How Ravenstone Tiles Began

I have played with clay ever since I was a small child and have never stopped! I studied art and sciences in high school and received a BA in archaeology from Ohio State University with supplemental coursework in chemistry, studio art, and art history. A few years later I received a master's degree in Art Conservation from Buffalo State College. For the next 10 years I worked in several large museums preserving, repairing and restoring artifacts. This provided a wonderful hands-on experience, learning about craftsmanship, construction techniques and materials used in creating fabulous works of art.

Next I moved to the Pacific Northwest and attended the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building, receiving an associate's degree. Students learned traditional methods of working wood using a wide range of hand tools. In time I eventually returned to my original delight which was clay. I love sculpting and molding clay and the beautiful arts and crafts traditions of tile-work.

I have been influenced by 19th and early 20th century art tile companies and the decorators who created these works. I use naturalistic motifs and a muted glaze palette as sources of inspiration for my handcrafted tiles. Working in the craftsman tradition, I found customers who also loved this style. My tile business Ravenstone Tiles has slowly grown from a hobby in the late 1990's to a full-time business today and is operated out of a ceramic studio in my home.