VERANICO

Located at Veranico Kitchen & Provisions restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, The Garden is made to reference a square-foot garden, only instead of seeing the plants above ground; we are looking at the root systems underground. 

The fetching blue-green ‘cobblestone’ tiles reference the gardener’s pathway to tend the plants. In the spaces between, root patterns inspired by common vegetable plants were carved referencing; tomatoes, garlic, peppers, chives, turnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, rosemary, sunflowers and others. 

Roots are the biological pathway of life, extending in all directions for nutrition throughout the entirety of the plant’s existence. Some plants, like tomatoes and peppers, use tap roots; which burrow deeper and deeper offering little root ‘off-shoots’ along the way. Others, like sunflowers and chives, use fibrous roots; which extend in all directions to for a strong and compact root ball. 

The tiles for this piece were hand pressed using two different stoneware clay bodies. The ‘root tiles’ were painted with colorful underglazes and then carved while wet. After bisque firing, the tiles were painted with various glazes, applying and wiping off the glaze to highlight the texture.

The tiles were multiple times to build up interesting surfaces that highlight the textures and bring vibrant colors into your world.