The Art Craft Of Ceramics

Provides information about ceramic methods and materials for both beginners and more experienced potters.

Widely considered to be the most comprehensive introduction to ceramics available, this book contains numerous step-by-step illustrations of various ceramic techniques to guide the beginner as well as inspirational ceramic pieces from contemporary potters from around the world. For the more experienced ceramist, there is a wealth of technical detail on things like glaze formulas and temperature conversions which make the book an ideal reference. To quote one review: ...I am a studio potter and would not be without it. The fourth edition has been updated to include profiles of key ceramists who have influenced the field, new material on marketing ceramics including using the internet, more on the use of computers, added coverage of paperclays, using gold and alternative glazes.

This studio reference captures all the popular techniques available for embellishing clay, as well as a wealth of practical information and detailed images that lead readers through every phase of the design and decorating process.

Br>A wealth of ideas and works from top ceramists who have taught at the prestigious Penland School of Crafts make this book an indispensable resource. These ten talented artists, well known and respected for the particular techniques they have mastered, demonstrate their methods in a series of instructive photographs. They also discuss their interest and affinity with different influences and methods, and present work by other artists whose work they admire. Stunning art, innovative techniques, and thoughtful personal essays illustrate the breadth of contemporary ceramic practice for both artists and collectors. Ten of the finest ceramists in the field-all of whom have taught at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina-here offer master classes in a clay technique for which they are well known. Photographs and insightful commentary capture the skilled, innovative, and sometimes surprising ways they work and think. Youll learn as much about their materials and processes as you do about their influences and aspirations. Clara "Kitty" Couch creates one of her signature large, coil-built terra cotta pots, showing how form and process mature together. Angelica Pozo makes tiles with her own template method, then shows how to build up a relief surface and add vitreous glaze painting to it. Michael Sherrill demonstrates techniques he uses to extrude and carve porcelain forms that become components of his ceramic sculpture. Tom Spleth illustrates mold making, from carving the original plaster form to building the molds to realizing a finished slip-cast porcelain assemblage. Linda Arbuckle demonstrated with her majolica brushwork technique how she marries functional form and decorative surface. Nick Joerling alters his wheel-thrown vessels with straightforward cutting and reshaping methods. Cynthia Bringle shares how she joins wheel-thrown sections to make very large vessels. Joe Bova creates a joined pair of realistic relief sculptures of human forms from clay slabs. Sergei Isopov builds a figurative slab sculpture, then demonstrates his techniques for detailed narrative underglaze illustration. Mary Barringer marks and unifies clay surfaces with rich slip and textural surface treatments on functional forms. Also, a gallery of complementary work from other artists provides additional inspiration. Content: Introduction by Jean W. McLaughlin, Director of Penland School of Crafts The Artists Clara "Kitty" Couch Technique: Coil-Building Vessels "Contemplative Coilings" Hands On About the Artist Gallery of Invited Artists Angelica Pozo Technique: Making & Decorating Tiles "Tile Making: One Approach, Plus a Recipe for Potato Salad" Hands On About the Artist Gallery of Invited Artists Michael Sherrill Technique: Carving Extrusions "A Maker of Things" Hands On About the Artist Gallery of Invited Artists Tom Spleth Technique: Mold Making & Slip Casting "Slip Casting, or Romancing the Plaster" Hands On About the Artist Gallery of Invited Artists Linda Arbuckle Technique: Majolica "Shamelessly Decorative" Hands On About the Artist Gallery of Invited Artists Nick Joerling Technique: Altering Wheel-Thrown Forms "The Altered Pot" Hands On About the Artist Gallery of Invited Artists Cynthia Bringle Technique: Throwing a Large Vessel "The Large (and Small) of Turning and Burning" Hands On About the Artist Gallery of Invited Artists Joe Bova Technique: Slab Relief "Under the Skin" Hands On About the Artist Gallery of Invited Artists Sergei Isupov Technique: Slab Building & Underglaze Painting "A Life in the Studio" Hands On About the Artist Gallery of Invited Artists Mary Barringer Technique: Slips & Surfaces "The Well-Built Surface" Hands On About the Artist Gallery of Invited Artists A Short History of Penland School of Crafts Acknowledgments Contributing Photographers Contributing Artists Index.

A global survey of 100 of today's most important clay and ceramic artists, chosen by leading art world professionals. Vitamin C celebrates the revival of clay as a material for contemporary visual artists, featuring a wide range of global talent as selected by the world's leading curators, critics, and art professionals. Clay and ceramics have in recent years been elevated from craft to high art material, with the resulting artworks being coveted by collectors and exhibited in museums around the world. Packed with illustrations, Vitamin C is a vibrant and incredibly timely survey - the first of its kind. Artists include: Caroline Achaintre, Ai Weiwei, Aaron Angell, Edmund de Waal, Theaster Gates, Marisa Merz, Ron Nagle, Gabriel Orozco, Grayson Perry, Sterling Ruby, Thomas Schütte, Richard Slee, Clare Twomey, Jesse Wine, and Betty Woodman. Nominators include: Pablo Leon de la Barra, Iwona Blazwick, Mary Ceruti, Dan Fox, Jens Hoffmann, Christine Macel, James Meyer, Jed Morse, Beatrix Ruf, Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Nancy Spector, Sheena Wagstaff, and Jonathan Watkins.

What is craft? How is it different from fine art or design? In A Theory of Craft, Howard Risatti examines these issues by comparing handmade ceramics, glass, metalwork, weaving, and furniture to painting, sculpture, photography, and machine-made design from Bauhaus to the Memphis Group. He describes craft's unique qualities as functionality combined with an ability to express human values that transcend temporal, spatial, and social boundaries. Modern design today has taken over from craft the making of functional objects of daily use by employing machines to do work once done by hand. Understanding the aesthetic and social implications of this transformation forces us to see craft as well as design and fine art in a new perspective, Risatti argues. Without a way of understanding and valuing craft on its own terms, the field languishes aesthetically, being judged by fine art criteria that automatically deny art status to craft objects. Craft must articulate a role for itself in contemporary society, says Risatti; otherwise it will be absorbed by fine art or design and its singular approach to understanding the world will be lost. A Theory of Craft is a signal contribution to establishing a craft theory that recognizes, defines, and celebrates the unique blend of function and human aesthetic values embodied in the craft object.

Today when we hear the word “craft,” a whole host of things come immediately to mind: microbreweries, artisanal cheeses, and an array of handmade objects. Craft has become so overused, that it can grate on our ears as pretentious and strain our credulity. But its overuse also reveals just how compelling craft has become in modern life. In The Shape of Craft, Ezra Shales explores some of the key questions of craft: who makes it, what do we mean when we think about a crafted object, where and when crafted objects are made, and what this all means to our understanding of craft. He argues that, beyond the clichés, craft still adds texture to sterile modern homes and it provides many people with a livelihood, not just a hobby. Along the way, Shales upends our definition of what is handcrafted or authentic, revealing the contradictions in our expectations of craft. Craft is—and isn’t—what we think.

"This book looks at the use of ceramics as a tool for confrontation, where artists use this ancient and most plastic of media to make provocative commentaries about the inequities of the human condition. It is a massive overview of the ceramic scene from this perspective, showcasing representative artist' work juxtaposed against their statements, to provide the contexts for the issues against which they rail."--[book cover].

"Though their work is informed by a shared sense of culture, place, and identity as women, each artist has her own unique style, source of inspiration, and approach to her craft. Daily life and flights of fancy, spiritual devotion and earthly concerns all find expression in these finely crafted and beautifully colored ceramic marvels, including street scenes and nativities, Virgins and Zapotec creatures, vases, plates, candleholders, and figures of Frida Kahlo."--BOOK JACKET.

Take your work to the next level! Join ceramic artist Deb Schwartzkopf for a journey that will help you grow as a functional potter, whether your background is in wheel-throwing or handbuilding. Creative Pottery begins with a quick review of where you are in your own journey as a potter. If you need to brush up on the basics, help setting goals, or pointers on how to translate your inspiration into your work, you've come to the right place. The rest of the book is a self-guided journey in which you can choose the techniques and projects that interest you: Go Beyond the Basics and learn how to throw or handbuild a bottomless cylinder. Then explore seams and alterations for projects like a vase, sauce boats, dessert boats, and a citrus juicer. Flatter Forms takes your throwing and trimming horizontal. Make beautiful plates and learn how to make the jump from plate to cake stand. Master Molds and use them to open a new world of possibilities. Make spoons, platters, and asymmetrical shapes like an out-of-round serving dish with molded feet and a thrown rim. Compose with Multiple Shapes to make two-part forms like a butter dish or a stacking set of bowls. Make a pitcher out of two simple forms and then take it further by exploring handles and spouts for a proper teapot. With compelling galleries, artist features, and guided questions for growth throughout, this is a book for potters everywhere that want to go beyond the basics, learn new skills, and unlock their creativity.