The Medha Journal

For the painted clay tiles, I use both high and low-fire techniques. With the low fire work, pre-cast clay tiles are painted with color, glazed, and fired to 1945°F. The resulting surfaces are flat and smooth, and colors are vibrant. These tiles are fine for indoors or in mild climates, but may crack if left outdoors during a frost.
With the high-fire work, I create tiles from porcelain or stoneware clay, and carve images such as birds or butterflies into the wet clay. After an initial firing in my kiln, I paint the tiles with color, apply clear glaze, and fire to 2200°F. When fired to this higher temperature, the clay releases all of its water content, shrinks, and will no longer absorb water. These pieces will survive outdoors in harsh winter conditions without cracking. At the higher firing temperatures, the clay itself begins to melt with the glaze and the color. Colors are rich, deep and vibrant, and the shiny surface invites a touch. Part of the beauty of these pieces is the irregular surface, with variable shrinkage and slight warping. It is always a surprise to open the kiln and see the finished pieces, since they take on a life of their own during the final firing.