An art consultant recently commissioned a set of discs for a wall in a hospital waiting area.  We thought we’d film our process. Here are the first 2 videos showing this work.

Here’s a video of part of our process of making ceramic wall art tile in the shape of discs.  Click on the image to watch the video.

These discs will be carved in botanical shapes, as the second video shows.

video on making ceramic wall art tile

Click on this image to view the video of Cynthia carving the disc:

carving shape tiles: video 2

One of our tile murals was recently featured in a Houzz.com “Ideabook”. The blogger profiles our Tree of Life mural as a solution to hanging art in a stairwell. Check out the article by clicking here.

For those of you who don’t know about Houzz.com. Here’s how they describe themselves on their website:

About Houzz

An art consultant contacted us this winter, asking for help in designing a tile mural for a residential installation. The art consultant sent us images of the client’s living room to give us an idea of style and color.

The client liked the idea of a botanical design.  We sketched the following design and the client loved it:

We proposed a mural of 9, 12″ square tiles to fill the wall leading into the space.  The client worked with her interior designer, taping paper cut-outs on the wall to determine spacing. Here’s what they initially came up with.

"Before" shot

We made a counter proposal which the client really liked.  We glazed the piece in honey, jade, and cashew.  Here’s the finished piece:

Vine, handmade, ceramic wall art tile by Natalie Blake Studios

Here’s the piece installed in the space.

Vine, installed

Custom, handmade tiles in rich, multi-color combinations

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

Quote from a happy client: “What a splendid idea, and what a splendid job of execution!”

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’ve formulated a new, vibrant glaze color: Delphinium Blue.

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

It doesn’t take much to inspire us sometimes.

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.

We’ve had two recent testimonials that we just can’t help but share.

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

Natalie and Cynthia are carving the Bayon Tree panels for the Chabot College public art grant they received.  Don’t know what a Banyon Tree looks like? Here’s an image:

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