Books & Magazines

In Lettering on Ceramics, Mary White shows how this tradition has developed, covering methods of imposing letters onto clay, including stamping, stencils, slip trailing, resist methods, carving and relief work among others. She also looks at a number of artists working in this area, showing beautiful examples of their work, and examining their approach and methods of lettering. Also included is a selection of calligraphic alphabets to use for inspiration or to copy.

Martinez and her husband perfected the magnificent burnished blackware now prized by collectors. This classic volume chronicles the life and work of this major American artist. The 200 color and 140 black-and-white illustrations show techniques, the pueblo ambiance, and numerous finished pieces. Net Wt. is 3.33 lbs.

In 1980, artist/teacher Leon Nigrosh pulled together basic information about all the low-fire techniques, including: earthenware, Egyptian paste, majolica, primitive firing methods, terra sigillata, vapor glazing and more. Net Wt. is 1.23 lbs.

Beatrice Wood turned to ceramics late in life at age 40, but still managed to work behind a potter's wheel for nearly 65 years. Influenced by the Dada movement, her lusterware pottery, with its rich and decadent palette of shimmering gold and silver, vindian greens, incandescent pinks, and intense purples, has captivated generations of collectors. Gilded Vessel is not so much a biography as a celebration of the life and ceramic artistry of Beatrice Wood. Glorious color pictures reveal the iridescent beauty of her pottery, while black-and-white photographs document the life, loves and luster, of a woman New York Times Magazine hailed as one of the great lives of the 20th century.

Macro-crystalline glazes present one of the most difficult challenges a potter can face. Ever since they first appeared in Europe in the l850s, these spectacular and beautiful glazes have fascinated potters and collectors in many countries. In Macro-Crystalline Glazes, Peter Ilsley reveals his own researches and techniques in great practical detail, and 13 other potters tell how they have met the challenge of crystals. With informative text and more than 150 color pictures of crystal pots old and new, Macro-Crystalline Glazes will instruct and excite experienced potters, and provide a valuable reference for collectors. Net Wt. is 1.97 lbs.

Misunderstood and unappreciated during his lifetime (1857-1918), George Ohr, America's archetypal artist-potter, pushed the form of the vessel beyond mere function to the point of abstraction. Today the genius of this radical and sophisticated artist has finally been recognized. His thin-walled, paper-light pots, labeled grotesque in his day, are now seen as a tour de force of delicacy and restraint and a stunning exploration of the plasticity of clay. Ruffling, twisting, tearing, and collapsing his fragile pots, Ohr anticipated much of what we take for granted in contemporary art and ceramics. Net Wt. is 4.26 lbs.

This introductory guide to ceramics is geared to a simple, beginning studio situation. The text provides descriptions of basic tools, materials, and techniques paired with ample illustrations of processes to help beginners get started in clay.

With more than 70,000 copies sold, Lark's Handmade Tiles has delighted crafters everywhere, and whetted their appetites for more beautiful ideas. They'll find just what they're looking for in these dozen ceramic tile projects, which include everything from trivets to tabletops, to stepping stones. The wealth of practical, visually breathtaking information covered here includes everything from design and formation through decoration and site installation, making this manual an absolute must in every ceramics and home improvement library. Find out about basic tools and materials, glaze application, and techniques for making slab tiles. Get the lowdown on mosaics, and stamped, carved, and inlaid designs. With these techniques, even beginning crafters can start working fast, and move on to simple stair risers, a kitchen backsplash, and an exquisite window surround.

From the fundamentals (basic approaches to drawing, color theory, glaze development, and spatial development) to the clay processes (decoration with tools, adding and removing marks, and use of liquid and color clays), and from the pigment processes (variables of colorants, brush, stamp, spray, and pencil marks, and resistance techniques) to the glazing and firing processes (glaze application methods, heat and flame, vapor and fume, and multiple fired surfaces), this guide contains everything readers want and need to know. Never has there been a more complete guide on decorative techniques for ceramic surfaces!

Forty internationally celebrated masters reveal their secrets, explaining just how they work with this incredibly demanding ceramic material, prized for its pristine beauty. Pure white and wonderfully delicate, porcelain is what clay potters usually graduate to only after years of honing their skills. This diverse collection showcases the results of that dedication, and the versatility is simply breathtaking: Claire Curneen presents highly emotive, tactile figurative forms. Edmund de Waal's elegant celadon site-specific vessel installations are renowned for their meditative presence. Harlan House's finely carved vessels take inspiration from nature's organic forms, while Bodil Manz's eggshell porcelain cylinders are so translucent that you can sometimes discern light and shadow passing through the walls of his pots. Net Wt. is 2.34 lbs.