Rorschach Tiles     

        Hermann Rorschach (1884-1992) was a Zurich-born psychologist whose eponymous test has become one of the best recognized and most highly regarded psycho-diagnostic tools currently in use.   In short, his test comprises 10 cards, each illustrating a different, lightly colored inkblot, one key of which is its left/right-facing symmetry.  The subject is instructed to look closely at these cards/images and describe what they “see”, the answers to which are supposed to be indicative of one’s personality.

        Rorschach Tiles are fused glass elements constructed through a multi-stage process which includes heating, blending, cooling, cutting and reconstructing shards of colored COE-compatible glass.  These tiles tend to be far more colorful and highly figured than the printed inkblots after which they are named, but they are similarly characterized by very irregular yet pleasingly symmetrical left/right-facing patterns, similar to a pair of "butterfly wings" (what does that say about my personality?).   Additionally, the pieces tend to also display the graceful curves and subtle color blends of a traditional pot melt and the exquisitely detailed, finely-feathered lines associated with combing.   Because the striking color combinations and rich detail often elicits close and imaginative inspection, Rorschach Tiles are typically used as the center- or focal-point(s) of a larger piece of fused glass art.