Tiles

Artist Statement:  For this project, we had to create a design that incorporated four different tiles that all connected somehow. This meant that the sides of the tiles would match and be able to fit into one square, almost like a puzzle piece. We had to create our tiles by packing clay into a plaster mold of our design. This project was actually our first assignment of the semester but it lasted longer than any other project we have had.

To start this project, I brainstormed some circular objects that could all somehow connect and I landed on a lemon. I then sketched out my design, did some trial and error with my connections, and finally began cutting my design out of a slab and creating the final tile design. After this first step, I created a plaster mold with my final tile design and let this mold dry for multiple days. Once it was dry, I was able to begin pressing clay into my mold and creating my four tiles. This process took me a while because I was able to make about one tile per class because we were doing other projects at the same time. I also made one extra tile just in case something happened to my original tile. After bisk firing, I decided to glaze my lemon with yellow glaze and have the background be blue. I wanted it to be bright and springy because that is what lemons remind me of. My final step was to glue my tiles onto a board so they would all fit together as one.

I am happy with how my final product turned out because I love how it is bright and how it all fits together. overall, this probably was not my favorite project because of how long it took, and I sort of got bored with it toward the end. However, I am happy with my final product so I would say the work was worth it.