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Virtu Art Books

Ceramics Pottery and Clay Art

The Encyclopedia of Pottery Techniques
This guide to all the major pottery techniques contains practical advice on how to put them into action. It provides guidance on selecting and using materials and equipment, step-by-step illustrations and examples of finished work.

Handbuilt Ceramics: Pinching, Coiling, Extruding, Molding, Slip Casting, Slab Work
The complete manual for shaping clay without a potter's wheel. Handbuilding with clay is wonderful place for beginners to start and a continuing fascination for experienced potters. Here you will learn all the basic handbuilding techniques, as well as how to decorate the surface and how to kiln fire. Basic Techniques; Coiling; Pinching; Extruding; Molding; Slip Casting; Working with Clay Slabs; Surface Decoration Techniques; Kiln Firing; Then, you will tackle a series of handsome projects, from a simple slab-built windowsill planter to an elegant extruded teapot. Full colour gallery of 272 inspirational pieces created by top international ceramic designers. 175 "how-to" full colour instructional photographs. Clearly presented step-by-step illustrated projects.

Clay and Glazes for the Potter (Ceramics)
Review: Daniel Rhodes is an impeccable reference source for the subject(s). Written nearly fifty years ago, this revised edition (1973) has been continuously reprinted and is absolutely indispensable for both professional and amateur potters alike. It goes right from basics to the details of specialised techniques and materials by way of in depth explanations, always given in plain English. A chemistry degree is not required to read this book but the information it contains is exhaustive. Definitely a must buy.

The Art of Polymer Clay: Designs and Techniques for Creating Jewelry, Pottery and Decorative Artwork
The wonder substance of home crafters, polymer clay is versatile, pliable, inexpensive and easy to find. It is available in multiple colours, and can be fired in a kitchen oven. Dollmakers and miniaturists were its primary users until its properties made it more accepted. Crafters, sculpters, jewellery designers, potters, ceramists, and miniaturists can all use this synthetic clay. This manual describes the techniques of polymer clay modelling, including fabricating millefiore (stained glass effects), mould making, replicating natural materials such as jade, malachite, and coral, and mimicking gold leaf and marbleized paper. It also covers creating faux "carved" or "woven" objects. The projects include earrings and bead bracelets, napkin rings and candlesticks, animal figurines, and a birdhouse.

The Potter's Complete Book of Clays and Glazes: A Comprehensive Guide to Formulating, Mixing, Applying and Firing Clay Bodies and Glazes
This reference book is designed for professional and amateur potters as well as for pottery students. Approximately 1250 formulas are presented in a form which is free of lengthy descriptions or technical jargon. This book is a revised edition and includes new chapters on fritted glazes and vitrified pottery for lower-temperature firing. There are 250 new recipes and 500 recipes that have been recently revised. All of the recipes for glazing are nontoxic.

The Great Clay Adventure: Creative Handbuilding Projects for Young Artisits
LEVEL: Key Stage 3. From pinch pots to dinnerware, you will find it all in this book. This collection of innovative hands-on activities provides springboards for group and individual creativity. The step-by-step instructions and careful sequence of activities lead teachers and students from the simplest clay techniques to challenging works of art. Interdisciplinary and multicultural links enrich and broaden every project. Clear instructions and outstanding examples make this book a practical and dynamic resource.

Clay Modelling for Everyone: Pottery, Sculpture and Miniatures Without a Wheel
This guide offers a host of practical, useful ideas. It contains full instructions for making pots, jugs, vases, models, miniatures and jewellery

The Art of Throwing
The art of throwing is more than a skilful technique: in order for thrown pots to have meaning, it is vital that the integral role played by materials, process, context and precedent is considered. Topics covered include: clay preparation; how to begin throwing; developing skills and dealing with complex forms. Step-by-step photographs follow the throwing of various pot types and capture the delicate methods of pulling a handle or fitting a spout. Illustrations of finished work and interviews with leading potters then demonstrate the diverse ways in which thowing is used and athe opportunities it presents.

Ceramic Extruding: Inspiration & Technique
Whereas many ceramists view an extruder as a device for making handles or coils, this text shows it to be the starting point for a variety of creative works of art. The book features step-by-step projects including napkin rings, vases, umbrella stands, planters and wine coolers.

Naked Clay
Paperback - 182 pages
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (December 15, 2004)

Colour in Clay
A study of the use of colour oxides and stains in the clay body, in throwing, pinching, coiling, inlay, lamination, millefiori and sculpture. Fifty artists are profiled, with details of their working methods, firing techniques and sources of inspiration.

Low Fire: Other Ways to Work in Clay
With attention to such topics as raku, vapor glazing, majolica, nonfired finishes, and photoclay, the author describes techniques for working with and sculpting low temperature ceramic materials.

Clay: A Studio Handbook
Every day, ceramic artists encounter techniques, processes, materials, problems, and more, that leave them with questions such as: How? Why? Where? Clay: A Studio Handbook, by Vince Pitelka, answers those questions with authoritative, comprehensive coverage of topics ranging from materials, studio safety, making and improvising tools, equipment, firing processes and theory, and much more! Drawing on more than 30 years of experience in ceramics, Pitelka has created the most practical, all-inclusive studio handbook for students, studio artists, educators, and all those interested in the art of clay. Ten chapters, addressing the full range of ceramic processes, bring a lifetime of ceramic knowledge directly into the hands of the potters. Written with concern for safe and efficient studio operation, diligent attention is paid to safety practices. A thorough table of contents, glossary, and index, make finding answers quick and convenient. Numerous step-by-step illustrations guide readers through the many techniques. Whatever your involvement with clay and the clay arts, this book belongs in your library or studio. This is a book you will use over and over again!

Clay and Glazes for the Potter
Review: Daniel Rhodes is an impeccable reference source for the subject(s). Written nearly fifty years ago, this revised edition (1973) has been continuously reprinted and is absolutely indispensable for both professional and amateur potters alike. It goes right from basics to the details of specialised techniques and materials by way of in depth explanations, always given in plain English. A chemistry degree is not required to read this book but the information it contains is exhaustive. Definitely a must buy

The Craft and Art of Clay
Hardcover - 432 pages
Publisher: Overlook Press (November 2003)

Art of Clay: Timeless Pottery of the Southwest
The magnificent ceramics shown in this book leave us in no doubt that we are seeing one-of-a-kind-art, not merely pretty 'ethnic artefacts'. Major south-western artists whose works are avidly sought by museums and knowledgeable collectors the world over are represented with full-colour photographs and informative commentary. Most of the works shown are reproduced here for the first time in book form. The ninety-six beautiful full-colour photographs of museum quality works accompany a well researched and informative text. Together they represent a thrilling experience. Art of Clay provides an exciting guide which will surprise and delight both curious and seasoned collectors alike. It helps the reader identify significant developments in this dynamic and rapidly changing art form.

Make It in Clay: A Beginner's Guide to Ceramics
Paperback - 201 pages
Publisher: Mayfield (February 1, 2001)

Hands in Clay: an Introduction to Ceramics
This is the only introductory ceramics text available that combines a thorough appreciation of the aesthetics of ceramic art with extensive discussions of the history of ceramics as well as techniques for working in clay.

Pueblo Pottery Figurines: The Expression of Cultural Perceptions in Clay
What do Pueblo Indians find aesthetically pleasing in their art? This book answers that question by examining pottery figurines, which emerged late in the nineteenth century. Their sudden appearance was a break with previous genres of Pueblo creative expression and a response to Anglo-Americans transforming life around them. From their inception, pottery figurines were infused with a definite political and social message. They often tapped into the dualism inherent in the Pueblo worldview in which human figures possessed animal heads, humour was juxtaposed with seriousness, and outsider and insider were simultaneously presented. Today the popular 'storyteller' figures generate income for their creators, but Lange shows another side to the appreciation of these objects and their antecedents. As the first-ever sustained aesthetic inquiry into a Pueblo sense of beauty, this path breaking contribution offers a new view of Pueblo artistic endeavours. Lange skilfully delineates how their creativity serves religion and traditional life but also describes the dissonance between those values and the process of making objects for the commercial market.

The Beauty of Fired Clay: Ceramics from Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand
The Honda Collection is one of the finest private collections of South-East Asian ceramics ever assembled. Exceptional in its range and quality, it includes over 350 pieces from Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand that span some 4,000 years from the Neolithic period to the seventeenth century. This English edition of the Honda Collection comes with superb colour photographs by Dr Honda and an authoritative introduction by Dr Dawn F. Rooney, the well-known art historian and ceramics author.

Craft and Art of Clay
The author (emerita, ceramics, Hunter College at CUNY) is an artist whose work has been exhibited throughout the world. This systematic compilation of information, first published in 1992, is clearly a labor of love. Thoroughly practical information is augmented with background and history, as well

Don Reitz: Clay, Fire, Salt, and Wood
Don Reitz is recognized as one of the most important and influential ceramic artists of this century. Trained at Alfred University in the early 1960s, Reitz has pursued a life-long investigation of salt and wood firing of his ceramic pieces in order to preserve the energy and freshness of his artistic marks and gestures. Finding that the texture and unpredictability of salt-firing suited his work, Reitz almost single-handedly revived this neglected technique, and through long experimentation developed a range of colors and surface effects previously unknown in salt-firing. Juggling and manipulating the variables in each firing, Reitz is a virtuoso who relishes knowing what he can control and what he cannot. His work maintains a fine balance between technical mastery and improvisation. The Elvehjem Museum of Art retrospective features some seventy-four ceramic works that Reitz created between 1960 and the present.

The Spirit of Clay: A Classic Guide to Ceramics
Paperback - 444 pages
Publisher: Pebble Pr (March 1, 1998)

Paper Clay
Paperback 128 pages
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (October 1, 1998)

Raku: A Review of Contemporary Work
Hardcover 176 pages
Publisher: Craftsman House (October 15, 1994)

Potter's Dictionary of Materials and Techniques
A reference for amateur and professional potters. It presents information on the sources and character of materials, the behaviour of clays and glaze minerals during forming and firing processes, forming methods and glaze construction, and explanations of terminology and historical developments.

The Potter's Dictionary of Materials and Techniques
This fifth edition covers trends and developments in the field since the fourth edition was published, and expands previous coverage on subjects such as auto-reduction, stains, insulation, and specialized forming and firing processes. There is also a new colour section containing graphs and diagrams which deal with the nature of raku, maiolica, crystalline glazes, salt and soda, stoneware and porcelain chemicals. Chemical names of pottery materials and compounds have been updated and are in accord with international recommendations.

Illustrated Dictionary of Practical Pottery
Fourth revised edition contains articles on new trends such as paperclay, the use of print and mixed media are included as well as a lot of material on decorative terminology not found elsewhere. New photographs and illustrations make this a handy reference book for all potters.

The Portrait in Clay:
Technical, Artistic and Philosophical Journey Toward Understanding the Dynamic and Creative Forces in Portrait Sculpture
Simulating a workshop studio course, this book provides action-photography sequences that enable the reader to observe every step a master sculptor takes in building a portrait in clay