Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Kennedy.
Hi Mary, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
As a young boy, Richard often boated out to Catalina Island with his family. There he spent hours making rubbings of the tiles that seemed to be everywhere created by The Catalina Pottery and Tile factory from 1927-1937. Later, he took a job at a computer company but never lost his love of tiles, working on them after hours and with a young family of his own. Richard shifted to tile making full time after everything he had made for his art fair booth had quickly sold-out in 1979.
Mary joined him making tile in 1990. She brought her drawing and design skills and the chemistry together created new ideas and directions with a passion for classic color pallets and attention to every detail.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Business had a steep uphill trajectory though when things went wrong it seemed everything went wrong at the same time; the glazes weren’t behaving, materials were discontinued, the kilns needed re-wiring, the roof was leaking and everyone wanted their order right now. Vacations didn’t exist, working late at night, 6-7 days a week was the normal, even coming in on Christmas was sometimes necessary to get the jobs out.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In 1979, Richard created a business out of his design making and glaze chemistry interests. Mary joined him in 1990 bringing her artist skills and work ethic. RTK Studios quickly out grew the 3 car garage and they settled into their new studio in Ojai, California in 1994. We make decorative tiles, murals and mosaic pots, tables and plaques and our client list spans the globe. Our glazes are like none other; rich textured colors with a tough, durable, waterproof finish. The designs and color palettes are of our own aesthetics, we do not follow trendy colorways which come in and go out of style quickly. We juggle many projects simultaneously which often gives us the time to develop the glaze palette and explore new formulas and production challenges.
What’s next?
We are moving away from the physically demanding production part of our business and pivoting to selling our vast inventory and new products. With so many years in business, we have amassed a treasure trove of short runs, gorgeous field tiles and even broken bits and are now creating a huge offering of mosaic pots, tables and plaques along with our inventory of decos, field tiles murals and Persian rugs.
Pricing:
- All pricing is on our website
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rtkstudios.com
