Art and Design

Examines the materialistic and psychological factors responsible for dominant trends in twentieth-century sculpture.

In this exhaustive introduction to ceramics, all the materials, equipment, and techniques of the craft are presented clearly and accessibly. An easy-to-follow text is accompanied by hundreds of color photographs and schematic drawings that illustrate every material, technique, piece of equipment, and step-by-step demonstration. The book begins with a history of ceramics that covers techniques and styles from various periods and parts of the world. Then clays and glazes are introduced, with details on the diffrent types and their compositions, as well as instruction on how to prepare them. Next, kilns, kiln furniture, potters' wheels, and other equipment and tools are illustrated and thier uses demonstrated. The core of the book is dedicated to presenting the full range of ceramic techniques: hand-building, molding, throwing, glazing, and firing. In the final section, step-by-step projects show how to employ these techniques to create a variety of vessles and sculptural forms.

"This well-illustrated handbook...covers glaze chemistry, application techniques, firing, and problem solving. Color photographs comparing fired samples are particularly good. A collection of formulas by other artists is categorized by type of clay body and firing temperature. Useful for studio potters and hobbyists, this book belongs in general arts and crafts sections."--Library Journal.