Welcome to Tiles by Judith

<----- Browse the galleries using the menus on the left. Current pricing is $180 per square foot. To commission a mural, Click here to contact Judith Aucoin.

If you see a mural you like below, click on it to be taken to its details page.

Hello, my name is Judith Aucoin. I am an artist from south Louisiana. I have been hand-painting decorative ceramic tile murals and backsplashes for over 20 years. My murals adorn the walls of some of the most prestigious homes and businesses across the nation. Ceramic tile murals and backsplashes are a great way to add value and beauty to your home.

About the Murals And Backsplashes I Paint:

Each piece is hand drawn and painted, I never use stencils. I currently have over 200 designs to choose from, and I can make modifications to those designs to suit your taste, or if you prefer we can collaborate and make a custom mural or backsplash thats all your own.

The paint is baked into the surface of the tiles in a kiln at around 1900 degrees making the paint as durable as the tiles they are painted on. This makes them perfect for use behind sinks & stoves, or in bathrooms, around hot tubs & swimming pools, outdoor areas, or anywhere else you need a splash of color. They can be wet, cleaned with Windex, Formula 409, and other non-abrasive grease cutting cleaners, and are very rugged.

Mural Pricing

My murals are priced according to size, currently $180 per square foot. (four 6" tiles OR six 4" tiles is a square foot).

If you are commissioning a custom mural, or want an existing design customized, I work closely with you throughout the design process to ensure your complete satisfaction:

1. I send you a sketch of the mural based on your description and materials provided.
2. You write on the sketches margins telling me what changes you want made, if any.
3. I redraw the sketch, or change the original sketch to reflect your changes.
4. I send it back to you, you approve it, and I begin painting your mural. If you want futher changes made to the revised sketch then I charge you an additional non-refundable $50 fee per subsequent modification of the sketch.

Everyone who has ever commisioned a mural or backsplash from me has been more than delighted with the results, and I will work to ensure that you love yours, too.

I can design your custom backsplash or mural using ideas and colors from any source such as:

• Pictures you've taken or torn from magazines
• Fabric or wallpaper patterns
• Descriptions from your memory, sketches, drawings, verbal descriptions, etc.

The Process of Creating a Mural:

The process of creating these beautiful backsplashes and murals on ceramic tile is time consuming and labor intensive as far as artwork goes:

1. The pattern is first hand drawn onto the ceramic tile, then the first of many layers of paint is applied. The paint will splatter everywhere when it is heated in the kiln if it is applied to thickly, so in order to obtain the depth of color and rich detail you see in my work, it is necessary to apply the paint a little at a time in very thin layers between firings.
2. After the layer of paint is applied, the tiles are then heated in a kiln to around 1900 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the correct temperature is reached, the kiln is turned off and the tiles are allowed to remain in the kiln to slowly cool down overnight.
3. The next morning the tiles are taken out of the kiln and the next layer of paint is applied. The tiles then go back into the kiln and step 2 is repeated.
4. Steps 2 and 3 are repeated several times until the color is rich and bold, making the painting seem to come alive.

As you can see from the steps outlined above, it takes time to complete a mural. It can take from 2 to 6 weeks to complete one mural (or longer for very large backsplashes or murals), depending on the amount of detail work involved.

You can read more details about the process of creating these fine works of art on the Painting On Ceramic Tile page.

Installation of Your Mural or Backsplash

I recommend having your mural or backsplash installed by a professional contractor who works with ceramic tile. The backsplash or mural is installed just like any other tile, no special work is needed. Each tile is numbered on the backside for ease of installation. If you choose to do the installation yourself, you can take a look at what is involved by reading the Installing Your Ceramic Tile Mural or Kitchen Backsplash page.

Feel free to browse through the gallery:

• Murals in Stock - From time to time, when she has extra space in her kiln, Mrs. Aucoin paints an additional mural just to fill it up and conserve electricity. Those murals are displayed here, and are ready to ship to your home or customers home.
• Flower Themed Murals - backsplashes & murals depicting flower baskets, flower pots, flowers on plants, etc.
• Wildlife Themed Murals - backsplashes & murals depicting birds, deer, alligators, pets, etc.
• Fruit Themed Murals - backsplashes & murals depicting fruit baskets, individual pieces of fruit, etc.
• Other Themes - murals which do not fit in other categories in the gallery.
• Individual Tiles and Border Tiles - compliment your mural with a matching set of decorative border tiles.

**Note: Unless you are ordering a mural which is already painted and ready to ship, please contact Judith Aucoin to determine the time frame for completion of your mural prior to placing an order. Murals are painted in the order they are commissioned, so if you have a set time that you need your mural by, please call or email her to determine if it is possible to have it completed in time for installation. It takes from 2 to 12 weeks to complete a mural depending on several factors.