Provencale

Provencale belongs to that wonderful family of tile shapes that feels instantly familiar. Small glazed versions have appeared on walls for generations, often bringing ornament through shape alone.

There is an old fashioned charm to the original. Curves meet in a way that feels decorative without relying on imagery or elaborate detail. It belongs naturally to the language of traditional ceramics.

Take away the gloss, variation and decorative colour, however, and something quite different happens. The same outline suddenly feels remarkably graphic.

That was the idea behind Provencale. I wanted to keep the familiarity of the traditional tile while losing some of its nostalgia. Flat colour gives the shape a much more direct character.

It is a useful reminder that older decorative forms can have another life. They do not always need updating or reinventing. Sometimes they simply need stripping back.