Meet a Member: Amy Popelka

Welcome to the next installment of Meet a Member! In this issue, meet Amy Popelka from Bellingham! 

Name: Amy Popelka
Years working with clay: I have been working as a ceramic tile artist for three years. 
Type of Work: Tiles are my main passion, although I will throw in some planters and vases to
shake it up. 
Location: I have lived in Bellingham Washington for 12 years now, it is a pretty fantastic town for artistic inspiration and is highly supportive of the arts. 
 What is your favorite tool? My favorite tool is probably my slab roller, it would be much more
time consuming to roll clay out nice and flat without it.  Also, my tile cutters are a real time
saver and keep my tiles looking nice and flat. 

What is your favorite tool? My favorite tool is probably my slab roller, it would be much more
time consuming to roll clay out nice and flat without it.  Also, my tile cutters are a real time
saver and keep my tiles looking nice and flat. 
Please share your favorite clay tips or trick: I found if you adhere some thin foam to the top of
my cutters, I can cut my clay immediately after rolling it out.  The foam paper makes it so
that the clay does not stick to the metal plunger.  
What venues do you use for sales? I am just getting started on the craft fair circuit.  Last
year I did the clay extravaganza, San Juan Island lavender festival, La Conner Art's
Alive, and Allied Arts holiday fair.  I hope to do all these again this following year, plus a
few more. 
What social media platforms do you use and which are your most successful/favorite? My work is featured on Facebook as Tac Tile Company, instagram as @tac_tile, and I have an etsy
shop called Tac Tile Shop.  I am not doing any real online sales at the moment, but
enjoy using instagram the most to keep up with other artists and people also making
tiles.  I feel it's a great platform for people from all over the world to view your art.  I also
have a website www.tactilecompany.com . 
Was any of your work inspired by a custom order or a special request, or has customer feedback
played a role in the development of any of your work? I love doing custom orders for people
because it is always something new that I may not have done otherwise. 
What is your most popular item or what is your favorite item to make? I did a set of gingko leaf tiles for my Mother's bathroom and loved them so much I continue making them all the
time.  My most popular pieces tend to be a wave set that I make.  I love creating the
sunset by hand on each one of those to make each sunset truly unique.