Make every step special and unique, tile your stair risers.

I'm working on a set of stair raisers (the vertical element in a set of stairs, forming the space between one step and the next) for a customer in Florida. It involves using the glazes as watercolors—something I can do but need to practice. The first tries weren't very successful, but I want to walk you through the process.

I did the first two simultaneously, putting a light coat of blue overall, building up the shadows, and taking the blue off for the highlights. Practicing. Although I could see the brush strokes before the firing, I truly believed that they would melt out. They didn't. In this next one, I used a finer-haired brush, and when the glaze was dry, I lightly sanded using my fingertips. The dust created by the sanding will prevent good glaze adhesion, so I sprayed a fine mist of water over the tiles melting the dust back into the glaze.

You can see in this sample that the brush strokes are less apparent, and I've stopped using a coat of light blue over the whole tile. I felt it made the images look dirty and gray. All along, I've been sharing these images with the customer. After sending her the one above, she said, "I think you do better with color." I was very pleased and delighted with the new images she sent me and eagerly got to work testing colors while continuing to practice my watercolor technique.

I'm only sharing some of the tests; in the one above, the yellow fired great, but the brown I used faded away. On another, the yellow didn't show up, and the brown did. Then I tested every brown and red I had and came up with the two below.

Although I'm happy with the brown above, I'm not fond of how grainy it looks when thinned down and used on the sails. I'll be going with the colors of this last sample.

These are tests. All have small sections missing, a bit not outlined, windows that are white instead of blue, or a flag with a mast that doesn't make it to the deck. Before firing, it's always best to finish and walk away, usually overnight. With my eyes fresh from sleep, catching the bits I’ve missed is easier. When completed and installed, I'll share the images with you.

It's never too soon to start thinking about a Christmas commission. Now that I'm back in the studio, I'd appreciate your recommending me to a friend who's renovating a kitchen or bath—or building a home. Just as the prices in your life are going up, so are the cost of ceramic supplies. I have enough clay and glazes to keep my current prices till I need to restock, probably at the end of the summer. Now is a great time to place an order.