Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Tile Experiments

The task of tiling the shower is now upon me. I thought it best to do a few test runs. I've never tiled anything, but I thought, heck, it's not rocket science. Sure, the pros could show me some techniques and shortcuts, but I'll jump in with both feet and see what this thinset and grouting is all about.

terracotta planterFirst project - a small terracotta pot. The fun part is smashing up the tiles and then embellishing with found objects. Here, I've added marbles (see, I haven't lost 'em all). I purchased terracotta stained grout to match the pot. The bromeliad is thriving in it's new stylish digs.

terracotta paversOn to large round pavers with my big foot to illustrate scale. These will go out into my garden, however, the grout instructions call for a 21 day wait. Until then, they pretty-up my concrete studio floor. Hmmm, arty stepping stones throughout the studio?

tilesYou can add just about any found object or use stuff that's piling up in the junk or jewelry box. Those round opalescent objects are too-heavy earrings along with a few sterling and plastic beads. One must be mindful of small things that will be swallowed up by the grout.

You can forget about placing another tile on the roof of your country house. - Monique Gadaud
(huh? what about my marbles?)

5 comments:

Nancy Moskovitz, artist said...

Sharon, these are gorgeous. They would sell in a heartbeat.

Jan Blawat said...

Wow, those earrings look like Star Trek communicators.

Anonymous said...

Isn't it a tactile pleasure to use some manual dexterity in other ways?
These are stunning pieces.

Thinset dries quick- I did a floor of our outdoor shower with shards of washed up beach glass. Loved the process.

Nothing like the enticement of a new shower to get you moving.

Sharon Crute said...

Nancy, thanks, but they're only for practice. Practical stuff for practice.

Jan: On my ears they were communicators as they pulled down hard on my lobes enabling increased hearing capabilities. Thanks for visiting.

Bonnie: Tiling seemed so intimidating until I dived on in. I'd love to see a pic of that beach glass shower of yours.

peaceofjessi said...

That looks like fun, Sharon!
... and yes the earrings do look like Star Trek communicators, though my first thought was the SOM symbol!