Hoarfrost Yampa Valley Ceramic Art Tile

A basin in northwest Colorado where the Yampa River runs through ranchland and the air sits cold for weeks in winter. The river stays open in long stretches; the vapour rising off it meets the still air over the valley floor and crystallises overnight. By morning the willows along the bank are dressed in white feathers, every branch coated, the whole bottom of the valley quiet and brittle. Photographers come for this. Locals just call it a cold morning.

Slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, in our family studio in Knoxville, Tennessee.