Margy Jean Balwierz HANDMADE TILES

2012-01-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

Figure Drawn tiles for Merry at 360 Gallery

Mayo Hospital Eau Claire Pediatric Wing

2011-12-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

"The Endless Cosmic Chase" installed in Eau Claire's new Pediatric Waiting area at Mayo Hospital. Making a night sky on a checkered blue wall was a challenge! These Southern Sky Constellations hopefully spark interest for adolescent kids as they note the mytholgical names used in Harry Potter, recognize the star patterns and have a notion of the Ecliptic in their night sky.

John Turulas amazing sculpture for the same room, opposite wall. I did take part here by doing the color glazing of the birds, flowers and insects.

Another wall here has 8 of my fancifal fish.

The room is quite stunning with all its interactive gizmos, floors light up with flowers where you walk in one area....

This is Orion from the Constellation Wall, he bears a striking resemblence to Gary, my husband.

And this is Jon Thorpe the personna in charge of art for Mayo Eau Claire...he makes it possible for us.

available work

2011-10-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

OPENING is CLOSED

(or only partially ajar)

Upcoming Show:

At Margy's

~~Open Studio~~
~~November 13, 2011~~

Due to wonderfully unexpected

curcumstances,

work which must be finished

in short order,

the afore promissed

Open Studio has been cancelled.

My studio will be packed with spread out work which will not allow for lots of visitors at once.

I won't have space for an "opening" type event, open area for more than 5 people, nor appropriate space for guest artists.

HOWEVER!

Please do come by

any weekday by appointment

I have plenty of displayed work available!

Sunflowers large tile

Medium sized Dragonfly Bowl

Large Platter

Curly Tree Large Bowl

Small bowl

Butterfly platter

Large Bowl

Large Fish Bowl

~~Upcoming Show:~~

~~Open Studio~~

~~November 13, 2011~~

~~At Margy's~~

Fresh Art Tour

2011-10-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

http://www.freshart.org/

OCTOBER 7 - 8 - 9,

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

At John Turula's studio,
Site # 15 on the map (see website above)
Upcoming OPEN STUDIO
at Margy Jean's, Sunday NOVEMBER 13th
It's fall and the leaves are peaking, glowing, stunning..........Lots of new work including several platters, the kind you can leave out on the deck for bright color................John T. has the parts laid out at his studio (which you can glimpse if you come to Fresh Art) for a huge wall installation soon to be mosaic-ed into Eau Claire's Mayo (Luther) Hospital for the Pediatric wing. I am glad to have been able to help out a small part too............... I have stuff in a gallery in Stillwater now, TAMARAK............ ABODE in Stockholm is still doing a great job representing my work, and CORNERSTONE Gallery in Baraboo, I also try to keep current there, although it is pretty far to keep the work fresh...............Now beginning a school of fish, for consideration at the Eau Claire site.............. Just finished up a beautiful commemorative bench that turned out as I had hoped made of welded iron (not my part) and three tall flower garden tiles on the back.

2011-09-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

HTA

The Tile Festival is this Friday Night

and all Saturday!

COME FRIDAY NIGHT, FAMILY NIGHT,

GREAT ACTIVITIES,

AND FOOD AND A

TILE ART EXTRAVAGANZA!

In the old Sears Tower on Lake Street

click below for info

TILE FESTIVAL WEBSITE

TAMARACK

2011-08-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

Bird: The Elements33" X 14" $725

Fox on Ridge @10" W

The Crossing @ 12" wide $100

Fantasy Bowl wall hanging @ 18 1/2"

MOON FLOWERS backsplash grouted, heavy! @ 19 X 19"

HILLS another backsplash, grouted in iron Each $400

BRIGHT MUSIC Platter 16 1/2"

same of a lg floral piece. Platters are $150 to $350 depending on final quality

BIRD small bowl 6" $50

sample of RED HILL a design I often do similar 10" W $200

OCEAN TREE 28 X 36" alltogether Was $900 but has small repair so negotiable

Sample figure sold @ 10" H $225

8" tile Lemons and Tomatoes $80

6 piece VOLCANO MOON available 18" H X 36 W My $700

2011 show schedule

2011-05-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

2011 ArT sChEdUlE

July 9th I'll be at ANDERSON FARM, in Red Wing, MN with John Turula

July 16 STOCKHOLM ART FAIR, Stockholm, Wisconsin

July 30 ABODE GALLERY, Stockholm, Wisconsin demonstartion day

August 20 ARTIGRAS, Rochester, MN

September 17 HTA HANDMADE TILE ASSOCIATION TILE FESTIVAL, Minneapolis Central Market on Lake Street

October 1 and 2 FRESH ART TOUR at John Turula's

November 13 HOME STUDIO SHOW chez moi with guests

2011-04-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Working on tiles throughout the early winter months
was steady, peaceful, beautiful. Here are a few of the new tiles as well as this year's tenative art fair schedule.

"Sunflower"- A summer flower with winter colors

First show of the year: The Creative Drive
April 30th and May 1st, the weekend before Mother's Day
http://www.thecreativedrive.com
I'll be at the Silver Bison Ranch with a festival including music and food, baby bison on green pasture and many artists.

June 18th is Solstice on Grand in Chippewa Falls, WI
on the grounds of the historic Cook-Rutledge Mansion located at 505 W. Grand Ave. in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

July 9th I'll be at Anderson Farm in Red Wing with John Turula

August 20th ARTIGRAS in Rochester, MN

"Birches"- birch trees are a good fit for tiles

September 17th Handmade Tile Association
Festivalhttp://www.handmadetileassociation.org/MNTileFestival.htm

This year at The Midtown Market in Mpls

"After Matisse"- insprired by a gorgeous and huge Matisse painting.

October-first weekend, FRESH ART TOUR
I'll be at John Turula's site with Mark Neubel too.

HOME SHOW
OPEN STUDIO
AT MY HOME STUDIO
November 13th

"Red Sunset"- Wisconsonian imagery

"Dragonfly"- I keep trying dragonflies, I am an amateur Odonata hound, this is about my favorite so far.

"The Girls"- my grandaughters with dandelion crown and bouquets

"Backyard Silouhette"- winter brings owls, deer, turkey.......

Artist Statement

2011-01-31T18:03:00.000-08:00

     The medium of handmade tile is a culmination of many artistic directions explored over the years, especially experiences in drawing, etching, batik, enamel and cloisonné, pastels and painting.

     Naturalist interests and imagination are both evident in my design and subject mater. The palate is bright color, composition modern and style free.

     I learned the skills of making stoneware tile from John Turula, a neighboring artist who is well known for his fanciful outdoor stacked sculptures, imaginative computer creations and his local magazine, www.alocalvoice.org. Turula’s expertise in achieving bright glaze color is evident in my work.

     As a Minneapolis Elementary school science teacher, my students found art omnipresent. Young students, many of them non native speakers, could experience science and codify what they learned through art, showing their understanding through visual expression.

     I have become immersed in the creative exploration found in the handmade tile making process, often forgetting everything as the million small decisions of design, color and technique melt away everything else. The visual and tactile manipulation of materials and ideas results in a conceptual essence of my perspective. Each effort gives me a gift of absorbed concentration and timelessness.

     The unique quality of making one tile at a time feels right to me. Coarse red clay is rolled out and cut. I etch and compose a design to fit within the framework of a nearly dry cut tile shape after one day of drying. The cut may be freeform, shaped or with a randomly lopped off corner, which appeals to me.
Glazed, while greenware with commercial glazes, each layer of color is laid three coats thick between etch lines with very small (sizes #00-1) paint brushes. After the clay becomes bone dry, it is high fired to stoneware in an electric kiln. Another glazing and firing to a low temperature adds intensity to colors. The process stretches over three to six weeks.

     Design choices often arise from the concepts of dichotomies and of elemental entities. I see the wide awake beauty of physical the world, bold and endlessly fresh, juxtaposing the murky and double edged aspects of reality.

     I am mindful of the vibrant sub atomic elements, becoming concrete realities, rocks, sky, the Earth, living things. This speaks to me and feeds my wonderment and drive. Retired now from a career as an Elementary Science and Gifted/Talented teacher, perhaps these themes make sense. Often there is a moon or stars or trees in my imagery.

     Elements, earth, air, water, fire, combined with my intention, twenty-one days, oceans of ideas, vitrified mud to rock through heat of stellar intensity, painted in melted glass color, made to last for millennia. Thus my fascination.
     My tile studio shop, welcome to visitors, is in a pole barn at home in a rolling river valley of Western Wisconsin, about 45 minutes from St. Paul, MN. Margy Jean Balwierz can be reached via her website www.handmadetiles.blogspot.com

Rosalie

2011-01-28T04:59:00.000-08:00

Rosalie, I have 11 photos here. There are 2 Dreaming Frogs here which I etched the same but colored differently. There are also 2 gardens, 1 is 6" and one a bit larger and trapezoidal. I also added one of the 3 flowers you earlier had interest in, Yellow Flower, and a Green Heron which was a fun one to do so now I'm working on a Great Blue Heron..

1.Sunflower

2. Six Inch Moon Garden in the design of the Large Oval I did before. The detail is tight, but works.

3.Thistle ala DeMorgan

4. Dreaming frog 1

4. same frog, sorry I can't seem to move it! See Dreaming Frog 2 below

5. Crows

6. Blue and WhiteFlowers

7. Bloodroot Flower

8. Garden Moontrapezoid shape about 8" at lower edge

9. Yellow Flower

10. Green Heron

11. Dreaming Frog 2, slightly different, colors...

2011-01-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

Upcoming Show
at The L.E. Phillips Library, Eau Claire, WI
January 16th- February 19th, Opening Jan 20th
"Clay X 4 @ Longitude 92 – Four Wisconsin Artists Manipulating Clay"

This show includes John Turula, John Onkka, Marty Pearson, and myself. We all live near the 92 degree Longitudinal Line in Western Wisconsin (hmmmm) and this is a shows to exhibit some of the ways we use clay to express ourselves creatively in a non-utilitarian and strictly art for art's sake way.
http://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/

2010-11-15T06:39:00.000-08:00

Sunday

December 12th

10 am to 5pm

OPEN STUDIO

Always WELCOME any day call ahead

FEATURING LIVE MUSIC

TIM HENNESSEY

well known Twin Cities guitarist

GUEST ARTISTS:

JOHN TURULA
www.alocalvoice.org
imaginative useful ceramic sculpture,
painting, whimsical computer art and writing:
www.nopointinK.com
GARY EGGER
winful prints and cards of netural woodlands
JOHN AND DEB KOCH
http://www.troutlilystudios.com/
fine woodcut prints and cards
MARGY JEAN BALWIERZ
www.handmadetiles.blogspot.com
Handmade tile paintings

Directions:

South of Baldwin on Hwy 63

East (left) on Hwy 29E
(1 1/2 mi)

South (right EXACTLY 2.5 mi)

N7107 County Rd N

715-778-4473

kitchen backsplash

2010-09-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

Backsplash installed into a Red Wing, MN, Arts and Crafts home.

Installed Hudson, WI backsplash

This is an interview with the owner of the Red Wing kitchen

Q. How did it come about that you chose handmade tiles for your kitchen?

A. I did a lot of looking around in the Twin Cities at tile shops, and looking for what might be a good fit. I have an Arts and Craft house and I liked the idea of a focus backsplash to fit that style.

Q. What did you expect out of a backsplash made of handmade tiles?

At first I thought the prices seemed a bit spendy, but then thought, I’m not going to be doing that large a space so it doesn’t seem like too big a deal. A. Well, I didn’t quite know what to expect, but then I happened upon the Handmade Tile Association place (Clay Squared to Infinity) and leafed through the HTA catalogue. They were working there in the back and I could see they could do just about anything I wanted. I thought, that looks like something that’s interesting.

Q. Then you wanted handmade tile?

A. I was inspired. After seeing that and thinking about it some more I decided that maybe I’d have it done like that. I decided I wanted a local scene, woodsy. I thought I didn’t want the contemporary or too modern a look.

Q. How did it work from there?

A. I asked at my local design place (Bella Casa Red Wing) if I could order tiles through them from the (HTA) catalogue and they were the ones who suggested I should find a local artist to work with. They put me onto someone nearby, someone that would work directly with me.
The artist came to my house and we talked about what I wanted, I explained my ideas for an outdoor design and we looked at color and glaze samples. I showed images of what I had seen in the catalogue, what I liked and what I didn’t want also. Afterwards she sent me designs and cost estimates. I found a good local tile installer, who had worked with glass tiles before, and then I decided to go with it.

Q. Did the result meet your expectations?

A. I think it exceeded my expectations!

Q. How did the tile installer feel about working with the handmade tiles.

A. Well, in sizing the tiles he had to set them out and check out the spacing, there is more variation and he needed to take a bit of care for spacing so that grout lines are even. But he was really impressed with the backsplash scene itself, I think he really got a kick out of that and he said he’d tell people about that.

Q. What was the affect of the work on your home?

A. I think it accents the subtlety of the Arts and Crafts style of my home, it helps with that. I think it enhances the whole house a lot. You know, the colors we went with aren’t as dark as the classic Arts and Crafts style, I thought the dark greens and such would have been too dark. I do have an Arts and Crafts house but as I’m getting older, light is important The kitchen is now a focus and you are drawn right to it
I’m going to hang Arts and Crafts styled stained glass to the middle window.

Q. Do you know anyone who collects tile?

A. No, no I don’t, but I am turned on to handmade tiles and it’s got me thinking now about maybe getting some house numbers made for outside the door and on the mailbox. So now I’m thinking about that and what I might do next.

Q. Did the result meet your expectations?

A. I think it exceeded my expectations!

Q. Would you recommend the Handmade Tile association and catalogue to others?

A. Oh sure, I’d recommend it strongly!

Flowers

2010-09-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

Blue

Yellow

Red

2010-06-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

Handmade Tile Association

Tile Festival

The Sweedish Institute, Minneapolis

Sept 18, 10-5

Sticks and Stones 3 day Art Fair

Fri eve Sept 24- Sunday Sept 26

Mora, MN

Fresh Art Fall Tour

first weekend in October

http://www.freshart.org/index.htm

Pierce County WI

at John Turula's studio

OPEN STUDIO
an afternoon with other local artists/friends
December 12

*Bloomington MN Art Center Home Show Jan- March
*LE Phillips Memorial Library, Eau Claire, Art Show January
*Silver Bison Ranch Baldwin WI, Creative Drive Art TourSunday before Mother's Day, Baldwin WI
*artTILE 2010 May-JuneIndigenous GalleryCincinnati, Ohio
*Solstice on Grand Art Faire Chippewa Falls, WI, June 19
*St Kate's Art Fair, St Paul, MN July 11
*Stockholm Art Fair, July 17, 10-5pm
*Artigras! Rochester, MN, August 21 Saturday 9-5

2010-05-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

A myriad of butterflies....The tiles are made into steppingstone pavers for a sidewalk
for freedom Park in Prescott. Swallowtail, Red Admiral, Morning Cloak and Monarch

And another butterfly fluttering by.............................................>

Anatomical

2010-05-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

New Work
anatomical sketches on tile.
Approx 11 X 15 "

2010-03-12T04:33:00.000-08:00

Galleries and other plces to see MJB work:

Abode Gallery
Stockholm, Wisconsin

Tamarack Gallery,
Stillwater, MN

Cornerstone Gallery
101 4th Street
Baraboo, Wisconsin

Freedom Park
Prescott, Wisconsin

360 Gallery,
Mpls, MN

Mayo Hospital Eau Claire, WI
INSTALLATIONS

Pediartrics :
CONSTELLATIONS
FISHES

Healing Atrium:
TRANQUIL WATER

2010-01-13T07:11:00.000-08:00

The Boomington MN Art Center's Art in the Home Show
begins with an OPENING Friday January 15th from 6 to 8 pm and runs through March 12th. It is a show featuring beautiful wood furniture from the Xylos gallery, and several HTA handmade Tile Association artists' work.
This is one of the three pieces I have there, it is a large freeform, slump molded bowl that I keep on my deck in the summer. I have been working at making these bowls for about a year, have completed a half a dozen, but still have almost no control over the shape. Lots to learn. This is my favorite to date. bloomingtonartcenter.com

2009-12-22T13:50:00.000-08:00

The longest night breaks into bright snow....The longest decade ends and will hopefully bring brighter tomorrows.

Holidays are bringing me back to older images. I begin a set of Lavendar Guitar Girl and Bloodroot. Spent hours etching and ready to glaze!

Upcoming Bloomington Art Center "Art in The Home" Show. January 15-March.

2009-11-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

Open Studio At Margy's
Four artists
December 6th Sunday 10-6pm
(You are WELCOME ANYTIME call ahead 778-4473)

Margy Jean Balwierz Tiles

John Turula, John and Sophie Koch

Contacts:

Directions to Open Studio:
From Hwy 94

SOUTH at Baldwin (about 7 mi) to Red Barn Gas Station

EAST/ LEFT at Hwy 29 EAST about 1 1/2 miles
SOUTH/ RIGHT at County Rd N towards El Paso
EXACTLY 2.5 miles to N 7107

2009-10-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

Oh Man O Man, Fall is set and I'm going in 16 directions making tiles with John Turula (nopointinK.com and alocalvoice.com ), Making tiles for Austin Texas (Stratacaster/Tele imagery), Tiles for Northfield, MN (fish-haven't started these), and Frig magnets (OMG) for a Telaquepaque shop in Sedona. Hmmmmmmmm what would I like to see created now? I'd like to see Gary create a radio station to outlest his massive comedic and revolutionary talent! HMMMMMMMMMM.

2009-09-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

TWO SHOWS!

The Tile Festival

THIS SATURDAY

September 19th
at the Sweedish Institute

2600 Park Avenue

Mpls

10:00-5:00

AND:

FRESH ART Studio Tour

October 2,3,4 (Fri-Sun)
(I'll be at John Turula's site15 on the map)

http://www.freshart.org/

2009-09-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

Tiles shows coming up:

The Handmade Tile Festival in Minneapolis September 19th at the Sweedish Institute.

Fresh Art Tour the first weekend of October.

2009-09-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

A few tiles that are new and a couple of older favorites.

2009-07-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

Certain images keep coming around to me time after time. Glacier Park Montana this summer will probably inspire another fresh perspective on the world of Beautiful Earth.

Kitchen Color

2009-07-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

2009-07-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

ST. KATE'S JULY 25th!
"ALL AROUND" Rounded Wallhanging

Studio view

From my studio

2009-07-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

ART AT ST KATE'S is coming up quickly. The beautiful campus lawn and select art should make for a lovely day. July 25th

http://www.artistscircle.info/

2009-05-29T05:06:00.000-07:00

Here is the huge platter GALLAXY featured on my last posting. It is an outdoor piece, sitting on the deck.

Beads are one way I use up scrap clay and I aspire to make a perfect gem.

Flower Themes are a constant endeavor.

I continue to make fish, also out of leftover clay and have a growing collection. This one is called Fish in a costume.

2009-05-05T17:45:00.000-07:00

This is a large freeform bowl/platter that was made in a slump mold. This slump mold was a round hole cut in a piece of plywood. I set a large enough piece of 1/4 inch clay over it and let it sink in. When it was firm I etched on a design and used tiny brushes to enter glaze. It was fired twice, Cone 3 and Cone 06.

At Luther Hospital

2009-04-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

This is Tranquil Water, a 21 tile composition, 5' in height. It is hanging in The Healing Garden atrium, Luther Hospital in Eau Claire, WI.

Backsplash Ready-to-Hang

2009-04-27T08:13:00.001-07:00

4 Trees tray.

Fire Flower Backsplash.

Rolling Hills Backsplash

Moonlight Flowers Backsplash.

Prairie Lake Backsplash

These are tile compositions grouted and framed up in angle iron. They're ready to hang or set behind your stove or sink.

Any idea can be made to order.

Contact: kikofish@svtel.net

2009 Shows

2009-04-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

Tiles are available at these fine home furnishing shops:
Cabin Chic and Cabin Chic Garden Shop, in Osseo WI
(across from the pie shop). and
Abode, in Stockholm, WI on Spring Street
http://www.abodeinteriorsltd.com/
2009:
August 22, ARTigras
Rochester Art Center
Rochester, MN
August 31-September 20th "The Nature of Tile"
Edina Art Center Show
http://www.edinaartcenter.com/
September 19 The Minnesota Tile Festival
Minneapolis, MN http://www.handmadetileassociation.org/
October 2,3 and 4th Fresh Art Tour
www.freshart.org
May 2&3 The Creative Drive at The Silver Bison Ranch Baldwin, WI http://www.thecreativedrive.com/SilverBisonRanchInfo.html
June 7 Art Along The Willow River Willow River State Park 1034 County Rd A, Hudson, WI
June 20 Summer Solstice Art Show The Cook-Rutledge Mansion 505 W. Grand Ave., Cheppewa Falls, WI
July 25 Art at St. Kate's 10am-6pm On the lawn at The College of St. Katherine St. Paul, MN http://www.artistscircle.info/

My Kitchen

2009-04-27T06:38:00.000-07:00

These are from my home kitchen. The same bowls of vegetables are put in various pictures, but these are different ares of the kitchen: first behind the stovetop, then next to the telephone, the counter left of the sink, and the last photo isof the tiles in a baking alcove. My husband chose the aqua field tile color. You can see large tiles are set around as focus tiles and many tiny vegetable tiles are scattered around too. kikofish@svtel.net

My Cosmos

2009-04-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

Close up and full -freeform flower tile. 18" wide.

Some favorite subjectmatter:animals, people,earth and sky with elemental macro/micro-cosmos/atomic designs.

Harlequin

Sunflower

Mountain Scene

Fruit

Fantasia Flowers

Here's a large tile backed to hang on the wall.