Spiritiles
Houston Llew
Atlanta, Georgia
Each tile is created by hand with powdered glass on a thin copper “canvas” and is then kiln fired to an everlasting luster. The colors you see are the glass itself, with copper peeking through the translucent colors. No two are exactly alike. That is “crazing” you will notice on the face of the tile; the fine and quite intentional lines in the glass that capture the light and add to its brilliant organic glow.
The earliest known glass on metal art was discovered in a tomb on the island of Cyprus. In more recent times, the same process brought us Art Nouveau jewelry, Fabergé eggs, and Battersea boxes. Spiritiles are in very good company! Houston Llew studied under the artist Zingaro, who had inherited enameling techniques from the masters Craig Ruwe and Fred Ball. Zingaro found Houston to be a worthy apprentice and shared with him a precious gift-a luminous medium of glass fired to copper. Houston Llew currently resides in Atlanta where he continues to create his unique pieces.
