stephsteph

there are so many different clay bodies this question is almost impossible to answer. on something that small, strength should not be too much of an issue. iron bearing clays tend to mature at lower temps than non iron bearing ones, so you do find nice strong red clays at lower temps , however if you like the cone 5 b mix and it seems OK, use it..if it is too absorbent or seems a little punky at cone 04, try firing it to cone 02 or 01

Raven's Nest gallery is hosting a one day exhibit of Sculpture and Tile by Stephani Stephenson. this event takes place on July 26, 2016, during the week of the Silver city Clay Festival. The gallery will be open regular business hours and hold an Artist's reception that evening, during Festival Gallery night. . This is the Raven's Nest's last hurrah in Silver City Stephenson will be bringing new sculpture and a 'trunk show' assortment of tile. See you there! Raven's Nest, 201 North Bullard Street, Silver City, New Mexico intersection of Bullard and Broadway, in downtown Silver City Ground floor of the Palace Hotel building.

a lot of architectural work is thicker than you would normally see for a pot..with walls maybe 3/4 - 1.5 inches thick/. generally i keep mine at 3/4 inch and i use a clay body with a lot of grog such as Laguna Red Sculpture, which is a cone 5 body which I fire anywhere from cone 02- cone 2 for bisque to bring out red color and also for strength, and then fire it to cone 04-03 for my glazes. i forgot to check, are you press molding these or modeling them directly? it might be too much grog if you are dong fine carving etc.. but the point is, this type is sturdy, won't shrink crack or warp much and will have good strength and durabiilty once installed, if you are use to working with a finer clay, many of the red terra cotta bodies have good strength at low temps, but i would go 04 or above..even 03 -01 , and some grog will help. and of course test..there is so much variation in commercial bodies

Well Mark, we'd love to see you there, but diving does have its attractions!

When i make corbels i generally hdesign them to be mortared in, but I also place cross supports in the back with holes so that a hanging wire or cable can be installed, or they can be hung onto bolts. Even if they are to be mortared in ,it is advantageous to have them supported while the mortar sets in. If you do not want to work that into the back of the corbel you can figure out clever ways to introduce ,then cover bolt or large screw holes via the face. i have made corbels as large as 2 by 4 feet. with anything large and heavy i want to have a mechanical as well as a mortar method of suspension and support. With concrete it is unlikely you would depend on the corbels entirely to bear the weight of the concrete, but they certainly do add something to the support of an overhang. S.Stephenson Revival Arts Studio/Revival Tileworks http://www.revivaltileworks.com

A few open spaces remain for the 4 day comprehensive tilemaking workshop I will be teaching at Cloudy Mountain Pottery, in the foothills of the Cascade Mtns near Bellingham Washington. We will cover clay bodies, field tile and trim, glazing, relief tile, plaster moldmaking, design, layout, etc. It is all hands on. Some lodging may be available, please contact Shelly Stark. Instructor is a full time professional tilemaker ,sculptor and ceramist. this looks to be a fantastic workshop with a great group of people in a truly lovely setting August 9-12. 4 days. $425. contact Shelly Stark 360 5499 9558 See you there! Stephani Stephenson Revival Arts Studio/Revival Tileworks http://www.revivaltileworks.com

DATE : August 9-12, 2016 LOCATION: Cloudy Mountain Pottery, Maple Falls ,WA HANDMADE TILE: 4 days, comprehensive workshop with Stephani Stephenson of Revival Tileworks Join us this summer, August 9-12 2016, at Cloudy Mountain Pottery for an exciting 4 day workshop with the fabulous Stephani Stephenson. This will be an intensive, comprehensive hands on tile making workshop. Come learn design, relief modeling/ carving, making field tile and trim, moldmaking, extruding, pressing and forming techniques. If that isn’t enough, we will also cover drying, firing, clays, surface treatments and glazing. Participants will make a relief tile and reusable mold. Cost: $425 includes 4 day workshop and all materials. Stephenson is a full time tile maker and sculptor. She brings a sense of both history and exploration, experience and high energy to her workshops. link to information: http://cloudymountainpottery.com/events/

i would say you could get your feet wet with workshops, Henry. 'tile manufacturing' involves quite a number of skills: business, working with clients, design,production, clay, kilns, materials, moldmaking, glazing , developing a glaze palette, packing and shipping, pricing, etc. etc. etc.. it can seem rather daunting, but everyone starts somewhere. even an introductory workshop will give you a sense of what attracts you to it, and where your interests lie. There are many small tile manufacturers throughout the US and you could try getting hired on with one of them.They produce quite a variety of work and run the gamut of single artist studios to small manufacturers with 20-50 employees. the larger the company gets, the more specific and divided work tasks will be, but a valuable employee soon learns a number of the essential skills. if you plan on being a small studio, a good studio ceramics program will however give you a valuable familiarity with ceramics processes. if you are self directed , i bet you could focus on tile and still take advantage of the facilities and program. just try to find one with a good skill oriented instructor. it is essential that you pick up the basics. once you have that you will find differences between tile and pottery. clay bodies, the way kilns are stacked, etc. but ceramics , sculpture, bookeeping, design, computer, mechanical, management skills will ALL be useful. if you really love tile, explore the amazing history of tile making..there are some great books on the subject. Anything you can do to familiarize yourself with the history of tile, and think about what aspects of it interest you will help. do you have a particular idea in mind? a certain look? what is it that draws you to it? are you interested in making decorative tile, or a line of tile? i have been a bit frustrated in that i would like to teach tilemaking. i have an MFA in ceramics and sculpture, but i really didn't learn the tile end of it til i worked with tilemakers in a larger shop and became familiar with the trade that way. but both were important as i went into business. also important were jobs that i had in the interim. for example, i managed an art supply department in a store, which taught me a lot about running a business and customer service...which matters quite a bit once you go into business. for now, i know of no program, save the internships at pewabic and moravian that do that. i would sure like to start a program somewhere, somehow. i hope to be able to take on apprentices at some time, but am not set up to do that quite yet..and admittedly not sure how to connect with students other than in a workshop situation at the present time. we have communicated off forum a bit, I encourage you to keep researching . it is a field that will keep you learning for life!!!.

from your post, i just realized the sculptures may not be permanent. is this correct? i would advise sealing them with a good quality penetrating sealant. works on glazed or unglazed pieces. make sure it is a penetrating sealant, not those milky acrylic sirface sealants...if they are out there for a short time, this should be enough to keep them safe, especially if they are well fired to maturity at any temperature between high earthenware to stoneware...

in addition you can try to locate the piece where it may be sheltered from the elements, especially soaking rain that freezes. you can try to design the piece so that it shunts off water as well..think about places where water might pool , and provide a way for that water to drain. simple things like this will help enormously. also make sure the piece is up off the ground, so it does not sit in freezing and thawing rain,ice snow, and moisture wicking up through the ground..

Instructor : Stephani Stephenson spaces still available workshop location ,Buena Vista Highlands. private. address 1771 Ivy Road. details at http://www.revivaltileworks.com/arworkshops2014.html website : http://www.revivaltileworks.com contact : steph@revivaltileworks.com or 520-686-9451 (email preferable)

This strikes me as odd. at first i thought scam, scam, scam, but maybe not. i would definitely charge for the shipping, a little bit for the packing, and it's up to you how you want to think about the sample itself. send a small one if possible. Sending samples is not so unusual if you make ceramic tile. Actually I am surprised that so FEW people ask for samples. I often sell the samples to the customer, and then if they place an order , (and you might want to stipulate a minimum order) , I will discount off of the order invoice some or all of the price of the samples. This works as an incentive for them to place an order. I do charge for samples. generally I charge $10 for shipping, and $2 ea for 2X2 glaze samples... if the customer wants to see a sliced section of molding, etc, i charge based on what they want. I sell directly to customers . generally ,unless the samples are large or extensive, i really just want to compensate for the shipping, and a little bit more. Showrooms , architects and designers want a whole other level of samples and will often ask for a large number of samples and if they can get them for free, they will !I have done this a few times, but only when i had a standing business relationship (with an architect) who I knew would come through. otherwise , charge for your samples , or you can easily find yourself out the dollars and the work with no follow up business. i discovered this the hard way 1. from a cruise ship line , that asked for about $300 worth of samples and never placed an order or returned samples, and 2, Sunset magazine, also asked for about $200 in samples to photograph for an article, and said they would return the pieces. So I sent them some nice tiles. they never returned the pieces, and the photos never showed up in an article. but someone somewhere has some nice free tile in their office or home, or it's in a box somewhere where no one will ever see it. never got any referrals or so much as a thank you either. learning experience!. re reading, I see that you have found out the place is legit. if you do start a business relationship with them, you will need to make sure your shipping costs are accounted for. If they are really interested in your work,paying for shipping of a small sample should not faze them. Think about the psychology of it and try to set up good patterns early. http://www.revivaltileworks.com