I’ve started designing for a major new project. I’ve been asked to do a tile mural for the new Montana Museum of Art & Culture being built on the campus of the University of Montana in Missoula. In 35 years of doing tile murals this is the first time I’ve ever been told I can do anything I want- any size, any image, any location in the building, inside or out. What I’ve decided to do is a frieze that I’m calling The Artist’s Tool Belt. It will be a repeat pattern, 6 images on 12” tiles, 2 tiles high, so it will repeat every 3’. Each of the 6 will depict a different type of artist’s hand tool. The 6 will be: Hammers, Brushes, Blades, Clippers & Grippers, Clay Tools, and Fiber Tools. They’re building the building now, but installation will not be till next spring as this will be outside on two walls. It will be 18’ on one wall and make a corner another 4’ into one of two entrances. This is the first image I’ve done, the Hammers. I’ll post the others as I go along. Eventually these will be fired onto the tiles using china paint, in a color scheme to be determined after i see the brick.

This one just got installed. It was a challenging space to compose in, especially since the trees had to read as continuing above the cabinets, and the tile all the way around the window had to have bullnose edges. I had originally drawn this as a road going away on the backsplash, but the client suggested we make it a stream. Her idea was better.

This is another painting I just finished for the holiday sale. It’s 16” x 20”, for $700.

I’ve been painting lately to get ready for the holiday sale. This one is 10” x 12”, an image from our recent trip to the Columbia Gorge.

Just got this picture of a piece I did a short while back. Lovely installation

I haven’t been doing much tile work lately so I’ve been painting. This is from some pictures I took on a boat trip to the San Juan Islands a few months ago. It’s 20” x 27”, going for $1100.

This piece went off to California a couple of weeks ago. An image we’ve all seen a million times and that I’ve painted a couple of times before. This one has a nice quote added, though. The border, that looks like it’s mosaic tiles, is actually painted on the outer row of 6” tiles. And a detail of the face.

I posted this one a week ago when it was done. They went right ahead and installed it and sent me this picture.

This one will go in a kitchen. It’s kind of hard to explain as it’s laid out in three pictures here, but the long narrow parts will wrap around the backsplash, and the rest of it will go above the cabinets around a window. The treetops will be to the left of the window, the other patch of treetop will go to the right of that under the window, and the robin will be above the window in a field of white tile. I originally drew this with a road in the picture, but the client suggested a rocky stream instead. She didn’t even require me to redraw it, just trusted me to make that switch. I love clients like that.

This little mural just went home last week. It will be going into a kitchen backsplash.