Recycled Glass Tile: Radiant and Intricate

Deliberately broken glass, recycled from the waste of commercial glass companies in northern California, the tile collections of Ellen Blakeley Studio are handcrafted to create an elegant mosaic surfacing material.
 
Every tile is made by hand in an intricate process involving painting, layering, and hand placing the broken tempered glass to make a flat surface, which is then grouted and sealed to finish the tile.

The company, founded by professional ceramist Ellen Blakeley, is committed to producing tiles that are fade resistant and durable using sanded water based grout and low VOC paints. Two-part epoxy resin is used minimally to bind the separate elements together. The product is a laminate of backer board and glass that cuts easily on a wet saw.  
 
All tiles and panels are hand made to order, are available in a 45-color palette or can be customized to work with specific paint colors and materials, such as wallpapers, textiles, photographs, foliage and text.

Ellen just won Best in Show in the international Mosaic Art Now competition juried by Dr. Scott Shields of the Crocker Museum. Shields characterized her entry, a three-dimensional work using shattered safety glass and various surface treatments on a substrate of Live Oak tree bark, as “a complex and yet very subtle piece."

I think there is something lovely about a fine artist using her technique to create decorative and sustainable materials.