There is no end to the amount of incredible tiles out there. It seems as if each day we are finding something or someone new, and its almost always worth sharing. And today we’ve got our eye on another company.
Based in Minneapolis, Clay Squared‘s artist hub creates a range of handmade tiles in all sorts of shapes and sizes, patterns and glazes, as well as made to match authentic reproductions of period pieces.
Their showroom artists each have a different style to offer that varies in its use of shape, texture, material, and glaze. The most whimsical work comes from Layl McDill who opened Clay Squared to Infinity with her husband Josh Blanc in 1999. Where Josh makes and sells handmade tiles Layl works exclusively with polymer clay, creating vibrant and joyful Silly Millies and wacky sculptures.
Arts & Crafts are alive and well with the number work of Ceramic Chinn, and the decorative 3D tiles of Wendy Penta. Delicately detailed stenciled tiles created by Stephanie Kaczrowski showcase a variety of watercolour-look flora and fauna. In an entirely different vein Carol Dean’s animal tiles are awash with colour and 3D effects.
Going bold with glaze is Dougie Padilla who has been working with Clay Squared since 2014 to explore ways to transfer storytelling to ceramic, as well as shifting his calaveras iconography from one media to another.
Celebrating the unexpected shapes and effects made in the chemical reactions between ceramic glazes, Clay Squared’s Cosmic Collection features a raft of otherworldy creations. Here no two tiles are alike, with each taking on their own character in texture and tone, working as a singular piece of art or coming together as a magnificent mural.
A new post by Hanna Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, Semptember 2021.