Ceramic Books

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.

For thirty years, Modeling the Figure in Clay has been an indispensable anatomical resource for people who think, see, and understand form best in the round: sculptors. In the thirtieth anniversary edition of this classic work, master sculptor Bruno Lucchesi invites you on a guided tour of the human form. Follow him as he creates a figure in clay-literally from the inside out-starting with the skeleton, laying on the muscles to show male and female anatomy, and finishing with a complete figure sculpture with every detail of face and hair carefully modeled.

Renowned contemporary sculptor Bruno Lucchesi takes a single life-size head through all the stages of rough in, modeling, refining the surface, and finishing and texturing, enabling the reader to see exactly how he positions and models every detail. The book demonstrates not just highlights of the creative process, but every step from beginning to end.

For more than 30 years, Dr. Anneliese and Dr. Wulf Crueger?guided by Saeko Ito?have devoted themselves to studying, understanding, and collecting Japanese ceramics. Today, they share the rich fruits of their knowledge with this lavishly illustrated volume based on their own collection. Net Wt. is 1.96 lbs.

After reviewing materials and tools needed for molding, the book's next four chapters present four different techniques: wasted mold (for models of clay, polyurethane, and other materials); press mold (for a tray, a tile, an animal, and other sculptural forms); casting mold (for a bottle, a teapot, and other modular forms); and terracotta mold (for a bowl and relief work). Included are practical tips for setting up a good work area in the home.