into 7 sections. In each section, I carved a different pattern. The amount of negative space is fairly consistent across the tile making it appear balanced.

In this piece, I used sharp focus. There is only black and white and the contrast between the 2 is sharp. I also used formal balance to make the tile seem consistent with the amount of negative space. Before carving the final design onto the tile, I made a plan by scratching a similar design on a circle of scratchboard the same size as the disk. Not very much changed between designs. The final product is a bit neater than my "draft" because I had time and practice to fully flush out each design and do it accurately the first time.

The meaning of this piece is to not overthink things. Looking at the piece as a whole makes it seem much more complicated than it is if you focus on each section and recognize that each one is a very primitive pattern made of shapes and lines. It relates to my life because it reminds me to not be overwhelmed by things and to instead focus on small aspects of it at a time to better understand. I do not like the section in the top left that is above the triangles. There was too much scratching done in that section and I think it throws off the whole aesthetic of the piece.