CARVED CODES - Clay Tiles
SEASON 7 | PROJECT 3/47 | 01.02.26
MODULE: Ceramics | GRADE LEVELS: TK - 6 | DURATION: 1 Hour
ARTIST VIDEO
Video Editing by Jorge Davies, Graphics by Melissa Sabol
PROJECT VIDEO
OVERVIEW
Students will design and carve clay tiles using symbols, marks and patterns to tell a unique story—much like picture-based languages used for thousands of years. This project is inspired by artist Thomas Alban, whose ceramic wall sculptures reflect designs that feel both ancient and futuristic and are shaped by his observations of nature, science and music.
Students begin by exploring symbols that matter to them, then experiment with translating marks into clay, and finally arrange their designs into a well-balanced, eye-catching composition. Using a range of clay tools and everyday items like toothpicks and glue caps, students carve lines, repeat marks, and create patterns that bring their tile to life. Throughout the process, they practice both planning and intuitive decision-making—because clay sometimes leads us in new directions! By the end of class, every student will have a 4" clay tile that reveals a meaningful message told through symbols instead of words.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
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Visual Language – Students discover that pictures can speak! By turning ideas into simple marks and shapes, they begin building a personal “visual alphabet”—one they can use long after this project. This strengthens communication, symbolism, and the ability to express meaning without relying on words.
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Abstract Thinking – When kids learn to distill big stories into simple elements, they use their imagination in a whole new way. Translating objects and experiences into symbols strengthens their ability to notice patterns, make connections, and think conceptually—core creative and cognitive skills that support every subject, from reading to science.
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Creative Problem-Solving – Students get to experiment, move things around, and try different ideas. Materials don’t always behave the way you expect, designs shift, ideas change, and students learn to adapt in real time. This flexibility—editing, responding, adjusting—builds resilient makers who stay curious, brave, and open to surprises
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Mindful Making – Carving slow, intentional lines is calming, and brings students into the present moment. Students fall into a soothing rhythm and discover how focusing on each mark can help them feel grounded and relaxed. In a busy school day, students benefit from a creative process that naturally supports focus, stress regulation, and emotional well-being.
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Personal Storytelling – Every piece becomes a tiny story about the artist who made it. Through symbols, students can share memories, feelings, places, or ideas that matter to them – ones that can be hard to put into words. Symbolic storytelling gives kids—especially quiet or hesitant ones—an accessible way to express themselves with confidence.
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Design & Composition Skills – Planning an artwork introduces students to composition: symmetry, harmony, flow, rhythm, and focal points. They learn how artists make choices and arrange elements so that a design “feels right”—a foundational art concept disguised as play.
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Material Exploration & Inventiveness – Students experiment with clay tools and everyday objects to make marks and see what kinds of textures they can create. This teaches resourcefulness and that art materials are everywhere if you know how to look.
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Close Observation – To create a symbol, students must slow down and truly look. This builds attention to detail, spatial awareness, and the ability to notice subtle differences.
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Building Confidence – A finished clay tile is tactile evidence that their ideas matter. Students hold their creativity in their hands—a powerful boost to self-belief, particularly for young artists who are still learning to trust their voice.
MATERIALS
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Symbols Worksheet
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Pencil with eraser
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2” Ball of air-dry clay
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5" × 7" Chipboard or Cardboard
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Parchment paper (1 sheet)
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Rolling pin or PVC pipe
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4 Paint stir sticks (2 for each side)
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Clay tools (variety)
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Found objects to use as clay tools
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Toothpicks
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4” x 4” Paper Square
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Wire cutter (for teachers)
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Ruler (for teachers)
FEATURED ARTIST
THOMAS ALBAN
Thomas Alban is a ceramic artist based in Joshua Tree, California. Surrounded by the quiet, open desert, he finds freedom in slowing down and noticing patterns, like the way wind carves designs into sand. His art is shaped by these observations in nature, scientific discoveries, and music.
Thomas creates wall sculptures made of carved clay tiles. Each one is built from repeated marks, abstract symbols, and rhythmic patterns that hold personal meaning. He begins his process by imagining shapes in his mind for weeks, sketching them over and over, and arranging small tiles into different formations. When he’s ready, he rolls out clay and carves his visual language—marks that feel ancient, futuristic, mysterious, and alive.
His symbols often come from his own experiences: the relief of looking up at the moon, the movement of desert plants, or the feeling of pressure and release. Thomas shows us that art doesn’t have to be literal. A mark can hold a memory, an emotion, or a moment from life, even if no one else knows exactly what it means.
ARTISTS TO KNOW
Peter Voulkos (1924–2002)
was an American ceramic artist who completely bridged the gap between craft and fine art and changed the way people thought about clay. Instead of making neat, smooth pots, he pushed, tore, stacked, and slashed the clay to show big movements and bold ideas. His sculptures feel energetic, almost like you can see the artist’s actions frozen in the surface. Voulkos teaches us that clay can be expressive, messy, and full of feeling—and that every mark shows a moment of decision.
Pinatubo, Peter Voulkos, wood-fired stoneware, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, museum, 1994
Betty Woodman (1930–2018)
celebrated color, pattern, and play in her ceramics. She often began with the shape of a vase and transformed it into something lively and expressive, combining clay, glaze, and paint in joyful ways. Woodman also showed how symbols and surface can work together—how a mark pressed or painted onto clay can be both decoration and language. Her work teaches students that color, shape, and form can tell visual stories, turning an everyday object into a meaningful piece of art.
June in Italy, Betty Woodman, earthenware, epoxy resin, lacquer, and paint, gift of Frederick Q. Lawson, 2001
Annabeth Rosen (b. 1957)is an American sculptor who builds large ceramic sculptures by layering many pieces together. Her artworks look alive—they are organic, chaotic, and full of twists, repeats, and overlapping textures. She sometimes reuses broken parts of older sculptures, building something new from pieces that came before. Rosen’s work shows how repetition, pattern, and layering can create a symbolic language, where each mark adds to the whole story, much like words forming sentences.
Annabeth Rosen, Installation view of Tie Me to the Mast, P.P.O.W Gallery, Ceramic works, New York, 2017
Jun Nishida (1977–2005)
was a Japanese artist whose short but influential career redefined what clay could be. He experimented with porcelain in surprising ways. He pressed, layered, and shaped the clay so that it would melt or shift during firing, creating forms that look like they grew on their own. Nishida’s work is a reminder that symbols can evolve through process, that what you impress into clay may shift or distort in the kiln, creating new meanings through change, heat, and chance. Nishida teaches students to stay open, curious, and willing to try things that might lead to surprising outcomes.
Jun Nishida, Installation view of Zetsu #8 (Absolute/End #8), Ceramic, Fleur Gallery, Kyoto Seika University, Kyoto, and Artcourt Gallery, Osaka
Sueharu Fukami (b. 1947)
is a contemporary Japanese ceramic artist who creates smooth, elegant porcelain sculptures with clean lines and gentle curves—forms that often remind people of water, wind, or light. His work shows the power of simplicity: a single line, mark, or indentation can carry emotion when it’s made with intention. Fukami relies not on bright colors or decoration, but on form, balance, and clarity. His approach encourages stillness and mindfulness in the act of shaping meaning, showing students that even the simplest shapes can express deep feeling when created with care and focus.
Sueharu Fukami, Title Unknown, ceramic works, Kyoto, Japan, 1947
VOCABULARY
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Abstract – Art that doesn’t look like the real thing. It shows ideas or feelings using shapes and lines instead of detailed, realistic drawings.
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Carving – Gently pressing, scratching, or pushing into clay to make lines, shapes, or patterns.
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Composition – How all your symbols and patterns fit together, like arranging puzzle pieces until they feel “just right.”
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Code – A collection of symbols, marks, or pictures that communicate meaning without words. It’s like a secret way of communicating.
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Design – The way you arrange shapes, lines, and symbols to make your artwork feel balanced and interesting.
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Experiment – Trying new ideas or tools just to see what happens. There’s no “wrong” way, just discovery.
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Hieroglyphics – An ancient Egyptian picture-writing system. Some pictures stand for a whole word, some for a sound, and some for an idea. It’s like a secret picture code that can tell stories in many ways!
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Impression – A mark made by pressing something into the clay.
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Intuition – Making creative decisions based on instinct, feeling, and discovery rather than a detailed plan.
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Pattern – A shape or mark that repeats, like dot, dot, line… dot, dot, line.
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Pictograph – A tiny picture-word! It’s a drawing that tells part of a story without using words.
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Refine – Making small changes to improve your design like fixing a line, smoothing a spot, or trying a different tool.
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Repetition – The act of using the same mark or shape multiple times to create rhythm, pattern, or emphasis.
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Slab – A flat piece of clay you roll out, kind of like cookie dough before you cut out shapes.
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Symbol – A simple picture or mark that stands for something else. Like a circle for the sun or a wavy line for water.
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Tile – A small, flat square of clay that holds your final design.
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Tool Marks – The different lines or shapes you can make by using tools. For example, a pencil tip, a stick, a sponge, or even something you found outside.
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Texture – How a surface feels or looks like it might feel bumpy, smooth, scratchy, or ridged.
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Visual Alphabet – Your personal collection of symbols and marks. It’s like your own secret art language.