Natalie Blake Studios

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Natalie Blake Studios Sculptural ceramic pods, tiles and vessels, hand-carved in our Brattleboro, VT studio.

Sensuous and curvilinear, Natalie Blake Studios' tiles are handmade, sgraffito-carved, high-fired ceramic wall art and backsplash tiles, unique in their undulating quality. These gorgeous ceramic tiles transform your two dimensional wall space into a three dimensional sculpture with a delicate play of light and a surface quality reminiscent of a fine tapestry, quilt or carpet. Each tile is hand-carved in lush themes, including botanical, figurative and seaform, and finished with thirty-two glazes.

This was one of the earlier stages of creating Spirit of the Seasons.We laid out the twelve sections of the disk, each r...
09/29/2026

This was one of the earlier stages of creating Spirit of the Seasons.

We laid out the twelve sections of the disk, each representing one of the twelve seasons from the Yukon guide that inspired the work.

The original guide was already so beautiful, and I was curious to see what would happen when I took its circular structure and translated it into my own three dimensional visual language. Here you see me beginning to bring the initial drawings we made to life.

Once I decided to create an abstract interpretation of the Spirit of the Seasons guide, I began figuring out how that ci...
09/29/2026

Once I decided to create an abstract interpretation of the Spirit of the Seasons guide, I began figuring out how that circular information could translate onto my own disk.

I mapped out the twelve seasons and started working out how the divisions would radiate from the center.

At this stage, it was still mostly lines and measurements but I could already see the potential for something much more organic and sculptural.

The inspiration for this piece came from a beautiful circular season guide created for Spirit of the Seasons, a hunting ...
09/29/2026

The inspiration for this piece came from a beautiful circular season guide created for Spirit of the Seasons, a hunting and fishing guide of the Yukon Territory.

I was immediately drawn to the design of the guide itself. The way all of that information was organized into a circle was incredibly beautiful to me.

Rather than reproduce the guide, I wanted to take that structure and create my own abstract interpretation of it.

That became the starting point for this piece.

I was inspired by the textures and colors of earlier Dune tiles that I had created.These smaller samples helped me see h...
09/29/2026

I was inspired by the textures and colors of earlier Dune tiles that I had created.

These smaller samples helped me see how different combinations worked together and gave me a chance to experiment before committing to the larger piece.

They helped me find the balance between the cooler blues and greens and the warmer tones that eventually became part of the finished work.

After mapping out the twelve sections onto the disk, it was time to start carving.This is always an exciting stage for m...
09/29/2026

After mapping out the twelve sections onto the disk, it was time to start carving.

This is always an exciting stage for me because this is when the piece begins to come to life. Lines that had existed only in my head or on paper suddenly became something tangible, something I could touch and carve.

With a piece this large and circular, I truly had to lock-in and focus, but watching the pattern emerge as I worked made it completely worth it.

The original Spirit of the Seasons guide divided the year into twelve seasons, and I carried that idea directly into the...
09/29/2026

The original Spirit of the Seasons guide divided the year into twelve seasons, and I carried that idea directly into the structure of my piece.

I carved the disk into twelve pie-shaped sections, creating a circular framework for the artwork.

I really loved the idea of taking something that was originally created as a practical guide for hunting and fishing in the Yukon and translating it into an abstract visual language.

There’s always a moment in a project when I finally get to step back and see the whole thing rather than all the individ...
09/29/2026

There’s always a moment in a project when I finally get to step back and see the whole thing rather than all the individual pieces.

That moment was especially exciting with Spirit of the Seasons.

I had taken the circular season guide that inspired me and transformed it into a much more abstract design, with twelve sections radiating around the center.

Seeing the colors and carved forms come together into one complete circle was incredibly satisfying.

Don't you just love it when a piece can change depending on how close you are to it?With Spirit of the Seasons, the over...
09/29/2026

Don't you just love it when a piece can change depending on how close you are to it?

With Spirit of the Seasons, the overall form is very bold and circular, but up close, there are all these smaller shifts in color, texture and movement.

I wanted each of the twelve sections to have its own character while still feeling like part of one continuous design.

One of the things I really enjoyed about creating Spirit of the Seasons was exploring the color palette.I wanted the pie...
09/29/2026

One of the things I really enjoyed about creating Spirit of the Seasons was exploring the color palette.

I wanted the piece to have the feeling of the Yukon with the deep blues and greens alongside warmer earthy tones and flashes of orange.

These close-up sections were part of that exploration. I was looking at how the colors could move around the circular form while still feeling connected to the twelve seasons represented in the design.

There’s something I really love about working on a piece like this.I spent a lot of time shaping these abstract petals, ...
09/24/2026

There’s something I really love about working on a piece like this.

I spent a lot of time shaping these abstract petals, playing with the curves and movement and thinking about how they would interact with Cynthia’s mandala at the center.

I wanted them to feel like they were moving outward naturally, almost like petals being blown away by a breeze.

Little by little, piece by piece, it started coming together.

Address

Brattleboro, VT

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18022549761

Website

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