Elephant Tile

Size: 6 in × 6 in A bas-relief tile of a curled elephant, cast in my studio in Chiang Mai. The entire technique is built around layering. Every element sits at a slightly different height, creating depth within less than a quarter of an inch. The head and tusks come forward, the trunk coils in on itself, and the back and hind leg step down layer by layer to the flat surface of the tile. Tiles were sculpted this way in the 1800s, and the craft has mostly disappeared since. Read how they are made