“Good Neighbors”
Latest listing in our #etsy shop! “Good Neighbors” hand-sculpted ceramic tile with semiprecious stone mosaic touches framed in a repurposed vintage Indian window frame with shutters and vintage hardware. Great for a spot that has no window but needs a view of the outdoors! Find it here>>
Gallery wall sculptures are super fun for us to create. Generally we start with a field trip to find unique pieces to reimagine. After a bit of discussion, ideation, and sketching, we get to work on rolling and carving the stoneware clay tiles. After the firing and glazing process we set them into their bases (most here are vintage Indian wooden dough bowls) and add mosaic touches with semiprecious stones and grout. Each piece has its own unique sparkle and texture. Probably our favorite thing about gallery wall compositions is that you can build them completely out of our artwork (shown here with Romy in foreground), or you can personalize your gallery wall by adding in art pieces that you already own.
If you are interested in creating a custom grouping, it all starts with a simple conversation- just reach out to us. You can see us in person at one of our shows, email us at romyandclare@gmail.com, or message us through etsy.
Just let us know what you are interested in creating and include some measurements to help us get started. To find out more about our custom order process visit http://www.romyandclare.com/custom or click link in bio and select “custom order” from menu.
Find some elements like those shown in the above gallery wall installation in our online etsy shop>>
We had a great holiday season and are now happy to get back to more routine days! January brings about periods of planning and it’s exciting to look forward and think about all the possibilities for the year ahead. The hardest part is the holding still and taking the time to thoughtfully plan instead of jumping right in on the project in front of us. Anybody else feel this way?!?
In any event we will take a breath, attempt to be more mindful, and do our best to make thoughtful decisions for the year! To be certain, one goal is to post a little more regularly on social media. Please let us know if there is something you would like to know/see and we will do our best to put it out there for you!
This pic is from our last photo shoot of 2019. Clare is showing off one of our Global Folk statement necklaces featuring one of our handmade tile and mosaic pendants along with two strands of chunky turquoise, coral, lava stone, carnelian and Kenyan bone beads. Find it for purchase here >>>
Please join us tonight, Friday, December 6th from 7 - 9 pm for the annual Jasper Community Arts’ Visual Arts Committee Art Exhibit at the Krempp Gallery in Jasper, Indiana! We have both served as committee members for two years and are really honored to display our work alongside the wonderful artwork of our fellow committee members for the month of December. We will have a few pieces on exhibit as well and hope you will stop in and say hi tonight!
For a city of roughly 15,000 people, we consider ourselves fortunate to have a city government, City of Jasper, Indiana, which officially includes the arts, not to mention a community of citizens who very much support the arts of all types.
Queen Bee ornaments (in limited supply)
In 2008 we opened up our online shop on @etsy. We started with a handful of listings, mostly of our colorful ceramic serving ware, and here we are 11 years later with over 500 listings in our shop. Not only do we ship our serving pieces, but we also now ship jewelry, belt buckles, small wall art, small furniture pieces, and larger custom ceramic tile mosaic pieces of wall art. For the most part we ship to customers in the US, but we ship internationally, really, just about anywhere. Looking back, it is fun to think that we have reached people all over the US, including Alaska and Hawaii, Canada, Germany, France, England, Switzerland, Australia, China, and New Zealand.
Pictured are a couple of our stoneware ornaments from our last clay firing that are available in our etsy shop. We have colorful Christmas trees, hearts, birds, and have a handful of these sweet bee themed ornaments in a very limited supply. Get them before they are gone!
Red Poppy holiday serving essentials
Just opened up a FREE SHIPPING offer on our holiday entertaining essentials -colorful ceramic gravy boats, butter dishes, salt and pepper shakers, and cream and sugar sets. Order by November 13th to receive by Thanksgiving.
We hand sketch each design, hand paint the underglazes and clear glaze, and then fire our pottery pieces in small batches in our Jasper, Indiana studio. Our Red Poppy pattern is shown here and is a great addition to any holiday table and also transitions well into everyday use. Many of our friends like these pieces as hostess gifts or as gifts for that person that has everything.
Rescued treasures awaiting a make-over! Click on image to learn about our custom order process.
Last week we set aside a day to go treasure hunting, which for us is something that makes us say #ilovemyjob. It is so much fun searching out unique items that need a bit of attention and then bringing them back to our studio where we reimagine them into colorful works of art enhanced with our handmade ceramic tiles and semiprecious gemstones.
We create a lot of pieces which are purely decorative in nature, but we also create pieces which are beautiful as well as functional such as entryway coat hangers, mounted key hooks, little jewelry cabinets, shelves, colorful wall brackets, ceramic mosaic side tables, and pottery enhanced mirrors. Oftentimes some of our favorite projects are brought to us by our friends and customers such as this Michigan party barn hutch or this custom cabinet for one of our artist friends or this embellishment of a travel keepsake from Mexico.
If one of the items in the photo speaks to you, please let us know and we can work together to transform it in to a special piece to fit your needs! In the meantime we will be working away and you can check back in our online etsy shop to see some of our new work.
Indiana Arts Commission’s Deputy Director of Operations, Miah Michaelson visits with Romy and Clare in their Japer, Indiana studio.
We were honored today with a visit from Miah Michaelson, Deputy Director of Operations, from the Indiana Arts Commission. Their mission “is to positively impact the cultural, economic and educational climate of Indiana by providing responsible leadership for and public stewardship of artistic resources for all of our state's citizens and communities.” Simply put, they are here to support the arts for everyone in Indiana everyday. We appreciated Miah taking the time to learn a bit about our business as well as the larger artistic community in the Jasper area. Thank you to Jasper Community Arts for supporting what we do and for bringing the arts alive in the greater Jasper community!
We have been participating in the Penrod Arts Fair on and off for at least 10 years now. We really love this one day show. It takes place on the beautiful grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art and has such a great vibe that it is know as “Indiana’s Nicest Day!” There is music and dance entertainment all day put on by all ages young and old. It’s just a great celebration of the arts across the board.
We appreciate the mission of the Penrod Society which is, in short, to support the arts (of all types) in the Indianapolis area, and the proceeds from the Penrod Arts Fair go right back into the community. The Penrod Society is a great group of guys who have a lot of energy and really put their hearts into this fair. They are always happy to help out the artists even if it means schlepping boxes from time to time.
Find us in Booth B36 Blue Section this Saturday, September 7th, 9 am - 5 pm at Newfields, Indianapolis, Indiana. Preview some of the items we will bring with us in our etsy shop. We will bring along our colorful clay tile mosaic wall art, one of a kind indie jewelry and mosaic belt buckles too.
“Happy Landing” handmade ceramic mosaic embellished coat rack by Romy & Clare
We are excited to be back in the Louisville area this Saturday and Sunday (10 am- 5 pm) at Art in Speed Park, Sellersburg, Indiana! We will bring along this wall mounted coat rack that we reimagined from an antique Eastlake children’s bed and some antique hardware. It is brightened up with one of our cheerful handmade stoneware and semiprecious stone tiles “Happy Landing.” Great for an entryway dropping off point, a natural in a mudroom, or a nice addition to a bedroom. Semiprecious stones included here are jade, turquoise, magnesite, coral, and amethyst. See more of our one of a kind wall art here>>>
Side note… the cowgirl hat in the picture is a treasure recently rediscovered and handed down to Romy by her mother who wore it as a child. Seems right at home on this piece!
Black and White Beaded Earring and Stoneware Tile Mosaic Statement Ring
We’ve been updating our online shop with some new jewelry. Shown here is our Ebony Mali Prayer Bead Earring along with one of our handmade stoneware clay tile mosaic statement rings. Find them in our shop>>>
Stoneware and Semiprecious Stone Pendant Necklaces
We consider these little pieces of wearable art. We slab roll clay, cut it into pieces, stamp textures into the clay, then draw on and carve away some of the background to create raised flowers and plants. Then we glaze, raku fire, add semiprecious stones, and grout these beautiful treasures. The pendant tiles are either added to a leather cord or are set into a silver plated pendant frame and slipped onto a cable and ready to wear. Find them here>>>
Global Folk Botanic Split Square Ceramic Pendant Necklace on adjustable leather cord (18” - 26” approx).
Romy setting in the semiprecious stones to create the mosaic areas on our handmade stoneware tiles prior to grouting.
In the studio with the door and windows open listen to the birds chirp on this beautiful day setting in the semiprecious stones to create the mosaic parts of these individually carved tiles. The stoneware tiles we create start as a lump of clay and after about a dozen steps, we have our finished artwork or jewelry component. This pic shows Romy in the process of adding the semiprecious stones to the tiles. We especially love using turquoise, coral, jade, carnelian, ruby, cultured pearl, and amethyst.
Because we are the only two artists creating these pieces in small batches, the length of time to complete a project may vary. Depending upon work flow, we typically can finish most orders in one to three weeks. Larger projects may take much longer depending upon the scope and detail of the project. Each piece is a one of a kind. We may use the same imagery or patterns, but each piece is hand drawn, hand carved, mosaiced, and finished individually in our Jasper, Indiana studio. Find our handmade ceramic art here>>>
Stoneware Clay Tile and Mosaic Jewelry and Wall Art at Ann Arbor South University Art Fair
We are well into Day 2 of the Ann Arbor Art Fair in Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 18 - 21. This fair is actually four fairs in one and we are part of the South University Art Fair located on the beautiful campus of the University of Michigan. With over 1000 artists from across the nation, we are always honored to jury into this show. Every year we are amazed by the quality of the artwork and this year certainly is no exception.
Despite the large number of artists exhibiting the booths are well spaced so it never feels over crowded. Diverse buyers come from all over to buy art. Many have been coming for years and have made it a tradition to travel back to the area just for this show. It’s a great feeling for us to get to visit again with these customers / friends.
This pic shows a little bit of our ceramic and mosaic earrings, rings, necklaces, and bracelets. They are perched on a piece of our colorful hand carved stoneware clay tile artwork. You can snap up these pieces at the South U show in Ann Arbor (Booth number 1017) or have a look in our online shop>>
Mid Century Blossoms
Shipping to Australia…
Just getting this Mid Century inspired, mounted clay tile mosaic wall art ready to ship to Australia today! It’s a great feeling to know that we can share our work, not only in our own neck of the woods, but also worldwide. We have to give a shout out to etsy here, as etsy is our online storefront which allows us to reach customers all around the world right from the comfort of our small studio in southern Indiana.
After slab rolling stoneware clay, we hand carve the design into the clay. After bisque firing, glazing, firing and a trip to the raku pit, we then gild the lilly by adding magnesite, coral, jade, amethyst, and cultured pearl. It is then grouted and mounted so that it may be hung as colorful wall art. This piece is approximately 4.75” x 12.75” x 1.5”
We have never been to Australia but it’s on the list! We follow a few Australian artists and Tammy Kanat, a weaver, is a standout among them. Her work is wonderfully colorful with intriguing patterns and textures. Have a look!
See our Mid Century Blossoms in our etsy shop>>
Handmade stoneware tile and semiprecious stone embellished hutch.
This was a commissioned piece we did for a client in Michigan. She was looking for a unique piece to use in what she calls her Party Barn. (We all need a little bit of that from time to time!) We were feeling equal to the task so we went on a scouting mission to find the basis for the piece we felt like she was looking for.
Before pic of hutch
We sketched up a peacock option and this little bird option and the little bird is the one she liked best. We actually completed this project last year at this time and felt like it was high time to post it.
Drawers in progress prior to grouting.
We love the addition of the dragonflies on the drawers and the look of the tiles in the recesses of the shelf spaces. What a fun project! We are very honored to have been selected for this project as well as the mosaic tiled mirror we created for the bathroom in the same Party Barn! If you would like a little whimsical touch for your own party barn, have a look at some of our wall art in our online etsy shop >> or contact us for custom projects.
Completed hutch in its new home
Handmade stoneware tile mosaic mirror in client’s Party Barn
Customer Cutting Board embellished with custom handmade mosaic tile along side a reclaimed Turkish dough riser reimagined as colorful kitchen wall art.
Upon their travels to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, our clients purchased the then unadorned cutting board for their Louisville area historic home. They asked us if we could embellish it with one of our handmade ceramic mosaic tiles. Shown here hanging in their home, this is the end result. We presented them several sketched ideas, they selected one, and off we went carving in clay.
The long piece in the photo they purchased from us at a show. It is a vintage Turkish dough riser which we repurposed into this one of a kind rustic wall art piece. We love how they look together and feel right at home in this elegant Kentucky kitchen. Please contact us if you have a custom project you would like to discuss. See similar items in our Global Folk series here>>
Ironically enough, during her time at DePauw University, Clare spent a winter term in San Miguel de Allende where she took a batik class and a jewelry class. She stayed with a family in a home which had a beautiful courtyard and is looking forward to visiting this colorful colonial city again soon!
We created this handmade tile embellished cabinet for a fellow-artist and friend, Sharon Tesser. She gave us the approximate dimensions, we found this cabinet on one of our journeys, sketched up some ideas, and after Sharon’s approval got to work! She uses it in her studio to store her supplies. We are so honored to be asked to create a piece for her. Please have a look at her amazing original fabric collage wall art, scarves, and pillows at https://sharontesser.com/
We had fun with the window view of the cheerful birds on the whimsical tree branches. Each tile here started by hand carving slab stoneware clay and after its final raku firing is mosaiced with semiprecious stones and grout. Here we used cultured pearls, magnasite, coral, jade, and others. Please contact us if you have a project you would like to discuss.
Repurposed Vintage Indian Teak Shutters with Handmade Ceramic Tile Mosaic Art
What a beautiful day today! We’ve got a breeze blowing through the studio and the birds are whistling while we work! #ilovemyjob As we are doing a little rearranging, we set these repurposed shutters outside the studio door. Made a nice pic, we think!
Besides placing these on either side of a window, we find that a lot of customers like to use these in to soften the look of a large flatscreen tv wall. They also make a great focal point at the end of a hallway. And we have had several customers use them outside on covered porches. Also great for a bathroom.
We refreshed this set of vintage Indian teak shutters with our hand carved stoneware clay tile mosaics. We are inspired by ethnic patterns and have included some of our favorites here. Some of the semiprecious stones included in these pieces are cultured pearl, amethyst, jade, magnesite and coral. Overall Dimensions: 11” x 47” each or put together 22” x 47” They are a one of a kind set. Find them here>>
