Process

Technique
The predominant clay used for most of our work is a terra cotta clay body called Navajo Wheel 35 and Navajo wheel from Industrial Minerals (IMCO). We single fire to cone 5, which is 2,230 degrees F in electric kilns. We use a variety of stains and commercial glazes, mostly from Leslie's, Laguna, Spectrum, Western and some Duncan and Amaco. The pieces are all hand-built; slab or coil construction, scraped and paddled to the desired shapes. We use a large rolling pin for the slab work. We make molds of some tile pieces, but most work is one-of-a-kind, and highly carved.

Cement
The cement process for the benches: The process used to create these unique works begins with the armature. The armature is the inner support system, the skeleton, of the piece. Construction of the armature starts with the cutting and carving of polystyrene foam board into the basic shape of the piece. Almost any shape can be designed using this method. For very large works, a custom-fabricated steel frame may be used. The foam board armature is then wrapped with aviary wire using a minimum of three layers. It is then ready for layers of the formulated cement mixture to be applied. The cemented form will then be allowed to dry for a minimum of one week before the handmade ceramic tiles are adhered to the surfaces with thinset. Then the piece is grouted, all rough edges are smoothed, and the entire piece is sealed, polished, and completed for delivery. Each piece exhibits a narrative theme using original, handmade tiles. No two pieces will ever be alike.





	Technique The predominant clay used for most of our work is a terra cotta clay body called Navajo Wheel 35 and Navajo wheel from Industrial Minerals (IMCO). We single fire to cone 5, which is 2,230 degrees F in electric kilns. We use a variety of stains and commercial glazes, mostly from Leslie's, Laguna, Spectrum, Western and some Duncan and Amaco. The pieces are all hand-built; slab or coil construction, scraped and paddled to the desired shapes. We use a large rolling pin for the slab work. We make molds of some tile pieces, but most work is one-of-a-kind, and highly carved. Cement The cement process for the benches: The process used to create these unique works begins with the armature. The armature is the inner support system, the skeleton, of the piece. Construction of the armature starts with the cutting and carving of polystyrene foam board into the basic shape of the piece. Almost any shape can be designed using this method. For very large works, a custom-fabricated steel frame may be used. The foam board armature is then wrapped with aviary wire using a minimum of three layers. It is then ready for layers of the formulated cement mixture to be applied. The cemented form will then be allowed to dry for a minimum of one week before the handmade ceramic tiles are adhered to the surfaces with thinset. Then the piece is grouted, all rough edges are smoothed, and the entire piece is sealed, polished, and completed for delivery. Each piece exhibits a narrative theme using original, handmade tiles. No two pieces will ever be alike.
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