Minnesota Clay Books

Authors James Watkins and Paul Wandless, along with a group of distinguished artisans, demonstrate in detail how to build low-cost, low-tech, yet high-quality kilns. The plans range from an easy, affordable, and versatile Raku Kiln to a unique wood-fueled Downdraft Stovepipe Barrel one. These clever devices make it possible to produce rich surface effects from alternative reduction firing techniques.

When it comes to innovation, ceramic artists rank at the top. What is it about clay that brings out the creative spirit in us? Unlike a canvas to be painted or a stone to be carved, clay presents unlimited possibilities. You can shape it, throw it, pour it, carve it, stamp it, paint it—anything. In this collection of techniques, profiles and projects, more than 25 innovative artists explore some of the vast possibilities clay has to offer.

According to Ceramics Monthly, approximately 75% of potters glaze their pieces at mid-range temperatures—and this complete studio guide eliminates the guesswork from the popular process. Along with hundreds of recipes, it explores mixing, application, specific firing and cooling cycles, and all the factors that make glazes work. See how to boost colors with intense stains, washes, and underglazes; achieve stunning results that equal high-fire glazing, and expand the frontiers of mid-range with tips for wood, salt, and soda firing.

With hundreds of recipes for some of the most popular and enduring high-fire glazes, this reference will prove a boon to ceramists who want to master this complex and versatile aspect of the art. Author John Britt, who served as Clay Coordinator at the respected Penland School of Crafts, has personally tested many of the recipes, and carefully reviews every one.

A complete guide to getting a fantastic spectrum of colorful glazes, Linda Bloomfield looks at a full range of materials and options for creating colors in glazes. This book is illustrated with finished work as well as an extensive collection of sample test tiles to illustrate the variety of colors possible from metal oxides in ceramics.

In this book, Richard Zakin takes you on a comprehensive journey through the information and ideas of the potter's craft. He includes photographs of pieces made by leading artists, as well as comments by them concerning various aspects of their work. This book is unique in its scope and the depth of its information and photographic documentation.

Sculpting the human face presents a unique artistic challenge—but this richly illustrated guide thoroughly demystifies the process. Instructor Alex Irvine goes step-by-step, explaining everything from creating basic, rough outlines to surface refinements to finely detailed replicas. Photographs of models and sketches appear alongside the actual sculpture, and a gallery of contemporary work inspires.

Tableware has occupied a special place in our kitchens and dining rooms for thousands of years, and continues to enchant us today. Ranging from the purely functional to the fine and delicate, the evolution of domestic pots tells us much about our changing tastes and habits, and the wider art and cultural movements that have influenced their decoration and forms.

Whether you fire in oxidation, reduction, or neutral—with gas, electricity, or wood—High Fire Glazes delivers an enormous array of surface possibilities. The recipes in this book have been used and tested by more professional artists, over a longer period of time, than those at other temperature ranges.

Handmade Tile is a contemporary guide for ceramic artists and anyone interested in custom tile installations—from making, designing, and decorating to designing your space and installation. Forrest Lesch-Middelton shares everything he’s learned as the founder and owner of the custom tile business FLM Ceramics and Tile. From his years as a one-man operation to his current production facility, Forrest has seen it all and helps you every step of the way. Whether you want to make your own tile, or want to use artistic and custom-made tile in your home, this book has everything you need.

With its diverse collection of techniques and more than 20 inspiring projects, this is the definitive potter’s companion! From pinch pots, coil building, and slab construction to creative throwing practices and moldmaking, this must-have reference for ceramists covers all the basics . . . and beyond. Accompanying photos help newcomers build a strong technical foundation, and the stunning projects, including a square-slabbed dish and porcelain wall boxes, will appeal to potters of every level. There’s also a fascinating history of pottery, and a guide to the various types of clays and kilns.

Do you even know any potters who don’t cook? Wouldn’t it be great if there were a pottery design, technique, and glaze recipe book put together with a food recipe book? Well now there is, and it comes from the extensive research and passion of veteran author Sumi von Dassow.

High Excitement Low Temperature!
These days, a great number of creative and talented ceramic artists are pushing the limits of what is possible at the lower temperature ranges. They have tested extensively to find the right fluxes to get just the right effect; they have developed techniques for applying layers of surface to achieve depth and complexity. And the result is a growing popularity of low-fire ceramics.

From pinch pots to coiled boxes to soft slab tableware, mastering hand building is a lifelong pursuit. In this book, Sunshine Cobb covers all the foundational skills, with lessons for constructing both simple and complex forms from clay. Ceramic artists will also find a variety of next-level techniques and tips: designing templates and replicating pieces, lidded vessels, using molds, a variety of decorative techniques, and other avenues of exploration are all inside. You will love Sunshine’s pragmatic approach to handbuilding and be inspired to try the many step-by-step projects throughout the book!

Handmade pots find homes in various places around the house. From the vase in the living room that holds fresh-cut garden blooms, to canisters in the pantry, to the cookie jar on the kitchen counter, to the whiskey bottle or flask in the liquor cabinet, they add a personal touch to our environment. Part of the Ceramic Arts Select Series—which focuses on a group of related forms and presents some of the best examples of how contemporary artists are exploring, innovating, and celebrating those forms—this book showcases lidded pots used for storing and serving food, displaying flowers or fruit, and keeping clutter artfully contained.

Raku, pit and barrel firing are three of the most popular firing techniques in ceramics. Accessible to anyone involved in this expressive medium, the unifying theme of these three techniques is the ability to work directly with the fire to achieve both quick and unique results not available with more conventional firing techniques. You'll discover some of the most beautiful alternatively-fired work, as well as extensive how-to techniques and step-by-step instructions.

There are scores of techniques, hundreds of variations and thousands of combinations in ceramics. And it's these combinations that make pottery art so exciting since no two people can produce the same work. This is a book about variety, but, more importantly, it's about possibilities. This compilation of techniques from a wide spectrum of experienced clay artists illustrates the variables of figuring out processes, perfecting techniques to come up with something different.

Clay is the most versatile sculpture material around. It’s easy to use, readily available, inexpensive, and perfect for creating works of almost any size or shape. For thousands of years, artists have used clay to stir their imagination and give shape to their ideas.

Ceramic art consists of two major components: surface and form. Either one can make your sculpture or pot a success or a failure. In Surface Decoration Techniques, you’ll discover a wealth of information about how to approach the surface of your ceramic surfaces through a wide variety of techniques from more than 30 professional clay artists with decades of experience.

Throwing and handbuilding are at the core of all studio ceramics techniques. Through skill and imagination, some of the most talented artists and craftsmen can take these basic techniques and produce extremely creative works of art. By learning their techniques, and a little practice, you'll be able to create unique works of your own. Throwing & Handbuilding: Forming Techniques is a collection of 24 carefully selected projects and techniques.

In Terra Sigillata: Contemporary Techniques, Rhonda Willers provides an historical overview, as well as technical information on how to make, mix, and apply terra sigillatas. In addition, she presents contemporary artist profiles and techniques to enrich and encourage your terra sigillata development.

Throwing Techniques is a collection of more than thirty carefully selected projects from more than two dozen talented ceramic artists. Get your creativity flowing as you discover the secrets to making a variety of lidded, closed, and spouted forms; constructing large pieces; altering thrown shapes; and much more.

In Working with Porcelain, you’ll discover the ins and outs of using porcelain. Compiled from the Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated archives, along with helpful insights and notes from renowned porcelain artist Antoinette Badenhorst, you’ll learn about porcelain’s distinctive qualities and how to successfully create with this always beautiful, but often temperamental clay body.