Laurie Spugnardi

Archive for March, 2010

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 »

Announcing SoPo Art Studios, Finally

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Meet Jennifer. City Hall clerk and facilitator of small business!
SoPo Art Studios is born. Last week, long time friend and jeweler Maggie Bokor and I became official business partners. The adventures of setting up a shared studio included, but was not limited to: lots of commercial broker calls, negotiating with landlords, wrangling electricians, deciphering insurance policies, setting up utilities, making nice with the neighbor tenant Sandpiper Gallery (after a snafu with the heating and alarm systems) and holding off clients while I sort it all out! Jennifer at City Hall who notarized the partnership was the easiest encounter throughout the entire adventure and she smiled all the while. Thank you Jennifer. Come by the studio anytime! Now, on to moving out of the old studio, into the new and making art!