Artisan Tile Northwest’s Annual Tile & Art Festival will take place on November 4th & 5th at Mount Baker Community Club. For more details go to:  http://artisantilenw.org/annual-festival/

Each year the Festival has a competition where artists can submit a tile that explores a particular theme. The winner of this competition is asked to design a commemorative tile for the following year. It’s traditionally been an image that evokes something unique to the Pacific Northwest. Here are a few examples: http://artisantilenw.org/2013-tile-fest/commemorative-tiles/

As last year’s winner I am honored to be working on the 2017 commemorative tile. This year I’ve carved over 50 dog tiles, so I wanted to incorporate a dog in some way. In a nod to the persistent rain of our region,  I chose to combine an umbrella (which frankly no one really uses) with the ubiquitous French Bulldog.  I’m excited to try out some different glaze options, possibly combining glossy glazes with matte or unglazed areas of the tile. More photos to come…