Terracotta Tiles: Each Piece a Different Color

A close-up of a handmade terracotta floor tile. The tiles are square or hexagonal, about twenty centimeters, with noticeable thickness. Colors range from warm orange-red to deep ochre-brown, with each tile unique due to varying kiln positions—those closer to the fire are darker, those further are lighter, some with firing black spots. The surface is unglazed, only acquiring a mellow luster from years of waxing and foot traffic, revealing clay particles and subtle undulations. The edges of the tiles are not perfectly straight, causing variations in joint width; the grout is a beige color close to the tile color. A few tiles have cracks and chips, which have not been replaced. Light falls obliquely, creating subtle highlights and shadows on the undulating surface. Avoid: using machine-produced uniform tiles, making all tiles the same color, using high-gloss glaze, making joints perfectly regular and even in width.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

一片手工赤陶地磚的近景。磚是方形或六角形,約二十公分,厚度明顯;顏色從溫暖的橘紅到深赭褐都有,因為窯燒的位置不同而每一塊都不一樣,靠近火的顏色深、遠的淺,有些帶著燒製的黑斑。表面沒有上釉,只有多年使用後打蠟與踩踏形成的溫潤光澤,可以看見陶土的顆粒與細微的凹凸。磚的邊緣不完全平直,因此接縫的寬度有變化,填縫是與磚色接近的米色。少數幾塊有裂紋與缺角,沒有更換。光斜射過來,在起伏的表面上形成細微的明暗。避免:使用機器量產的均勻磁磚、讓所有磚的顏色一致、使用高光的釉面、把接縫做得規整等寬。