Woven Tile No.5

About Woven Tile No.5

This contemporary ceramic wall tile is handmade.

Bill Greaves exhibits and has attracted collectors of fine ceramic art both here in Canada and the U.S. A former architect, Greaves continues to experiment and explore the properties of clay, often making hundreds of test tiles to find glazes, colours and patterns he likes. His work centers on hand-built vessels whose surfaces are scraped and carved to create unique details. But, he has begun to integrate his architectural background with his ceramic work by also creating ceramic surfaces—murals and tiles for buildings and furniture. This series of individual square tiles exhibits his superb craftsmanship. The colours are earthy and rich, the textures visible, and the woven patterns distinctive. This tile is a dark clay colour, with craquelure detail and a pop of turquoise coloured puzzle-piece like shapes. One of a series that, when grouped together, make an attractive wall composition.

“I want the qualities of the material—the clay to be ‘front and center’. It’s so malleable. The possibilities seem endless. It’s a constant drum beat of experimentation.” Bill Greaves

“Bill uses the coil-building technique to create his forms and then smooths and carves extensively. He precisely glazes each ridge and mark to create a surface full of variation and balance. It’s sculptural, detailed and full of presence.” vesselsandsticks.com

William Greaves received a Master of Architecture from Yale University and was a practising architect in NYC for several years before he became an artist full-time. He studied ceramics at Alex Yeung Studio in Toronto from 2017 to 2019. His studio was set up in 2020 and is near Consecon, Ontario. His work is shown here in Ontario and in NYC.