About Our Art Tile

Features of Relief Tile

Artistic discipline: Relief is art that slightly or greatly raises the design elements from its background in a three dimensional carving. That's how we we design and sculpt the model for each style of tile. After a series of specialized steps to preserve the model for replication, we make the tiles one at a time by hand. Thus, all of our tiles are correctly perceived as original art.

Clay body: Our specially formulated architectural clay body is frost and thaw proof, so our tiles are suitable for both interior and exterior use.

Tile Size: The traditional methods we use to give our tile the slight variations in size that are the mark of authentic hand crafting. The sizes given are close approximations and usually vary less than 1/8 of an inch.

Glaze Colors: We use our own glazing recipes to complement our clay body. We make them in small batches from nature's materials. Elements directly from the earth show a range and diversity similar to that of stone and marble; thus, our glazes reflect that fluctuation in their interesting variations. Please refer to the glaze descriptions before ordering to check the glaze range and finish. We can provide you with samples that have the typical characteristics of a glaze. Click Here to see our Purchase Information.

Features Of Ancient Stone Fresco Paintings

Purpose: Tile developed Ancient Stone Finish Fresco paintings expressly to enhance the continuous space of stone installations. Limestone, travertine and tumbled marble principally benefit from the paintings' refined sense of beauty.

Contemporary Interpretations: Fresco is the time honored technique that began with imbedding pigments into the primal rock of cave walls and reached its heights in the Renaissance. It is most properly a technique for the ornamentation of great walls where noble ideas are subject to contemplation. Today such contemplation is enclosed in the intimacy of small private interiors. In fitting tribute to this artistic tradition, Nocera Art Tile has interpreted the organic unity of the fresco technique with clay and glazes, and the portrayal of gracious themes on a small scale. Like its namesake, our Ancient Stone Fresco Collection is intended to improve with the passage of time to the appreciation of future generations.

Large size tile: Paintings are complete on a single tile so no grout lines to interrupt the composition. Hand made of our architectural clay body, at present sizes range from 10-16" square.

Painting surface: Special tiles are hand made by a technique that creates a surface with the feel of classic fresco. The painting surface is napped with a light grain and the tile's edges are softened. Every tile adds to the uniqueness of its painting, because like the images, no two are alike.

Paintings: Painted one by one, the artist uses each tile's distinctive surface qualities to make the painting appear to derive from the tile. He uses matte ceramic glazes and Nocera's proprietary Ancient Stone Finish to achieve the optimum "tempered fresco" effect. The painting technique and glazes, together with the single large tile, make the paintings akin to tasteful decorative art rather than ceramic tile.

Colors: The beauty of the Nocera Fresco palette is found in its natural earth pigment harmonies-powerful and subdued, subtle though vigorous. Like true fresco, the pigments Nocera uses are derived from clays and rock pigments. Stone, marble and brick pigmentation perfectly complement the Ancient Stone Fresco paintings whether they are located in the interior or out of doors.

Resilience: The painted image is fired to become a permanent part of the tile. It is then sealed, leaving it impervious to moisture and soil damage, and therefore, making it easy to care for. This feature makes it possible to use fine quality art work in places like a conservatory, bath, kitchen, entrance, sauna, cabana or pool.

Display: Either of two tasteful functional ways can be used to display an Ancient Stone Fresco painting.

• Installed into a wall: Paintings may be set directly in a stone or ceramic tile using the same setting methods. Alternately, installations can be devised to allow for easy removal at a later time.
  Accessories: to frame paintings, a well designed tile frame in Ancient Stone Finish and/or a liner of gemstone or tile molding reflects your personal taste.
• Hanging: Ancient Stone Fresco Paintings may be mounted and framed with tile or wood and hung like other wall art.

Exclusiveness: Ancient Stone Fresco paintings are a stock one-of-a-kind painting. Another rendering of the same image will be a close likeness. That's because the nuances of each tile's grain guide the artist, resulting in an individualized painting of the same image. These differences between paintings with the same image are the authenticating marks of hand painting. The assure you that there is no other exactly like it. Ancient Stone Fresco paintings are limited to an edition of fifty each and will be numbered and signed. A certificate of authenticity will be issued to the purchaser. See our Ancient Stone Fresco Collection

Acquiring Tile As Art

Our sculptured and painted tiles are sold individually as art objects that bring warmth and meaning to living or work space. Tender memories linger when you celebrate special moments with fine art. The distinctive collection includes gallery-quality glaze paintings on a single large tile, specially framed relief tiles, unframed tiles ready to hang, set on a display easel or install as regular tile, and tile topped wooden boxes. Please click on Art Tile Shop to see our current selections.

Catalog

This web site is our catalog. The site is updated as we add new designs, and you can print out information and pictures of any items you are interested in.

Top of Page