Art-On-Tile
Crawford, Colorado

Merri Britt is a self-taught craftswoman who began hand-painting tiles in 1978. Over the years she created original murals and decos complimenting wallpaper and fabrics. In 1993 she started manufacturing her own deep-relief tiles, which she hand-carves and paints.

“I start with an original design which I hand-carve into a deep-relief master mold. The master is then replicated, making a press mold, which is used to manufacture multiple copies of my carvings. Once I’ve pressed the tile I allow it to air dry a number of days until it feels dry to the touch. I then bisque fire it to burn away any organic matter or residual moisture in the clay.

At this stage I’m ready to hand-paint the tile. I use a variety of glazes and stains formulated to mature at the temperature range I desire. Currently, I use commercially prepared, medium fire stoneware clays that are ultimately fired to approximately 2150 degrees Fahrenheit.”

See more at www.art-on-tile.net.