Wild about tiles

Pair of friends create ceramic magic by molding colorful clay

By JOHN STANG

Tile By Fire" will get its trial by fire today at a community arts and crafts show in Bigfork.

This will be the debut for a new venture by longtime Flathead ceramic artists Walker Davis and Wendy Anderson, who recently created a custom-made decorative tile business called "Tile by Fire."

They plan to debut their tiles among the works of roughly 20 other artists at the Swan River hall, across the street from Echo Lake Cafe. The show runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ceramic art fascinates the pair.

Making pottery. Painting it. Molding figurines on hanging tiles. Painting them.

The women have bought several dozen figurine molds, including mermaids, monkeys and elephants.

They mold the figurines and arrange them in different combinations on the tiles before glazing and firing them in their kilns.

The pair is attracted to this art by the creativity of taking a lump of rubbery clay and changing it into something beautiful.

Hands doing what the brain thinks. The clay's texture in their fingers. The constant experimentation.

"Walker taught me to ask the question: What if I do this?" Anderson said.

The two prod and push, help and advise each other.

Davis said: "I'll do six tiles. She'll do six tiles. Then we'll argue whose is better. She'll fix things on mine. I'll fix things on hers,"

The two interact so much to where they spontaneously riff off each other's thoughts.

"The clay is responsive to you. The clay is talking back," Davis said.

Anderson popped in: "When you open the kiln, you never know what you'll get. It's magic when you open the kiln."

Davis interjected: "It's a crapshoot."

Anderson, 50, of rural Bigfork and Davis, 43, of Kalispell, each became interested in ceramics at their high schools in Maine and Wisconsin, respectively.

"You start working in clay, you fall in love with it. The feel. The smell. It's so sensuous, so forgiving. … The great thing about clay, you can make a mistake, you can squish it out and start again," Davis said.

Anderson said: "Once you touch clay, you're in for life. It either grabs you or it doesn't. …. It's intuitive, sensual. It's about form and color and fun."

Davis added: "It's mostly about fun."

Anderson studied at college in Maine and New Hampshire before moving to Missoula and then 17 years ago to Bigfork. Since then, she painted, created pottery, earned a college degree in art history and taught art in school for a few years.

One of her main focuses today is painting ceramic bowls, goblets and figurines. Her work is on display at Art Fusion in Bigfork.

Davis studied ceramic arts in Sun Valley, Idaho, where she met the late Dave Shaner, an internationally known ceramic artist from rural Bigfork, who died a few years ago. She moved to Kalispell more than 20 years ago and held a variety of jobs, including being a day-care operator, while painting and creating pottery.

Davis is the creator of Walker Ware - ceramic bowls with whimsical creatures and scenes painted on them. They are strong sellers at Roma's in Bigfork.

The two women met 17 years ago when Anderson put her son and daughter in Davis's day-care center. They became friends. A few years ago, they starting painting and doing other art projects together in their homes. They drifted into decorations to hang on walls, and fell in love with the art form.

Then the pair decided to try to sell the elaborately decorated tiles.

Meanwhile, last summer, Anderson bought the late Shaner's rural Bigfork home and ceramic studio from his family.

At the end of summer, the pair began tiles in earnest, with roughly 100 made so far.

Now, the question is whether a market exists for their tiles.

Both chorused: "That's what we'll find out."