Red Step Studio tiles are made in my Bremerton, Washington studio, which overlooks my garden of perennial and vegetable beds and a sloping wooded bank planted with Pacific Northwest natives. I find the antics of the resident songbirds, northern flickers, owls, squirrels and mountain beavers both charming and challenging; but they all become inspiration for my work on a daily basis. I love being outside tending the garden with my hands in the soil; I guess it comes as no surprise that I have discovered a way to keep my hands in the earth through my work. My tiles are my way of sharing this joy of being in nature with others.
With a background in graphic design, printmaking and watercolor painting, I started exploring the world of tilemaking in 1997 and haven't looked back since. Through continual experimentation I have been able to create a wide range of tiles with only terracotta and white clays, underglaze color pigments and a clear finish glaze.
My carving technique, directly influenced by woodblock and linoleum printmaking, give the work a unique style and add unrivaled depth, texture and liveliness not replicated by other tile making methods. In all, it is a thirty-step process, all by hand (no molds are used), that takes from six to eight weeks to complete each one of kind tile.
Custom orders are welcome. I have been commissioned to create over 200 unique tiles for all the patient rooms in a Southern California medical center, and have received two 1% for the Arts commissions for large scale framed tiles. I have carved special tile portraits of homes and family farms, a grandfather fishing his favorite trout stream, a bride's wedding flower, a family's vacation trailer, house numbers, and fireplace murals.
I sell my tiles through my website, local Northwest art shows, and throughout the year at Collective Visions Gallery in Bremerton, WA. During the month June I am having a solo show of new mosaic tile pieces.
Seven years ago, inspired by Josh Blanc and the Handmade Tile Association, a group of tilemakers in the Seattle area founded Artisan Tile NW. With over 30 members, we are actively planning our 6th annual fall Handmade Tile Festival, and co-sponsoring a Potter's Council Tile Conference in Seattle at the end of June.
Paula Gill
PO Box 63, Bremerton, WA 98337
www.redstep.com
Facebook: Red Step Studio
www.etsy.com/shop/RedStepStudio
www.artisantilenw.org
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