Norma Hanlon &
Kirsten Hanlon Walstead

We are a mother-daughter team who collaborate to produce our custom tiles. The first tiles we made were of sunfish that were installed in the family bathroom in 1991. These tiles were the inspiration for our line of handmade ceramic tiles that incorporate images from the natural world.

Norma Hanlon (the Mother) has been a professional artist since 1971 when she left the field of journalism to pursue her passion for pottery making. In 1983 she began art classes at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. She had special interests in various media, including: paper making, printmaking, drawing, and painting. She continued on with her classes, eventually completing both her Bachelors of Fine Arts and Masters of Fine Arts degrees.

Kirsten Hanlon Walstead (the daughter) began her art career at a very early age. As her mother began working with clay, she played around in her mother's basement studio while still a toddler, making her own little creatures and monsters in clay. Over the years, the medium that Norma worked in changed, but Kirsten's interest in art never waned. In the early 1980's her mother began making handmade paper and Kirsten began her first job making handmade paper note cards for her. Kirsten graduated from Kansas State University in 1996 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in graphic design. While in college, Kirsten re-acquired her special interest in ceramics and especially enjoyed experimenting with unusual firing techniques and raku. It was during her summer vacations, working with her mother and her older sister, Lara, that the business now known as Fresh Fish Ceramic Tiles was begun.

Today, we work full-time as a mother-daughter team. Although we do work out of separate studios in order to keep our wonderful mother-daughter relationship intact, we still collaborate on all of our designs. We have also enlisted the help of other family members. They pack boxes, cut wood, put frames together and help out with other studio tasks.

The tiles we carry are dramatically sculptured in high relief with images from the natural world. The designs include creatures from wetlands, lakes and earth; flowers; fruit and vegetables; and a coffee and tea series.

The artists handcraft each tile from a very coarse, white clay body. then a reverse plaster mold is made of the original sculpture. Molds are created to insure that multiple tiles are finished with equal dimensions for installations. The artists then hand press and hand glaze each tile. The tiles are fired to the stoneware temperature of 2140 degrees. This gives the tiles a permanent finish to add exciting accents to kitchen and bathroom backsplashes. The tiles will personalize a shower or tub area and add just the right natural touch to a country home fireplace surround.

Each tile is made to be hung on a wall as a decorative accent with a wire hanger on the back. This wire hanger can be easily removed for permanent installation or the tile can be ordered without the hanger. Tile bases are 3/8 inch to 1/2 inch thick. They are fired to stoneware temperatures with permanent glazes. Background colors can be ordered to coordinate with most color schemes. Twenty-eight basic colors are available (click here to see them). Designs are glazed with natural accent colors or tiles can be glazed a solid overall color.

The relief tiles are arranged and grouped with handmade field tiles and mosaic tiles to create "paintings in clay" that can be installed in bathrooms, above sinks and stoves or as a focal point in an entryway.

Our Artsts will be happy to create an original tile that best reflects your own imagination. Prices for creating a unique tile mold start at $60.00. An additional fee will be charged for each tile the artist creates.

To place an order for custom tiles visit us in at our gallery or call us toll free at 1-866-OBX-ARTS.

 

 

Policies

  1. Returns: Handmade tiles are as is. Discrepancies between samples and finished pieces will occur. Returns are at the discretion of the artist and installation is acceptance of the product. 25% restocking fee for returns after 30 days.
  2. For tile designs not in current production, a charge my be applied at the discretion of the artist.
  3. Shipping charges:
         10% of purchase price.
         Minimum shipping charge is $8.50.
  4. Rush orders: 25% additional charge for orders requested for delivery in 3 weeks or less.
  5. 25% charge for any special requests including over–glazed edges.
  6. 10% charge for mosaics framed in white.
  7. All orders are to be prepaid in full.
  8. Allow six to eight weeks for delivery.