This is a good example of the process of commissioning a hand painted tile panel.
We have just completed our 7th large scale Chinoiserie panel, this time for a bathroom in Cornwall.
The tiles are being installed behind the bath.
The clients wanted it based on the first Chinoiserie panel we painted:
Chinoiserie bathroom
Our starting point was getting the measurements and specific design requirements, then we sent out colour tile samples and a full colour design (this is included in the price for large tile panels).
They chose to have their panel painted onto machine made 152 x 152 x 7 mm tiles.
Lemons were included to mirror some of the fabric being used in the bathroom and adjoining room. Suitable yellows had to be chosen so the lemons stood out against the background. The flowers were also loosely based on the floral fabric, and transformed into magnolias and peonies.
The client also wanted some butterflies – a particular favourite of ours, so we based them on the butterflies found in Cornwall: Silver Studded Blue, Brown Argus, Dingy Skipper and Grizzled Skipper, as well as more widespread butterflies such as Fritillary, Red Admiral, Tortoiseshell, and Peacock.
Below are some pictures of the panel laid out on the table during painting:
The tiles are all numbered on the back before painting and carefully loaded in order. They are stacked in the kiln in order and then fired to 1060º Centigrade.
Once cooled (the whole process takes about 36 hours for a full kiln) the tiles are all painted with the yellow background colour again – this gives a softer and richer yellow and makes a huge difference to the finished look. The tiles are then fired to 1060º again. (Colours other than yellow can be used for the background, or sometimes all the colour is in the birds, flowers and butterflies, and the background is left white).
Once out of the kiln they are carefully laid out in sections on the table and numbered again more clearly.
Some butterfly close ups:
We pack our tiles extremely thoroughly in order, with the numbers of the tiles marked on each box. We also enclose a photo of the whole panel and another numbered picture of the whole tile panel. We like to make things as easy as possible for the tiler.
We are also responsible for any tiles broken in transit – an extreme rarity as we pack them so thoroughly.
When we get a picture of the tiles in situ I will add it to this blog.