Interview: Tile Letter

Josh was recently featured in the Spring 2022 issue of Tile Letter: Artisan. He had a great time discussing the different aspects of Clay Squared from history to today! You can read the article on their website or below.

Clay Squared to Infinity

Savoring the organic relationship among clay, glaze, and inspiration

By Lesley Goddin

April 30, 2022

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.

From attic to internet

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.”

bathroom subway tile little blue gem
White Marshmallow Arts And Crafts Floral Cottage Kitchen Medieval Stove Straight On

Low-tech methods, inspired design

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.

Star Hex Thumbmail

Historic restoration

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.”

Jade Moss Victorian Fireplace

Building relationships

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.”

Pesto Green Arts And Crafts Fireplace Tile Hawthorn Hero

Josh’s Hot Cocoa

As the Minnesota weather starts to turn chilly, the Clay Squared employees start looking forward to the infamous hot cocoa made by Josh. Here is our recipe for the best homemade hot cocoa to warm your winter nights.

Ingredients
1 cup of cocoa powder
2 cups of powdered sugar
2 cups of granulated sugar
2 cups of powdered milk
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
*Optional 2 Tbls of corn starch for thicker cocoa

Steps

Mix dry ingredients until evenly blended.
Pour one cup of whole milk into a heavy saucepan, and add 2 tsp of hot cocoa mixture.
Whisk mixture until hot and slightly thickened. If using cornstarch, cook on lowest heat as it starts to thicken.
Turn off the burner and pour hot cocoa into a cup – Be careful; it can burn if it is left on the stove too long.
Add marshmallows or whipped cream and enjoy!

October 2020 Layl Newsletter

I know with all that is going on in the world you probably haven’t even begun to think about holiday gift buying but if you are looking for a distraction and wanting to get a headstart I’ve got a recommendation.  Art to Change the World (nonprofit where I am board chair) has created a program called SWAP- Stand with Artists Project.  You can shop for many different artists’ work in one place.  The variety is spectacular- prints, sculptures, originals, and even books by local authors.  All the proceeds go to the artist and you connect directly with the artist to either pick up or have the art shipped to you.  I think you will enjoy exploring this site and hopefully find a very special gift for someone that will also support an artist.

Find more info at the Art to Change the World website.

To read the rest the newsletter click here

August 2020 Clay Squared Newsletter

A New Addition

Recently, we have a new addition to the Clay Squared Crew. Maddy has taken on the shipping of our handmade tiles, sample packs, catalogs and Layl’s Silly Millies. She makes sure our sample tiles get shipped promptly with all of our literature and planning guides. Maddy’s an illustrator and is pursuing a BA in studio arts, and she also spends the majority of her spare time making costumes for Cosplay. Recently she’s been working on her core strength by lifting heavy boxes of tiles all day (bending her knees of course).

June 2020 Layl Newsletter

This past week has been the most painful and heartbreaking week in the memory of Minneapolis’ residents.  I never thought I would see the entire area around the high school my daughters graduated from destroyed by fire and looting.  But the anger at the killing of George Floyd has triggered some long seeded pain here and now around the country.   My daughter has gone to protest and though I am filled with fear when she goes I support her desire to be heard.  A lot of my friends live in the areas that are hard hit and Saturday night I read on Facebook about their plans to defend their own neighborhoods. Sadly, many small businesses and non-profits have been sacrificed in this cause and now they will need to rebuild.

I wanted to share a few of the places I am donating to with you. If you are in a place to give please consider a donation.

April 2020 Clay Squared Newsletter

A lot has changed in a month has changed in a month. Click here to read more.

April 2020 Layl Newsletter

Amidst this COVID-19 health crisis, we have a few resources for artists, and some ways you can still support and be supported by the arts community. Click here to read more.

March 2020 Layl Newsletter

In her newest blog post, Layl reflects on the art which grabs her attention. She describes the feeling a viewer has of a magnificent piece, from the perspective of herself as an artist. She states: “I get obsessed just looking at them. They make me want to live vicariously through those artists. Which is crazy because I live that life already, compulsively creating nearly every day of my life.”

She reflects on the dualism of artist and viewer; creator and consumer. View the full post Here.

February 2020 Clay Squared Newsletter

One of our more recent and exciting projects is a 125 square foot floor made out of 6 inch and 2 inch hexagons in Coco Moon. The customers for this floor got their inspiration from another floor we made a couple years ago, the massive star and hex project which all together came out to 300 square feet. Click here to read the newsletter

February 2020 Layl Newsletter

In January, Layl created several teapots that had added dimensionality like branches, ladders and carousels. These new teapots, while still functional, go beyond the teapot form and build beyond it’s “borders.” You can view more sculptural teapots like the Flamingo Carousel Teapot (above) at Layl’s website.
Read Newsletter click here

December Clay Squared Newsletter

Get Featured on our Instagram!

Follow us on Instagram to see recent project photos. Not all of our project photos can be found on our website, so check us out for daily tile inspiration. If you’ve recently finished a project,  hashtag your photo #ClaySquared to be featured on our page. Read more.

December 2019 Layl Newsletter

Give the Gift of Art

Starting your holiday shopping? Find great gifts like bracelets, picture frames, DIY Kits, pins, magnets, and Holiday ornaments by Layl. You can also purchase a gift certificate for a polymer clay class here.  Read more.

Nada Presents: New Works For Unorthodox Loudspeaker Arrangements

Nada Presents: New Works For Unorthodox Loudspeaker Arrangements
Friday, July 26 7pm
Flux Arts Building in the HUB
2505 Howard St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
$7
“New Works For Unorthodox Loudspeaker Arrangements” re-examines the traditional model of stereo sound through an unusual loudspeaker configuration and new sound pieces by artists Michael M. Flora and Pooch Karton. NWULA attempts to create an environment where sound is the primary focus of the experience and the focus is on the act of listening. Whereas the dominant consensus regarding stereo sound recommends a fixed and central sweet spot, NWULA encourages the auditor to move about the room and examine their relationship to space in regards to what they are hearing.

Art A Whirl

The Flux Arts Building will host its first ever Art A Whirl. We will have 12 artists showcasing their work.

Starts on Friday May 17th 5 – 9pm

Saturday 12 – 8pm

Sunday 12 – 5pm

Get Acquainted Breakfast: Art-A-Whirl Preview at Flux Arts Building

On Wednesday May 15th enjoy a complimentary breakfast, introduce yourself and network with other members through “one-minute commercials.” The recently opened Flux Arts Building is owned and occupied by Potekglass, Clay Squared to Infinity and others. Learn about the building, its artists and help kick off Art-A-Whirl. This free event fills up fast – get your name on the guestlist today!

Wednesday, May 15
7:30 – 9:00 a.m.

FREE ADMISSION

Flux Arts Building
2505 Howard Street NE | Minneapolis, MN 55418 | View Map

Register Today