Our latest work….each of these 12″ tiles was sprayed with two colors.  The top-left tile was sprayed with jade and honey, as the closeup below shows.

Click on each image to enlarge.

abstract in multi-color

Single tile in jade and honey

This commission started at the American Craft Exposition in Evanston, IL in August 2010. My client owns a company that houses one of the world’s 15 or so electron microscopes, as well as a whole school dedicated to electron microscopy, spectroscopy and other fascinating worlds of science!  The CEO, his wife, and I, all worked on an installation based on the company’s logo.  For material to work from, I was given special permission to  peruse a database of images that were truly a stupifying journey into the micro world that is the foundation of our lives.

This winter was a profound time for me. My beloved friend and father died suddenly while cross country skiing the woods of New Hampshire with friends at age 72. I cancelled all shows and worked in my new studio space created in 2009 in the historic Grange building in my town, two doors over from my home.

We just got word from the client that “individually the tiles capture attention, and arranged the way they are is outstanding.  They are perfectly located where they are, especially with the indirect lighting…I’m thinking that they will be especially gorgeous in the late evening, after dark, when illuminated only with indirect lighting.”

Disc tiles by Natalie Blake Studios

Look for more images of these discs under the Abstract tab of our Tile Catalogue section of the website!

We created the Nautilus design for Ann Sacks Tile Co.   If you are interested in this particular design, please contact an Ann Sacks showroom.  We’d be happy to design one for you!

We’re very excited about it.

We’ll be using these tiles in our Chabot College installation.

Stay tuned for images of these tiles installed in the next several months.

Delphinium blue glaze by Natalie Blake Studios

This is what I saw on my way to work today!   The sun was hitting the web like a spotlight.

on my way to work

When you’re surrounded by natural beauty, it often doesn’t take much to inspire you….

Ceramic wall tiles glazed in honey

I’d love to be inspired by your design ideas.

This quote is from Rod Werner, Director of Planning at Scannapieco Development Corp, in Philadelphia, PA.  We worked closely with him as we created a mural for the 1706 Rittenhouse Square Condominiums in Philadelphia.

“I enjoyed our collaboration, and I was very pleased with the results.  I
appreciate the mural every time I visit the site (once a week now).”

Rittenhouse installation by Natalie Blake Studios

And this quote from Blythe Lee, Vice-President of Design and Strategic Solutions, Corporate Artworks, Ltd, Arlington Heights, IL.  She commissioned a 45-tile Tree of Life for the Fountaindale Public Library, Boilingbrook, IL.

“I worked with Natalie Blake Studios when procuring the artwork for Fountaindale Public Library in Bolingbrook, IL.  The art committee and architects had specific goals for the art program, and overseeing twelve commissions at the same time can be quite a feat.   Working with Natalie Blake Studios on the (45) piece tile wall mural was an absolutely smooth process from beginning to end.  Communication is of utmost importance when commissioning an art piece, and I was truly impressed with all levels of communication.  The business end was maintained on a very professional level, while the commitment of staying true to the artistic development and fine details resulted in a stunning mural that Fountaindale Public Library is very proud of.   The compliments on the mural are never ending.  As an art consultant, my goal is to hear clients express that an art piece is better than they ever could have imagined.  We achieved this with Natalie Blake Studios.”

Fountaindale Tree by Natalie Blake Studios

Older banyan trees are characterized by their roots that grow into thick woody trunks which, with age, can become indistinguishable from the main trunk. Old trees can spread out laterally using these prop roots to cover a wide area.

“We chose to make a 4-panel mural of the Banyon Tree for the Chabot College cafeteria because this tree has lots of personality!” says Natalie.  ”The tree is grounded, rooted in place and is an icon of stability and grandeur.  I thought that would be fitting for a college setting.”   The Banyon Tree image has been with Natalie for years–since her mother gave her an Ansel Adams photograph of banyon tree roots that she tacked up in her studio.

Here’s a picture of the first panel of tiles, painted with iron oxide, waiting to be carved:

Banyon Tree tiles Chabot College

According to Cynthia, “These 4 panels of tiles making up the Banyon Tree mural will give the impression of a set of windows through which you can see this amazing tree.  At the same time, the tree mural is a solid presence in the room.  Because a tree of this size would have grown over a long period of time, it helps to put things in perspective for the viewer.”

Natalie Blake Carving the Banyon Tree for Chabot College

Carving the Banyon Tree for Chabot College

Natalie Blake Studios was recently awarded a public art grant from Chabot College in Hayward, CA.   Using this grant funding, Natalie Blake Studios will produce and install ceramic wall tiles and other artwork for 5 locations on the Chabot College campus.  The studio’s proposal was chosen from a pool of 622 applicants.  The selection process involved over 500 students and campus staff.

We will post updates on this project in upcoming months. Stay tuned for more on this exciting project!

According to the statement of values for the college’s public art project:

Cynthia Parker-Houghton, who is working on this project with Natalie, recently finished carving the first tile mural for the project.  This mural will adorn the Chavez Plaza at the college.  This image shows the mural, unglazed:

handmade, ceramic tiles by Natalie Blake Studios

Here’s what Cynthia says about this piece: “Making the tree in four sections: roots, trunk, branches and leaves was a meditation on the different qualities of the different parts of the tree. The lines of the roots reach downwards grounding the tree but the same lines indicate a flow of water and nutrients upwards into the trunk and leaves. Even the flow of air surrounding the tree seems energized by the carve marks responding to the shapes I am carving around. If you look closer you can see that all the shapes are repeated within the roots, the bark, the branches, the leaves and the air. It’s  like a fractal in this way.”

Here’s Cynthia working on the mural.  the yellow door in the background leads to the New England School for Circus Arts, just across the hall from Natalie Blake Studios.

Here’s what Cynthia had to say about this mural:

“I’m smoothing out the trunk tiles here for a 64-tile tree. The tiles on the table behind me have been slipped with iorn oxide and are ready to carve.

This is the biggest tree we have made yet–it’s huge.  I often have to climb a ladder to see what I have carved and make sure it’s all working together but this time I also had to take pictures of the separate sections and put them together on our computer screen so I could see the whole piece.  Once I saw the whole piece together it was clear I needed to carve a new set of roots because the original ones were just too small.

We chose glaze colors  to reflect the vitality of the tree, to bring that energy to the public plaza where it will be installed.  Stay tuned for an image of the glazed piece.