Last time I wrote, I urged you to make life more beautiful using five motives: accomplish, cherish, finish, flourish, and replenish. I chose to finish.
For a long time, I've intended to make a tiled tabletop for a metal table base I'd been given. It's hard to think outside the box. My box is very square. Designing in the round, the shape of the table, felt uncomfortable. I kept putting it off. Motivated by a new deck for the house and my last two commissions, it was time to finish the project.
These images are the pencil drawing on the bisque tiles, the partially glazed tabletop, and the glazed background with monarch butterflies.
I went for quick results. Pulling all the 6" bisque tiles from my shelf, I laid them out into a 36" square. I traced the table's circle using the concrete backer board that was already made. Because clay shrinks in the firing, the tiles have to be made larger so that they'll shrink to the correct size. To accommodate for that, I'd have to use more tiles and fuss with cutting several small pieces. I decided to solve the shrinkage problem once the tiles are fired by using a different medium.
One idea is to use mosaic glass gems or pebbles. Another is to enlist the help of a welder. I’ll share a picture of the finished table when completed.