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 | John Rigler's Ceramic Tiles |
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Rome
I can't think of a better place to start talking about my own claymania than at the beginning. About six years ago I had the idea to produce mosaic tile images similar to those I heard about and saw in Rome. Of course I wouldn't do them quite the same, I imagined. Thus began my obsession; I would create something like these great old mosaics but in a way that would allow me to provide them at a more reasonable cost.
Catalina Island
While on a trip to Catalina Island, I came into contact with bright, low-fire tiles adorning all sorts of flat surfaces, usually outside. Almost always with images traced out in black glaze on the tile. I loved these images and reviving my idea of mosaics, I began to wonder if I could make my own tiles in a way that was not quite Catalina, not quite Scraffito, and not quite traditional mosaic.
Mexico (by way of Ebay)
We had our honeymoon in Mexico. Like Catalina, tiles were on everything. The level of detail was almost overwhelming and the colors were wonderful. Of course, with the internet, I was able to keep up my passion for tiles by learning more about the type tiles I had seen in Mexico: Talavera. Talavera tiles are considered Majolica.
The glazes often contain tin and the tiles themselves are often red earthware with a wash of white over them. The Talavera patterns were compelling, but I still had beauty of the mosaics stuck in my head.
Texas
My journey continued at a local hobby shop. The main focus of this place was what I call 'Paint the Clown on the Coffee Cup' ceramics. You buy a coffee cup that is bisque (fired clay that can still soak up water and feels almost like sandpaper to the touch) and you paint a glaze onto it. The owners of the shop fire tons of these cups in the back and a few days later you come get it. Great for Kids parties, great for ideas, but not the Parthenon. They did sell me some different glazes and a few bags of raw clay to play with. After listenening to a few speeches about how wierd red and green glazes acted together and about how horrible stuff exploding in the kiln is, I was on my way. Soon I began taking night classes at a local junior college, where I learned all sorts of new practices and now three kilns later, my wife has joined me in the production process. My tiles aren't quite mosaic, or anything else that I had experienced before, and she has begun work on refinishing interesting furniture with her own tile vision.
My Garage
Of course, this is the most important place for me, sitting between the extra bags of kittie
litter and the stack of stuff slated for the next garage sale. When we moved in, the previous owners left a
massive desk with a synthetic stone top. This is my workspace; the place where I while away hours trying
to evolve my vision. To succeed at this you have to be a little bit crazy, and a little bit obsessed.
c ya
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