A stunning book on kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with precious metals to highlight its history beautifully. A broken pot is made whole again, and within its golden repair we see a world of meaning. Kintsugi is the art of embracing imperfection. In Western cultures, the aim of repair has been to make the broken item 'as good as new'. Kintsugi on the other hand, is a Japanese art that leaves an obvious repair - one that may appear fragile, but which actually makes the restored ceramic piece stronger, more beautiful, and more valuable than before. Leaving clear, bold, visible lines with the appearance of solid gold, it never hides the story of the object's damage. Kintsugi traces memory, bringing together the moment of destruction and the gold seams of repair through finely-honed skills and painstaking, time-consuming labour in the creation of a new pot from the old. There is a story to be told with every crack, every chip. This story inevitably leads to kintsugi's greatest strength. an intimate metaphoric narrative of loss and recovery, breakage and restoration, tragedy and the ability to overcome it. A kintsugi repair speaks of individuality and uniqueness, fortitude and resilience, and the beauty to be found in survival. Kintsugi leads us to a respectful and appreciative acceptance of hardship and ageing. Author Bonnie Kemske explores kintsugi's metaphorical power as well as exploring the technical and practical aspects of the art, meeting with artists and ceramists in Japan and the US to discuss their personal connection to this intricate technique. With the inclusion of diary entries, personal stories, and in-depth exploration of its origin and symbolism, this book shows kintsugi's metaphoric strength as well as its striking aesthetic, making it a unique and powerful art form that can touch our lives.

The Pronomos Vase is the single most important piece of pictorial evidence for ancient theatre to have survived from ancient Greece. It depicts an entire theatrical chorus and cast along with the celebrated musician Pronomos, in the presence of their patron god, Dionysos. In this collection of essays, illustrated with nearly 60 drawings and photographs, leading specialists from a variety of disciplines tackle the critical questions posed by this complex hub of evidence. The discussion covers a wide range of perspectives and issues, including the artist's oeuvre; the pottery market; the relation of this piece to other artistic, and especially celebratory, artefacts; the political and cultural contexts of the world that it was produced in; the identification of figures portrayed on it: and the significance of the Pronomos Vase as theatrical evidence. The volume offers not only the most recent scholarship on the vase but also some ground-breaking interpretations of it.

Let go of your pretensions squeeze, shape, knead & play your way to spiritual growth.

I am being formed by the clay. I am reconnecting with the earth, and with the other basic elements, too air, water, fire and life itself. Every gesture leaves its trail in the clay. Every fingerprint, a message. My breath fills the cavity. My touch curves the wall of a bowl. And inwardly, I am being formed by the outward practice. I am learning to trust the process, to lean into the possibilities rather than striving for some predetermined goal. I am being hollowed out, stretched and constricted, trimmed and sometimes reworked entirely. from the Prologue

Drawing from her first-hand experience of working with clay, Marjory Zoet Bankson takes you through the seven-step process of making clay into a pot, drawing parallels at each stage to the process of spiritual growth: Grounding Connecting with our core elements Kneading Awakening to the inner realm Centering Gathering everything togetherShaping Focusing inner and outer pressures Finishing Trimming away the excessDecorating Adding a playful touch Firing Committing to transformation

This simple connection with the earth has the potential to put you in touch with the whole of creation and, at the same time, your soul s longing to participate as an artist, creating something new and unique.

Through reflective questions in each chapter along with a wealth of unique clay projects that even beginners can do Bankson invites you on a journey of spiritual discovery, a path of reconnecting with your body and spirit, and with the earth itself."

High Renaissance maiolica, produced in Italy in the orbit of Raphael and other artists, is widely known and has been extensively studied. This istoriato, or narrative, maiolica graces the collections of many of the world's greatest museums. But not for almost 100 years has attention been focused on magnificent works that preceded it in the 14th and 15th centuries, which were at times prized by contemporary patrons more highly than precious metals. Maiolica before the age of Raphael refocuses the spotlight of contemporary scholarship onto the birth of design in Italian maiolica, and its evolution from c. 1350 up until 1500. It was during this formative period that its characteristic tin-based glaze, with the pure and brilliant white surface it offered the late-medieval potter, engendered some of the most rapid and exciting innovations in all ceramic art. Potters began to decorate the surfaces of their earthenware vessels (of an increasingly varied spectrum of shapes and forms) with squirming, meticulous designs of unparalleled ingenuity and expression that incorporated multisensory influences from luxury contemporary textiles, metalwork, and exotic lustreware from Islamic Spain. Presenting over forty rare objects from the foremost centres of production that have survived in private hands, this catalogue explores the spread and evolution of the medium, as well as the history of collecting and the changing taste for Italian pre-Renaissance pottery in the modern era.

Handbuilt Ceramics is a practical guide to all aspects of technique, but goes further by exploring the studio practices of ten exciting contemporary makers. Advice is given on how to get started and information on tools and equipment, types of clay and a safe workspace set-up. Handbuilding methods, such as pinching, coiling, slabbing and press moulding, are explained in detail with step-by-step sequences. Techniques for creating surface interest, pre and post firing, are included using coloured slip, glaze or paint. Ideas for combining techniques and ways to experiment are explored and encouraged, as well as tips to avoid common problems and to achieve successful outcomes. With over 350 lavish photos, this book will provide inspiration through a unique understanding of current work. It is written both for the novice and for the experienced maker looking for a new direction.

Join the home pottery revolution! Whether you have access to a communal studio or not, hand building projects can travel just about anywhere. Take your clay outside or work at the kitchen table, with instruction from best-selling ceramics author Sunshine Cobb. In this book, you'll find all the necessary fundamentals, including a thorough discussion of clay as well as helpful tips for keeping your body and mind in top shape. Then pick the path that's right for you in the chapters that follow. Develop new skills and unlock your own creativity as you explore: Sculptural projects like miniature animals and plants. Functional items like scoops, a citrus reamer, and a coffee pour-over vessel. Mixed media projects including a candlestick holder, mobile, and a soap dish. All along the way, skill-building is front and center, with conversational instructions and tips to help you make pieces you're proud to show off. Gallery work from some of today's top artists are sure to inspire potters of all levels. What will you make first? For beginners and those returning to ceramics, the Essential Ceramics Skills series from Quarry Books offer the fundamentals along with fresh, contemporary, and simple projects that build skills progressively.

Originally published in 1937, this book surveys the underlying scientific principles that produce the chief glaze effects on Chinese ceramics. Hetherington provides a general introduction on the nature of a glaze before describing how glazes with various chemical contents can be manipulated to produce striking effects in terms of colour and texture. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in Chinese ceramics and the history of art.

Ceramics is one of the most vibrant and engaging fields of contemporary British art. This lavishly illustrated book reviews the work of twenty-two artists and celebrates their contribution to its rich landscape. Written from a collector's point of view, it explores what contemporary ceramic objects can mean, what emotions they evoke and how artists draw upon different facets of the art and crafts worlds in their work. A vital visual and critical resource, Contemporary British Ceramics showcases British ceramics as a compelling interdisciplinary practice, attuned to the contemporary world. Featuring more than 280 images, it encourages readers to look beneath the surface, to discover the vibrant contribution that British ceramics makes to the broad field of contemporary art.

Explore the human form in depth, from concept sketches and armatures to detailed instructions for constructing legs, torso, arms, hands, and head from clay. In Mastering Sculpture: The Figure in Clay, renowned sculptor and instructorCristina Cordova teaches everything you need to know to replicate the full human figure using clay. Start by developing meaningful sketches and reference points. Then learn how to make and use an armature to create hollow forms that are safe to fire in a kiln. Using patterns and slabs, you can move on to develop a full human form, head to toe. Work along with the author to create a form about two-feet tall, or choose your own size: the patterns and instructions can work in a variety of scales. Photographic demonstrations and diagrams cover the construction and articulation of feet and legs, the hip area and upper torso, arms, hands, neck, and head. Cristina includes supplementary tips and insights throughout to support the sculpting process and enhance naturalism. You'll also find a brief section on general anatomical concepts and modeling strategies to facilitate accuracy and expression as all the components come together. Whether you are a clay artist with limited experience in figurative sculpture or a figurative sculptor outside the world of ceramics looking for a straightforward fabrication strategy to create permanent compositions from clay, Mastering Sculpture: The Figure in Clay will expertly guide your way.

A major figure in the Arte Povera movement of the late 1960s, the renowned Italian artist Giuseppe Penone is known for his exploration of the relationship between art and the natural world in a body of work that includes sculpture, performance, works on paper, and even garden design. His first works in porcelain, the exquisite disks presented here draw attention to the moment of touch—the convergence of surface and skin—that underpins so much of his work. Published to accompany The Frick Collection, New York’s temporary installation of works by Penone, this new volume comprises eleven porcelain disks that the artist made during his 2013 residency at the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, the influential porcelain factory founded in the 18th century. A continuation of his Propagazioni (Propagations) series, begun in 1995, which includes various media, each disk bears the imprint of one of the artist’s fingertips. One of them is in gold, its imprint a variation on the artist’s index finger. Never before presented to the public, the installation of the disks in a gallery adjacent to the Frick’s early Italian paintings on gold grounds and the porcelain room kindles a rich artistic dialogue with both porcelain and gold.

A beginner friendly guide to making stained glass art using the most popular and accessible method, copper foil.

The traditional art form of stained glass has become extremely popular again and this collection has everything you need to know to get started on this exciting craft. The effect of sunlight streaming through colourful stained glass is visually stunning and this collection brings the craft right up to date with techniques and projects for a new audience.

There are step-step-instructions and photographs for all the main techniques including creating patterns, glass cutting, polishing, using foils and soldering. Artist and stained glass expert, Noor Springael, also explains how to prepare your workspace, how to work with templates, framing and display techniques and important safety information.

Noor shares all her tips and tricks for making beautiful projects including colour palette, using glass overlays and composition. There are 17 projects ranging from wall hangings, sun catchers, decorative windows, glass floral bouquets, jewellery, candle holders, frames and mirrors. Full sized templates are included for all of the projects.

This powerful and insightful work offers a bold celebration of the innovative, brilliant artists reclaiming the idea of 'women's work'. In the history of western art, decorative and applied arts - including textiles and ceramics - have been separated from the 'high arts' of painting and sculpture and deemed to be more suitable for women. Artists began to reclaim and redefine these materials and methods, energizing them with expressions of identity and imagination. Women's Work tells the story of this radical change, highlighting some of the modern and contemporary artists who dared to defy this hierarchy and who, through, experimentation and invention, transformed their medium. The work of these women has helped underscore the ongoing value of these art forms within the history of art, championing 'women's work' as powerful mediums worthy of celebration. With biographical entries on each artist featured, as well as beautiful images of their artworks, Women's Work raises up the work of these visionary and groundbreaking artists, telling their stories and examining their artistic legacies.

The art of the object reached unparalleled heights in the medieval Islamic world, yet the intellectual dimensions of ceramics, metalwares, and other plastic arts in this milieu have not always been acknowledged. Arts of Allusion reveals the object as a crucial site where pre-modern craftsmen of the eastern Mediterranean and Persianate realms engaged in fertile dialogue with poetry, literature, painting, and, perhaps most strikingly, architecture. Lanterns fashioned after miniature shrines, incense burners in the form of domed monuments, earthenware jars articulated with arches and windows, inkwells that allude to tents: through close studies of objects from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries, this book reveals that allusions to architecture abound across media in the portable arts of the medieval Islamic world. Arts of Allusion draws upon a broad range of material evidence as well as medieval texts to locate its subjects in a cultural landscape where the material, visual and verbal realms were intertwined. Moving far beyond the initial identification of architectural types with their miniature counterparts in the plastic arts, Margaret Graves develops a series of new frameworks for exploring the intelligent art of the allusive object. These address materiality, representation, and perception, and examine contemporary literary and poetic paradigms of metaphor, description, and indirect reference as tools for approaching the plastic arts. Arguing for the role of the intellect in the applied arts and for the communicative potential of ornament, Arts of Allusion asserts the reinstatement of craftsmanship into Islamic intellectual history.

Henry Holiday (1839-1927) was a polymath who counted figures such as Lewis Carroll, William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones and Emmeline Pankhurst as his friends. Most significantly, he was unquestionably one of the greatest stained-glass artists of the Victorian-Edwardian period, yet his considerable achievements have not received the recognition that they deserve. Taking Holiday's commissions for New York State churches as its focus, George Bryant's ground-breaking study places the artist's transatlantic accomplishments in the context of the social, artistic, religious and economic shifts that shaped his success in the US during America's Gilded Age - a period where existing social hierarchies were challenged by new money and European immigration that ended with the outbreak of the First World War. Also providing a clear understanding of the technical and aesthetic differences that set Holiday's stained glass apart from that of his contemporaries such as Edward Burne-Jones, La Farge, and Tiffany, Bryant's truly original publication, based on substantial archival research, makes a significant contribution to our understanding of nineteenth-century stained-glass design and Henry Holiday's important achievements.

A concise and accessible introduction to throwing, with step-by-step instructions and tips. Throwing is an important skill for any potter to master, using only a few tools, the guidance of their hands, and the momentum of a wheel. This book is an essential companion for anyone attempting to master the art of forming pots on the wheel. Having spent his life making pots and teaching others to make them, Richard Phethean describes essential techniques for working on the wheel with an eye for the practical. Learn about a range of forms, from simple domestic pots such as mugs, jugs, bowls and teapots to more complex vessels with oval shapes or cut edges, with the aim of building your confidence in throwing techniques. The book features clearly illustrated step-by-step instructions and diagrams for creating each type of vessel. Finally, get some inspiration from the work of contemporary potters discussing their techniques and featuring some of their stunning pieces.

The evolution and proliferation of plain and predominantly wheel-made pottery presents a characteristic feature of the societies of the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean since the fourth millennium B.C. This plain pottery has received little detailed archaeological attention in comparison to aesthetically more pleasing and chronologically sensitive decorated traditions. Yet, their simplicity and standardization suggest they are products of craft specialists, the result of high-volume production, and therefore important in understanding the social systems in early complex societies. This volume-reevaluates the role and significance of plain pottery traditions from both historically specific perspectives and from a comparative point of view;-examines the uses and functions of this pottery in relation to social negotiation and group identity formation;-helps scholars understand cross-regional similarities in development and use.

An in-depth analysis of Frans Wildenhain and his role in mid-century studio ceramics. Steeped in modernist ceramic aesthetics, Frans Wildenhain studied under Gerhard Marcks and Max Krehan at the Bauhaus pottery workshop in Dornburg, Germany. There, Wildenhain met another potter, Marguerite Friedlaender, his futurewife. Following World War II, Wildenhain emigrated to the U.S. Earning prizes for his art at the 1939 International Exposition in Paris and the 1958 Brussels World's Fair, Wildenhain also received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1958,became a Fellow of the American Crafts Council and his work is in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, Everson Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. This book features archival images as well as more than 150rich, color photographs of the ceramics exhibited in 2012 at the Rochester Institute of Technology, NY. Six chapters offer contributions to scholarship on the artist, mid-century studio pottery and modern design, monetizing and commercial acceptance of mid-century handcrafted art at an innovative artists' cooperative, university education at the School for American Craftsmen, and an interview with collector Robert Johnson who donated his Wildenhain collection to RIT. The book is an essential document of the exhibition and an excellent reference for those interested in ceramics, crafts, mid-century design and art entrepreneurship.

This one-of-a-kind book describes some 1400 different glass cutters collected from around the world by the author during the past 35 years. A brief history of flat window glass describes its manufacture, application, taxation, etc. from the time of the Romans, through France and England to the United States. The early use of flint tools and grozing yrnes for cutting and shaping the glass is noted. These tools were used for shaping the stained glass in the early cathedrals. Five hundred U.S. glass cutter patents and 28 U.S. glass cutter design patents beginning in 1860 through 2009 are listed by date, inventor, and title. A list of corporate, product line, distributor, etc. names are also described further as being in one or more of the 23 "Style Categories" the author has set up that show pictures of 600 cutters and detailed descriptions of all 1400 different glass cutters. An extensive bibliography is included.

An essential book for potters and ceramicists of all abilities who are interested in creating their own glazes. This new, revised edition of Emmanuel Cooper's classic book is your complete guide to making glazes. Along with an introductory section on glaze materials; colouring, mixing and applying glazes, and information on health and safety issues, the book gives you over 400 glaze recipes - organised according to the different temperature ranges - which cover everything from opaque, matt and transparent glazes to crystalline and black iron glazes. Illustrated with coloured glaze tiles, this reference book is a must for the bookshelves of all potters whatever their level of expertise.

We all use ceramics on a daily basis without thinking much about it, except when it comes to a favourite mug or cup, for instance. Why is it a favourite? Is it that it holds just the right amount of tea or coffee? Is it that it sits comfortably in the hand with an ample handle that allows you to hold it safely? Is it the clay the cup is made from - a fine porcelain or robust stoneware? Is it the rustic shape or refined, delicate, traditional or contemporary design? Maybe you just like the pattern on the outside! Whatever the reason, someone will have been thinking about the ergonomics of the cup when they designed and made it and all the other ceramic items that you use, to ensure they work perfectly and give you pleasure to handle and serve your food and drink in. This book is a visual feast of ideas and advice to guide the maker through the process of designing and making successful functional ceramics that are practical and appealing in equal measure. It adopts a low-tech approach that is understandable and accessible for all and begins with the basic questions you will need to address before you begin. Each element of the process will be carefully considered, from deciding the function of the item to working out proportions and making basic drawings, to choosing the right clay, tools, and making method, and finally glazing and firing, including safety issues and the essential topic of suitability for food. Each chapter begins by presenting a varied range of basic shapes, be they thrown or hand built. The next section demonstrates a wide selection of handles, rims, feet, lids, knobs, spouts, lips, and other details that can be mixed and matched to form unique designs with personality and functionality. Working the whole process out in advance can reap tremendous rewards, ensuring the maker gets it right first time but also allowing the process to be repeated with minimum effort. From idea to finished item, this book will be the essential guide to all the techniques required to make functional ceramics that really work and give lasting pleasure to use.

An essential reference for anyone working with ceramics, from weekend crafters and students to practising ceramicists seeking a one-stop reference on techniques and processes, this workshop reference covers both traditional and contemporary practices, collecting the breadth and range of ceramic techniques into one definitive volume for amateur and specialist alike. A directory of materials, tools, machinery and furniture describes everything you need to set up an effective workshop. It includes an extensive guide to forming techniques, from pinch, coil, slab and wheel to mold-making, slip casting and extrusion, detailed sections on slip decoration, embossing and glazing, glaze recipes and applications. These techniques are explored thematically to facilitate the process of discovery that takes place in the workshop, supported by detailed descriptions and step-by-step photography. At the back of the book there is a comprehensive guide to firing and kilns, along with charts and tables for quick reference. All techniques are examined closely for relevance to practice and quality of finish. The practical processes of running a workshop are discussed alongside the more complex techniques of making unique work. Examples of how to set up a studio, good workshop practices, tool making, and recycling of materials act as a foundation to creating a strong workshop environment to carry out your work.

Clay body additions can introduce remarkable new forms and textures in ceramic work. With an emphasis on creativity and experimentation, ceramicist Kathleen Standen reveals a range of possible effects, and profiles the extraordinary work of contemporary makers using additions in their practice. Beginning with an introduction to collecting local clay and making your own clay bodies, the book moves on to cover the array of additions being used by artists today, from hard materials like stones, glass and rust, to combustible matter and fibre, metals including wire and mesh, and colour in various forms. The book is lavishly illustrated throughout with both unique making methods and the beautiful finished works of ceramic artists from around the world. Additions to Clay Bodies is an inspiring introduction to the art of using additions and an essential companion for any artist wishing to expand their practice.

This rich account of potters in a southern Catalan village traces the history of pottery production and marketing and the responses of the potters to changing contexts of consumption. By juxtaposing the local, micro-history of a small group of producers (numbering no more than fifty people) with that of Spain's changing economic and social climate, the author presents a local perspective of producers as affected by and acting upon global developments, ultimately localizing the European transition to one single integrated market economy. Maintaining a dual focus on subject and object, and thereby combining social and material history, this book demonstrates how physical transformations in the pottery resulted from and affected its role in the social relations people formed as they produced, marketed and consumed it. Rob van Veggel obtained his PhD in anthropology from the University of Chicago and has since been applying his insights into material culture in product development research, marketing, brand strategy and governmental policies.