Handmade, sgraffito-carved, ceramic wall tile mural in process

Natalie is working on a new tile mural, Bridges, that was inspired by adrive down the FDR Drive in New York City.  Like her Tree of Life design, the bridge design speaks to connections, unity and flow.  As Natalie says, “The sculptural element of working in ceramic tile means I can follow my whims and fancies up and over the undulation of the clay to create a wall relief effect that interacts with the viewer in a more commanding way. I want the bridge or the tree or the flower to not only present itself, but to invite itself into the room to be PART of the environment.  Sgraffito carving is a process of deduction…..unveiling the raw beautiful porcelain tile below.  Instead of applying the design, I unveil the design. This is the most satisfying and challenging part of my work in clay.

This particular design was also inspired by talking to an architect at the Architectural Digest Show in New York two years ago.  The architect was interested in commissioning me to create a ceramic art mural in unalun tile for his architectural and interior design firm in New York City.  His firm specializes in urban planning and bridge design.   Public art is a large part of their project scope and of course ceramic tile murals, indoor and outdoor friendly, durable, longlasting and interesting, are some of their favorite works to utilize.”

Architectural firms are a perfect fit for our work.  We just completed two murals for Perkins Eastman in New York City.  They commissioned two, Tree of Life murals for the Danbury Hospital renovation, Danbury, CT.  Look for images of these murals in an upcoming blog.

In the meantime, here’s a section of Natalie’s Bridges piece. The mural has not yet been bisqued or glazed. What you see here are the carved tiles.

ceramic wall tile

ceramic wall mural