Blackware Firing in Duluth MN
Terra Cotta in Sioux City
Anatomy of a custom kitchen design
New York Times Features Clay Squared to Infinity
Try something handmade for a little more character
As an artist, you always hope to get mentioned in the New York Times. On November 10th the article The Ceramics Obsession Has Moved to Our Walls came out on NYT online in the Style Section and printed in the Sunday edition. With the tagline “Sick of that ubiquitous subway tile?
Try something handmade for a little more character.”
They interview interior designers, ceramist Charlotte Smith, trendsetter Julie Muñiz and @Amyleigh_1902victorian
Three Rivers Art Festival
Saturday, November 12, 2022, 10:00 AM-Sunday, November 13, 2022, 5:00 PM
Covington, LA
Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival
Fri, Nov 4, 2022 10:00 AM – Sun, Nov 6, 2022 4:00 PM
Seville Drive
Pensacola, FL 32503
Layl will be at booth “Rockwell 14”
Location: Seville Square, Pensacola, Florida
Festival Hours: 9 am – 5 pm on Friday and Saturday, 9 am – 4 pm on Sunday
Children’s Festival: Saturday & Sunday 10am – 4pm.
Admission to the festival is free
Color Never Had it So Good
Sunday, October 23, 2022
10:00 AM 1:00 PM
Unity Unitarian Church
733 Portland Avenue
Saint Paul, MN, 55104
Color Never Had it So Good is the title of an exhibition featuring the polymer clay works of Layl McDill and the ink and acrylic paintings of Anna Karena.
McDill creates sculptures from polymer clay and found objects. She uses the magical technique of millefiori, a process developed by the Egyptians to place tiny images into rods of glass called canes, creating a virtual palette of pictures that cover all of her pieces. Stories have been a theme in McDill’s work since she began her career in 1993. Her pieces carry elements of life’s narratives, and she has also explored storytelling as a performer and as a way to engage with others. McDill hopes to create art that leads others to come up with their own stories. She recently completed a commission for the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain at the University of Minnesota.
Karena paints with a vibrant palette of acrylics and inks. She approaches the canvas with no plan or idea in mind, working intuitively by making marks or spreading paint randomly. She describes her process as a dance, in which she moves and responds to each new mark and color until she begins to see a direction emerge. This keeps her art honest, true, and authentic. The resulting work leads to self-acceptance and inner peace. She invites us to view her paintings with an open heart and mind, allowing the work to fill us, as we too find our steps in a dance of self-discovery and acceptance.
Interview: Tile Letter
Tile Road Tripping
Over the holidays, Layl, Josh, and our daughter Elliot took a road trip. We drove from Minneapolis to Vancouver, BC, to see our oldest daughter. Along the way we stopped at several pottery, tile, and art places. One highlight was stopping at Medalta Pottery, where Elliot was an artist in residence in 2019. It was an amazing place with original beehive kilns — now used as a museum.
Traveling through rural Canada by car was a wonderful experience. We were able to pack our car with all of our necessities, so we had little contact with others. (OK, we did stop for Tim Horton donuts three times — it was a must!) When the border guard asked where we were going — knowing where we came from — he was shocked at our idea to drive 2000 miles across the Canadian tundra. The mountains, prairies, and badlands were all amazing to take in. There was an incredible amount of wildlife to enjoy: eagles, coyotes, hawks, big horn sheep, antelope, and deer. It always kept our interest.
This trip was a great refresher of ideas, and fuel for the soul.
25 Years Of Clay Squared
Practical Preservation podcast
On this week’s episode of the Practical Preservation Podcast, Danielle spoke with Josh Blanc of Clay Squared to Infinity in Minneapolis Minnesota. From their website, “Clay Squared crafts handmade tiles in many shapes and colors for kitchens, bathrooms, fireplaces, and as art tile. We feature tile by local and national artists and offer the largest selection of historic reproduction tile lines in the US.”
Danielle and Josh discussed matching historic materials and why it is better to preserve and restore than renovate and redesign historic properties and homes. They also discuss why buying from small businesses is better for your historic home.
You can find Clay Squared online at www.claysquared.com, on Instagram @claysquared, and contact them by phone 612-781-6409, or by email josh@claysquared.com
Diary of a Tile Addict
Clay Squared was featured by the Diary of a Tile Addict in September. Here is what they said about us.
“There is no end to the amount of incredible tiles out there. It seems as if each day we are finding something or someone new, and its almost always worth sharing. And today we’ve got our eye on another company… Based in Minneapolis, Clay Squared‘s artist hub creates a range of handmade tiles in all sorts of shapes and sizes, patterns and glazes, as well as made to match authentic reproductions of period pieces.”
October 2021 Layl
Layl is now running her intro classes through Airbnb Experience. Multiple dates available including:
Saturday, October 16th 1:00 to 3:00If you have an expired Groupon you can still use it at one of these classes. Just email layl@claysquared.com to let her know you plan to attend.
September 2021 Clay Squared Newsletter
Believe it or not, Clay Squared is turning 25 years old on November 5th! It is almost unfathomable that we have been able to play with clay for so long. It all started in our attic studio, an 11’x 11′ foot space. We blasted off (very slowly at first), occupying four studios over the course of 25 years. Now Josh’s and Layl’s studio is 3000 square feet, and we own an arts building! The adventure has had many stories of success and failure, experiments and big ideas, and it has been a wonderful time. None of it could have been done without all the great people who worked for us and helped us over the years, and all the people who purchased our work, helping us achieve our dreams of being full time artists.
Click here to read the whole story
September 2021 Layl Newsletter
Fall seemed to arrive exactly on September 1st this year! I have been canning lots of tomatoes and we are starting to think about cooler days. For now we’ll enjoy one of the best months in Minnesota. With all the challenges in the world we hope you and your family are safe and also enjoying some perfect fall weather.
August 2021 Clay Squared Newsletter
The Cosmic Rain Bathroom
August 2021 Layl Newsletter
Arts District Palette Party
Art to Change the World presents
A Pop Up Palette Party hosted by
Sociable Ciderwerks
August 8th, 12-8pm
Minneapolis, MN
Click here to read the rest of the newsletter
July 2021 Clay Squared
Most summers, and throughout the year, Josh looks for interns to join us and learn the Clay Squared tile making process. This summer we are taking on two interns at the same time — Emily and Oliver!
Emily is a student at Minnesota State University of Moorhead. She is majoring in Studio Arts Drawing & Illustration, and minoring in art therapy. Emily has been learning how to be a kiln master by unloading and loading the kilns and learning how to glaze tiles. You can see her work on Instagram at.@skhellatonart