On a chilly Sunday October day up in Duluth my  long time friend and fellow collaborator Karin Kraemer of Duluth Pottery and Tile decided to do a Blackware firing. Her crew at her shop which included my daughter Elliot who is interning for her set up a site in her yard to cook up some pots using organic material like leaves, pine needles, salt and sawdust to create smoke flashings. Plus some metals like copper wire and copper carbonate to get some colors to shine through. Karin a master of this Blackware technique who used to fire three times a week when she was a tech back in the day.

She was the grand master working the fire and giving everyone tips on how to get the best marks on their pieces. There were traditional pots and lots of little creatures and some small sculptures being fired up. The Blackware firing sometimes called a pit fire both are similar with the effect on the clay surfaces but different tools to make them. Karin used a 50 gallon barrel as the outside of the kiln. Which has the bottom cut out of it. Then there is a smaller 30 gallon metal barrel with holes punched in it to allow heat to be regulated more evenly. She said usually there are three barrels all together so slow down the fire from get too hot to fast. But she said she has had a hard time finding that middle size barrel lately.

The key she said was to slowly get the clay warmed up. As the clay was not bisque fired already. It was raw dried clay pieces and you have to always go slow so not cause the clay to crack or explode from the heat. If any water or trapped air bubble are in the clay pieces a rapid heat can cause them to explode. So while we are waiting for the fire to warm up the clay and us luckily my daughter baked some chocolate chip cookies to keep us warm and happier!

One of the great things about ceramics is there are so many ways to play with heat and fire to create amazing effects in the clay.  A day like this  gives me a chance to get outside of my own way of making and firing my tiles and learn new techniques to consider and just have fun. There are many workshops like this around the country that offer for anyone to take part in.

Greek urn with Greeks enjoying life

Blackware firing has been around for thousands of years. It is used by artisans of most every culture. One of the most famous 20th century Blackware ceramic artists in the Americas has been Maria Martinez 1887-1980). She was a r Pueblo, and is a well-known ceramicist celebrated for her blackware pottery. It is featured in museums across the globe.

In Minnesota in 2019 the Wiesman Art Museum did an exhibition of The Tewa married couple, Maria and Julian Martinez, of the San Ildefonso Pueblo in present-day New Mexico, are among the most widely recognized twentieth-century potters. 

When Layl and Josh visited Greece earlier this year we saw a great many pots from the ancient Greeks who were well know for their black and redware pottery.

Karin  learned primitive/pit firing techniques at Pigeon Lake aArt Camp in1986. At an art camp that took place (with credit earning classes for artists, students and art teachers) for many years.  The university of Wisconsin ran it.  Many teachers from many disciplines in the UW system taught there or years.  Clay, glass blowing, blacksmithing, painting, watercolr, printmaking, fiber arts, etc.

Treasure hunting for tiled buildings is a hobby for  Layl and Josh as they travel. On our recent trip to Sioux City, Iowa Josh was riding his bike around the city and found the Woodbury County courthouse built in 1916 by W L Steele Architect and Purcell and Elmslie Associate Architect. It was a stunning terra cotta facade building.  Purcell and Elmslie are very famous for their use of terra cotta in many of their buildings.  One was the Merchants National Bank Winona, Minnesota in 1912

You can find these amazing architectural gems in cities all across the country and around the world.   They are great historical symbols of what community builders, businesses and governments were trying to project to their patrons and passers-by of their buildings. The craftsmanship is unparalleled. What is stunning is how big they are at the same time are hiding in plain sight as most of us pass by them everyday in our cars, bikes and walking. 

From Wikipedia - William Gray Purcell (July 2, 1880 – April 11, 1965) was a Prairie School architect in the Midwestern United States. He partnered with George Grant Elmslie, and briefly with George Feick. The firm of Purcell & Elmslie produced designs for buildings in twenty-two states, Australia, and China. The firm had offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Portland, Oregon.

One of the key components of American architecture and the use of ceramic tile in the early 20th century was the glorification of working man, woman and child. They were projecting common people not royalty and high society. Scenes depicting symbolizing regular people and the American myths they wanted to project. One of the Arts & Crafts period design elements was allowing the natural materials to be showcased, stylized flora and fauna were very common.  It was one way to break away from European design and create an American aesthetic.

The details are stunning. These tiles have been in the elements for over a hundred years and look like they were just installed.

Don't forget to look up. Architects of the early 20th century made lots of amazing detailed tiles on the upper floors of skyscrapers all the time.

George Elmslie. had worked with Louis Sullivan on The National Farmers' Bank of Owatonna, Minnesota, United States, is a historic bank building designed by Louis Sullivan, Mr. Elmsie created the decorative elements.

From Wikipedia - George Grant Elmslie (February 20, 1869 – April 23, 1952) was a Scottish-born American Prairie School architect whose works are is mostly found in the Midwestern United States. He worked with Louis Sullivan and later with William Gray Purcell as a partner in the firm Purcell & Elmslie.^[1]

It started with a series of drawings to be approved. The homeowners selected 3x8" field tiles in Coco Moon.

One more night, the tiles go into the kiln and are fired for 24 hours. We fire at cone 05 - 1886 degrees. This is considered low temperature for ceramics. We let the kiln cools down to let the tiles pass through Quartz inversion, which happens at 573 degrees Fahrenheit. At this point, quartz crystals rearrange themselves into a slightly different order. A slight and temporary increase in volume occurs at this point. The kiln is cracked open in the 500's and usually by around 300 we open up the kiln top to let it complete cool to take them out of the kiln. Once they are pulled out of the kilns they are reassembled to make sure they all fit together. The magic of the kiln brings smiles and happiness to the studio every time.

For this section of the mural behind the stove, Josh had to account for the vent and not add the bas-relief section where the vent would be attached to the wall. You can see the gap in the beginning and middle images. The final installation shot shows how it all came together. 

There are lots of ways to make tile. There is the commercial, precision, factory approach that minimizes imperfections and variations and provides a tile with predictable edges, minimal warpage, and glazes that can be easily and frequently replicated for volume production.

And then there is the approach taken by Josh Blanc, and Clay Squared to Infinity, the 26-year-old handmade tile studio in Minneapolis. Blanc frankly glories in the surprises and serendipity offered by the clay and glazes he and his six employees transform into original works of art – and the resulting installations that feel native to their clients’ space. The tiles are distinctive, original and offer an organic, living feel to them, whether they are installed in a Victorian Craftsman, Mid-Century, or contemporary home.

Tiles from the Cosmic Cloud series illustrate the almost magical relationship between clay and glaze adorning this blue bathroom[/caption]

Blanc started Clay Squared to Infinity in his tiny 11′ x 11′ attic studio in November 1996. During the intervening years, Clay Squared was housed in an old bar, and then the Keg House in the Historic Grain Belt Brewery where it resided for 14 years. Five years ago, it purchased a 12,000 sq. ft. building on NE Howard Street in Minneapolis. Three years ago it began developing its showroom and studio in a 3,200 sq. ft. portion of the space, renting out other parts of the building.

The main equipment Clay Squared uses to make tile is a Northstar extruder and rolling pin, though it has added a CNC machine and Peter Pugger over the years.

Also, key to the company’s growth has been Blanc’s own investment in hiring quality people, promoting tiles through quality photography, and developing full-color brochures and planning guides. He also is well established on the internet with a feature-rich website and online shopping experience.

That internet presence was a sensation during the pandemic, resulting in a “massive influx of work,” he said. “We have doubled in size mainly due to our internet presence, with all the tools we created to help clients answer their questions and solve their tile challenges to create the tile installation they are looking for.”

Blanc has an intuitive way of designing his tiles, informed by architecture, art, and historical designs. He decorates tiles with Medieval Floral carvings or antique stamps that he’s purchased or made on the CNC machine. Blanc uses low-tech, manual techniques and tools like pizza cutters, X-Acto blades, rolling pins, extruder and sheetrock boards.

“I like to work very fast and I like expressive ways clay and glazes work together,” he said. “I don’t seek to control the clay and glazes, as I am more interested in finding anomalies and one-of–a-kind glazing blends to see what they create. The Cosmic Cloud series shows this process best. When I have seen my tiles installed, it informs me that making tiles that show the materials, the kiln’s magic and the handmade nature of the tiles are a process to creating a mural for a specific space.”

Clay Squared creates tile for many clients with circa 1890s-1950s homes. The team explores the client’s goal for their space and offers tools like planning guides and free samples to take home or order from the website to determine what works in the home. It even offers a design service to help clients visualize the tile design in their space.

“They then can see their vision come to life and customize the design to personalize it for their home,” he said. “The goal is to help make our tiles feel like they were original to the home.” Turnaround time on orders currently is between six – 10 weeks.

Further explore the process of making tiles at https://youtu.be/-Rn34NF29pY.

Clay Squared got requests to match tiles for repair almost from the beginning. But clients were often unhappy – the color might be right, but not the sheen or vice versa, Blanc said. So he partnered with companies that were original makers or had mastered reproductions like Heritage Tile, B&W Tile, and Tile Restoration Center.

Blanc and Clay Squared have also forged a close relationship with the Tile Heritage Foundation over the last 20 years, chiefly with Blanc’s development of the Handmade Tile Association that he founded and ran from 1999-2016.

“We produced 17 annual directories, 16 Minnesota Tile Festivals, two national tile conferences and two tile maps in Minneapolis with Tile Heritage Foundation (THF) as the main sponsor,” he said. “The THF was a main collaborator on the annual Handmade Tile Association Directories with the use of a historic tile for the cover every year. Joe (Taylor) and Sheila (Menzies) would write articles on historic tiles to coincide with the contemporary tile makers to connect the two worlds. I have been a member of the Tile Heritage Board since 2015 as well.”

Clay Squared is a friend to the trades, designers and dealers. It offers trade discounts to dealers, and provides all the finishing touches that make a designer’s job easy and imbue a complete look to a project: bullnoses, mudcaps, base coves, and end caps. “We minimize the need to cut tiles and have great options for transitions,” Blanc said. “The finishing pieces are what make tile installation look fabulous.”

Blanc credits “the amazing people” around him that helped him succeed. “I was lucky enough to have some of the best tile contractors like Jan Hohn and Kerber Tile (both NTCA Five-Star Members) along with others to install my work,” he said. “I work in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District with 1,200 artists and resources around me that have made our tile adventure so much more exciting. Tile making for me is not an individual business; it is a community-driven process. It has been all about relationships and learning how to continually make better tiles and enjoying the ride it takes me on.”

Josh's first commission came from the Minneapolis/St.Paul Home Tour that Layl and Josh that featured their house and studio on the 3rd floor. The client was inspired by the work of Gustav Klimt. She wanted a mosaic that was full of rich colors and lots of sizes and shapes.