Laurie Spugnardi

Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Beyond the backsplash! Free the Tile!

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

I love this article!

The master material: Unexpected uses for ceramic tile in the master suite

It gets people thinking about tiles as an alternative to paint and wallpaper for their walls. It also moves tile from the kitchen and bath and into other rooms in the house which is perfect for my glazing technique! My wax resist process allows for bright colors and touchable textured surfaces but leaves exposed tile… not so good for wet areas.

Here are some other photos I have found to get folks thinking outside the box!

Room accent stripe of designer tile in a modern setting.

Room accent tile in a modern setting.

Tile mosaic wall.

p.s You would not believe how hard it was to find images of tile NOT in the bathroom or kitchen to share with you. Free the tile!

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SoPo Art Studios Opens Its Door

Friday, April 9th, 2010

SoPo Arts 009 I’m kind of in love with my new space. It’s pretty perfect and getting more so every day. This week we were interviewed for our local newsweekly, The Forecaster, about our venture.
Maggie (my most excellent studio-mate) and I are having a grand opening of sorts this Saturday from 4 to 7. 855 Sawyer St. in South Portland. You should come by and check it out. We’ll have our work on display and will each be donating a piece to a thanks-for-stopping-by-raffle. We’ll also be unveiling a community room for local artists to work, play and teach.
When you come by, be sure to visit The Sandpiper Jewelry and Art Gallery just next door. Owner/jeweler Michael Hofheimer will host an opening for sculptor Allen Ponziani at the same time.

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Asian Inspired Ceramic Tile Mural

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

A while back I blogged about a tile project I had been commissioned to work on. I thought it was about time I updated you on its start-stop-start progress. Luckily, I have the nicest client and they have been super patient as I have been in the process of moving my studio to a new location (more on that later). But I digress, on with the show and tell…
harainprogress
-on the drawing table-
Glazes are chosen for hue, value, texture and finish (high gloss to matte). The image is transferred onto tile, the image is drawn with wax to create areas to be filled with glaze. My tool of choice for glazing is a squeeze bottle, which produces a think and even coat of color.

harapaintingdetail
-detail of leaves being painted-
Different glazes are layered on top of each other to add depth and detail.

harakiln
-lifting the lid of the kiln-
Tiles are stacked on these nifty racks called tile setters, so I can fit many tiles in the kiln at one time.

haradetail
-area detail-
The colors in this detail are a little on the yellow side. The actual color is closer to the next image, except for the bright blue in the river/ocean, which is really a bright, royal blue with sparkles. Hard to catch on film…

HaraTileScansLayout
-finished tiles as they will be installed on site-
There are 35 tiles, each tile is 6 inches square, which makes this a fairly large mural. It will be installed at Hara Wellness Center in Falmouth Maine.

Posted in Uncategorized, goings on in the studio, inspiration, surface design | 3 Comments »

Hearts, Weddings, Collaborations & ee cummings

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

Welcome February. You are such a nice month to get married in…

In a previous post I waxed on about the support of my art posse. Well, one of them is about to get hitched and the rest of us couldn’t be more excited!

We took it as an opportunity to create a collaborative piece to present to the happy couple. The theme: hearts, of course! The format: 6×6″ canvas, each in our own visual voice wishing them the best. Cleverly mounted so they can be shown together or hung as individual pieces.
My heart is located middle, right. I was going for a Victorian valentine kind of feel. I found some lovely Chinese paper and spent the afternoon x-actoing, arranging, mod-podging and uncrossing my eyes. The lettering in the background is from an e.e. cummings love poem.

{imho, e.e. rocks the poem genre with his use, or should I say misuse, of the English language.}

I’m looking forward to more collaborations with these talented artists… and more reasons to celebrate these wonderful women.

Tags: art collaboration, art hearts, e.e. cummings
Posted in Uncategorized, just for fun | No Comments »

Haiti Relief via Konbit Sante (and me and you)

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Haiti is still hurting.

Let’s help. Purchase anything from my etsy shop and I will donate half of the sale price to Konbit Sante|Cap-Haitian Health Partnership. Free shipping too! So far, my etsy shop has raised over $125! Hurry though, my small relief campaign will run through Tuesday, February 2!

sea and sand hand painted ceramic tide clock

blossom hand painted ceramic switch plate

magnolia hand painted ceramic coaster set

Konbit is Haitian Creole for working together. Sante means health. I though it would be great if you and I did a little konbit of our own, hence the sale in my etsy shop. These folks have been working in Haiti for 10 years and have systems in place to get help where it needs to go, fast. Visit their website for news and to find out how your donations are being spent.

There are lots of other things you may find in the shop or may consider as a gift for a upcoming wedding, anniversary or birthday!

And, if you can’t find anything in my store, check out all the other talented and generous creative souls at etsy who are also finding ways to help Haiti.

Thank You! Thank You!

Pass the word. Pass the love. Buy good, do good.

Tags: earthquake relief, etsy, etsy haiti, etsy maine team, haiti, haiti donations, haiti relief
Posted in Uncategorized, goings on in the studio | No Comments »