Concrete is in. And no wonder: it's inexpensive, durable, and makes unique, stunning pieces with which to decorate your home. With just a bag of ready-mixed concrete, water and a few utensils and moulds you can find around the house, you can create beautiful, minimalist items in no time at all; from clocks, vases, lampshades and bowls through to jewellery, wine coolers and desk organisers. Each project is equipped with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and tips, and all can be made with very little know-how - making it a perfect craft for beginner concrete artisans, as well as the more experienced mason. A perfect mix of power, presence and practicality, bring concrete into your home today and discover a new-found love for this often overlooked but remarkable building material.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is renowned for its world-class collections of which stained glass was an integral part from the time of its establishment in 1876. This volume catalogues and illustrates the entire holdings of stained glass in this collection wide-ranging in both date and provenance.

You don't need much to make your first pot, just a piece of clay and an idea. At the same time, it's a craft one develops over a lifetime. Making Pots is a handbook both for the beginner and more experienced potter. Basic skills are taught along with a background explanation of the rich history of pottery. Step-by-step the potter, Stefan Andersson, guides us on the potter's wheel, glaze manufacture and firing, sharing his techniques and know-how. Stefan also describes how to set up your own workshop, make your own tools, and design, stone-by-stone, your own kiln. What happens if there's a pocket of air in your clay? If the potter's wheel slips when you centre the clay? Or if the pots fall apart as you decorate the slipware? For each section there are also solutions to common problems. The book is founded on Stefan's enterprise and production of wood-fired ceramics with photos and diagrams describing the tasks and techniques. Chapters include: Clay Preparation Drying Glazing Firing Kilns Tools Forming Techniques

We think of blue and white porcelain as the ultimate global commodity: throughout East and Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean including the African coasts, the Americas and Europe, consumers desired Chinese porcelains. Many of these were made in the kilns in and surrounding Jingdezhen. Found in almost every part of the world, Jingdezhen's porcelains had a far-reaching impact on global consumption, which in turn shaped the local manufacturing processes. The imperial kilns of Jingdezhen produced ceramics for the court, while nearby private kilns manufactured for the global market. In this beautifully illustrated study, Anne Gerritsen asks how this kiln complex could manufacture such quality, quantity and variety. She explores how objects tell the story of the past, connecting texts with objects, objects with natural resources, and skilled hands with the shapes and designs they produced. Through the manufacture and consumption of Jingdezhen's porcelains, she argues, China participated in the early modern world.

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.

This handsomely illustrated volume is the second in a series of publications aimed at giving a broad audience deeper insight into the extensive collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Museum is famed for its Greek vases. Joan R. Mertens, Curator in the Department of Greek and Roman Art at the Metropolitan, has chosen thirty-five notable examples. They reveal the variety and vitality of the refined forms and masterfully rendered scenes that characterize these works. And they demonstrate the interrelation of function, shape, technique, and subject matter that is key to understanding the rich language of Greek vases. The introduction provides valuable background information, and the entries delve into the features of each vase, incorporating brilliant color illustrations, including many arresting details. Greek vases served specific utilitarian functions, and they also afforded outstanding artists, some of whom signed their work, a medium for depicting both the details of daily existence and aspects of their gods, goddesses, and heroes. We see the garments, implements, athletic competitions, and marriage and funerary rituals of Greeks who lived from the seventh through the fourth century B.C. We see their mythological figures and stories, for instance, the goddess Athena with her helmet, spear, and shield, and the great hero Herakles, from his first exploit as a baby to his elevation as an immortal at the end of his earthly life. The exceptional group of works assembled in this volume conveys the extent to which the culture of ancient Greece is still apparent today. Urns and jars inspired by Greek models are a staple in all types of public and private spaces. The meander patterns, palmettes, and other florals that adorn ancient vases recur in all kinds of modern objects. And the concept of the hero, or superman, first formulated and given visual form in ancient Greece is integral to Western culture. How to Read Greek Vases is sure to inspire closer scrutiny of these remarkable works of art, which have survived for over two millennia to offer viewers an enlightening look into the ancient heritage of the Western world. Published in association with The Metropolitan Museum of Art

A nostalgic trip down the aisles of America's five-and-ten-cent stores, this book illustrates and describes the extensive variety of glassware that was available to everyday consumers in the Depression years. Once a staple item along "Main Street, U.S.A.," dime stores such as Ben Franklin, S.S. Kresge, McCrory, G.C. Murphy, J.J. Newberry, and F.W. Woolworth sold attractive, practical glassware at affordable prices, ranging from tableware, tumblers, and jugs to crystal stemware and artistic cut glass. Today this merchandise has become highly collectible and is escalating in both price and demand. Using over 240 images, many drawn from original catalogues and advertisements, author C. L. Miller provides an informative and enjoyable guide for both new and experienced collectors. A brief history of the dime stores' most prosperous years sets the stage, followed by a wide array of the glassware sold. Current values for all items are included.

"A nice collection of small stained-glass projects that would make fine gifts." --Nanette Donohue, "Library Journal"

• How to make angels, candleholders, suncatchers, mirrors, picture frames, garden ornaments, and more beautiful projects, from easy to more complex
• Full-size patterns for all 40 projects (plus 2 bonus patterns)
• Detailed instructions for each project illustrated with a thousand step-by-step photos
• Includes pro tips from an experienced stained glass artist on soldering, working with lead and foil, building 3-D projects, and more

This broad approach to slab work shows a wide variety of building methods and highlights the work of high-profile ceramic artists. Slabs can be used to make a variety of forms ranging from the most basic to the more complex. The book covers many building methods using a varied range of pots and sculptures, demonstrated through step-by-step images. With fantastic images of finished work from high-profile ceramic artists for inspiration, you are also encouraged to experiment and find the methods that are most suited to you. Slab Techniques covers all the basics, such as making your slabs and joining well, simple building methods, use of supports, creating textures, decorating with slips and ways to avoid problems during the firing stage. The handbook also looks at innovative and original approaches, as well as building large-scale pieces and the potential issues associated with them. This book is an essential addition to the bookshelves of students and professional ceramicists.

Rene Lalique: Selections from the Steven and Roslyn Shulman Collection introduces the artistic innovations and legacy of renowned French Art Deco artist Rene Lalique. Born outside of Paris in 1860, Lalique was recognized as one of France's foremost Art Nouveau jewelry designers before turning to the material of glass in the early twentieth century. By the 1920s, Lalique's glass artwork embraced the new ideas and technologies that swept the United States and Europe. He brought an artistic aesthetic to new industries such as automotive and electrical products, as well as to new clienteles including the rising middle class and the increasingly independent female consumer. His legacy has influenced subsequent generations of designers and artists, in particular contemporary artists working in the medium of glass. Lalique's considerable imagination and eye for design is evident in the Steven and Roslyn Shulman Collection, one of the most comprehensive selections of Lalique glass in the United States. The collection features perfume bottles, vases, automobile mascots, and a wealth of other objects that exemplify the Art Deco style and celebrate Lalique's sense of design.

The global porcelain scene is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the International Ceramics Fair and Seminar, which was founded by Brian Haughton and his wife, Anna, in London in 1982. That was just the beginning: further fairs and accompanying symposia on design, jewellery, and antiques in New York and Dubai were to follow, becoming important venues of exchange, not just for trade but for the academic world too. To mark this anniversary, more than 40 renowned scholars were asked to write about selected European ceramics that had been traded in Brian Haughton's gallery and that he had been particularly passionate about. This publication is a wonderful kaleidoscope of unique ceramics from the 18th and 19th centuries, released as a homage to Brian Haughton, The Man with the Butterfly Tie.

Lacking a green thumb? There's no need to worry when you can create your own everlasting succulents with versatile air-dry clay. Designs are included for over 25 popular succulent species, such as sedum, echeveria, and haworthia, and unique plants like cacti, air plants, and the Venus flytrap.

More than a dozen patterns for rectangular panel-style lamps feature easy-to-replicate continuous designs. Some patterns include foil inlays; all feature beautiful but not overly detailed designs that ensure successful completion.

An unprecedented exploration of Venetian maiolica set in a vibrant context of hybridity and exchange. Introduced by migrant potters ca.1500, the medium offers a unique point of entry into Venice's material world shaped by Mediterranean trade and local luxury production. This exhibition catalogue explores maiolica's multifaceted connection to objects ranging from Islamic metalwork to Venetian glass. Accompanying an exhibition held at the Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Global Luxury in Renaissance Venice explores the role of maiolica within the vast range of luxury objects made in Venice and imported into the city, highlighting the place of the medium at the nexus of cross-media and cross-cultural exchanges. Thematic discussions investigate the circulation of artefacts and the migration of ornament, the potter's workshop and artistic lineage, and maiolica's position in the material culture of splendour that characterized elite interiors. The book addresses works made in the thriving workshops of Jacomo da Pesaro and Domenego da Venezia, and suggests a connection between the rise of villeggiatura in the mid-sixteenth century and the ascent Venice's maiolica industry.

Ardmore ceramics are found in major collections in several European countries, the United States and South Africa and have been given as state gifts to, among others, Bill Clinton, Jacques Chirac, Queen Elizabeth II and Empress Michiko of JapanGiraffe stretch out their necks and bat-eared foxes curl their tails to make handles for jugs, vases and tureens. Inquisitive monkeys peer over the edge of a planter, teasing the leopards below them. Magical creatures wear cloaks of flowers, spots and stripes; a turbanned Zulu figure sits astride a hippo Colorful, imaginative, vibrant, delicate and dramatic these are just some of the hallmarks of the artworks that have garnered international accolades for Ardmore Ceramic Art in rural KwaZulu-Natal. It is here, in South Africa s most successful ceramics studio set in the verdant Midlands, that exquisitely handcrafted and highly detailed figurative works and functional ware are created by more than fifty artists who draw on Zulu traditions and folklore, history, the natural world, and their own lives for inspiration.In turn, it is the lives of the sculptors and painters of Ardmore that fire the vision of the woman behind it all: Fee Halsted is an artist whose love of teaching and determination to fight poverty and AIDS have set others on the path of creative self-discovery and ultimately worldwide acclaim."Ardmore We Are Because of Others" tells the extraordinary story of this famous studio from its humble beginnings in a poverty-stricken corner of South Africa to its fame as a producer of exceptional and irresistible objets d art prized by collectors, galleries and museums throughout the world. It is also the story of the indomitable Fee Halsted who is the driving force behind the enterprise, and the artists whose inventive spirit and fearless creativity are at the heart of Ardmore."

Discover the slow, tactile art of hand-building ceramics and express yourself through the act of creating unique, timeless pieces for your home. The Urban Potter teaches you how to make beautiful, one-off handcrafted pieces with simple, natural shapes and neutral tones. Ceramicist Emily Proctor's unique, self-taught style embraces irregularity and asymmetry - here, there is no such thing as perfection, every piece is created through an authentic, intuitive process, with no wheel required. The 24 step-by-step projects include functional homeware such as bowls, plates and vases, as well as other decorative accessories, and are ordered by difficulty, making this book suitable for anyone who wants to play with clay, from beginners through to more seasoned ceramicists. For each project, Emily guides you through the whole process and explains all the techniques involved, from slabbing and pinching, to carving and glazing, while also fully leaning into the joys of slow ceramics and the mindful, patient nature of the art.

The papers in this volume derive from the proceedings of an international symposium held at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa in June 2006 in connection with the exhibition "The Colors of Clay: Special Techniques in Athenian Vases." The themes of the exhibition--vases executed in bilingual, coral-red gloss, outline, Kerch-style, white ground, and Six's techniques, as well as examples with added clay and gilding, and sculpted vases and additions--are the touchstones for the essays. More than twenty papers by renowned scholars are grouped under such general rubrics as Social Contexts for Athenian Vases in Special Techniques; Conservation, Analysis, and Experimentation; Artists, Workshops, and Production; and Markets and Exchange.

The glorious Manifattura Lenci of Turin is the protagonist of this volume, which presents one hundred and fifty works belonging to the Ferrero Collection. Small plastics and decorative sculptures have made the fortune of this historical manufacture, first active in the field of cloths and dolls, for 'toys in general, furniture, furnishings and children's clothing', and subsequently, since 1927, in the ceramic sector. The Lenci production was inspired by the fashion magazines of its time, between customs and bon ton, reflecting the taste of an era and a society, which had identified in its products the bourgeois status symbol. Lenci was characterised over the years by the creative contribution of important artists such as Sandro Vacchetti, Elena Konig Scavini, Marcello Dudovich, Gigi Chessa, Mario Sturani, and Abele Jacopi, who made the ceramic production unique and inimitable. In 1934 Sandro Vacchetti, former artistic director of Lenci manufactory, founded the successful Essevi ceramics, which follows in the footsteps of Lenci and constitutes a continuation of their style.

This completely original collection of designs will have craftworkers purring with delight. Sixty stunning renderings detail an assembly of cats in all their feline glory: napping, cavorting, exploring, and simply being their beautiful selves. Use them to add vibrancy to a host of stained glass projects, including window panes, lampshade panels, light catchers, mobiles, and more.

For nearly seven decades the ebullient art of Joan Miro (1893-1983), Spanish painter, sculptor, ceramist and mythmaker, has intrigued and enchanted art lovers worldwide. This collection of his writings presents a portrait of the artist in his own words. Miro's notebooks, letters, and interviews reveal the work and life of a brilliant artist revered for his uncanny expression of the subconscious. "Joan Miro" centres on Paris during the vibrant era between the wars, when Miro became the intimate of almost everyone in that scene - boxing with young Hemingway, working with Max Ernst on the Ballets Russes, drinking, painting and arguing with Picasso, Braque, Dubuffet, Matisse, Breton and many others. Miro engagingly recounts all of this, as well as stories of his exile during World War II. Miro's virtuosity encompassed drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, poetry, stage sets, costumes, murals and tapestries; he vividly describes the creation of these artworks in these pages.