Ceramics Books - Page 12

Antique Trader Limoges Price Guide

Debby Dubay

Amazon Price: $16.49 List Price: $24.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Krause Publications Amazon Marketplace: 40 new & used starting at $3.36

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

LIMOGES PRICE GUIDE - Excellent! A MUST FOR ALL! 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Antique Trader Limoges Price Guide by Debby DuBay is a wonderful field price guide with over EIGHT HUNDRED photographs of Limoges pieces with prices and complete descriptions. A complete marks section covers all of the Limoges factory marks and backstamps including common reproduction marks. This book has a great chapter on valuation and another on identifying your pieces. In addtion - new documented research by DuBay and her researcher geneologist - on the American artist - specifically E. Miler.

I love Debby DuBay's books on Limoges! This one is just as beautiful, in an easy to carry format with new information and completely different colored photographs of unique pieces of Limoges (and at this price is a must!)

Editorial Review:

Highly sought after and a mainstay at most antique shops, select pieces can be worth $1,000

Insider information, from a recognized authority of Limoges, helpful for establishing an impressive collection

Highly coveted and collectible, Limoges porcelain is one of the few things in life that can look as good after hundreds of years as it did the day it was created. In this full-color, definitive price guide collectors and artisans with a passion for this classic porcelain will find pricing and identifying details and 800 color photos for Limoges:

-Boxes

-TeaPots

-Jardinieres

-Dinner Sets

-Vases and more

Plus, renowned antiques expert Kyle Husfloen highlights fresh collecting details every porcelain connoisseur will find helpful in his foreword.

Ten Thousand Years of Pottery

Emmanuel Cooper

Amazon Price: $29.25 List Price: $29.25 Usually ships in 2 to 3 weeks By: British Museum Press Amazon Marketplace: 9 new & used starting at $23.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Pottery is one of the oldest and most widespread arts practised by humankind and its history can be traced back to the Stone Age. Changes in styles and types occurred in response to changing social, economic and technical demands, so that vessels and other objects made in clay can reveal much about the societies in which they were produced. This highly illustrated and readable account begins with the early civilizations of the Near and Middle East and traces the production of ceramics throughout the cultures of the globe, from the Mediterranean and the Orient to Islam and ancient America, from neolithic Britain to Wedgwood and de Morgan, from twentieth-century Africa and India to Scandinavia and Australasia, with a final chapter on the newest work of studio potters today. The illustrations, drawn from museums, collectors and practising potters around the world, provide representative examples of the major styles, materials and forms of all periods, allowing the reader to make comparisons and see relationships between the works of cultures which may be widely separated in space and time.

Techniques of Kiln-formed Glass

Keith Cummings

Amazon Price: $51.41 List Price: $65.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: A and C Black Amazon Marketplace: 24 new & used starting at $46.70

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Solid overview on kilnforming 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I've got both this and the previous edition of Cumming's book in my collection. The author has plenty of hands-on experience and a broad knowledge of many glass techniques and processes. I wouldn't call this a hands-on, step-by-step tutorial in studio technique but it will certainly get you started.

Editorial Review:

Kiln-forming as a technique to shape glass was in use for centuries before the Romans developed glassblowing, which has since become the more widely used method. Today, modern glass artists are rediscovering the versatility of kiln forming and are using the technique to produce works of great beauty and strength. In this book, Keith Cummings reviews the history of kiln forming and discusses pertinent materials and methods, such as slumping and fusing. The work of an international group of artists is used to illustrate the text.

Potter's Manual

Kenneth Clark

By: Little, Brown Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $17.00

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Essential refernce guide for all potters 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 16 people found this review helpful.

Kenneth Clark makes a wonderful job of giving practical and informative advice on aspects of ceramics: techniques, clay, decoration, glazes, kilns. firing - he also uses examples of artist work in a way to inspire. This book is a must for all potters.

Editorial Review:

In this comprehensive guide to pottery Kenneth Clark explains with the help of practical and informative text together with step-by-step illustrations and examples of finished work the various aspects of pottery. These include techniques of wedge making, pinching, coiling, slab building, throwing, joining, moulding and turning. In addition Clark gives full details on techniques of decoration, tools and equipment, kilns and firing, glazes, pigments and stains finishing with a full glossary. He also suggests ways in which potters can extend their techniques of production to meet the needs of changing markets and conditions, whilst trying to keep a balance between the work of the artist innovator and the production potter or ceramicist.

Smoke Firing: Contemporary Artists and Approaches

Jane Perryman

Amazon Price: $36.46 List Price: $49.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: University of Pennsylvania Press Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $31.07

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Gathering together the expertise of nearly 30 artists who use the methods of smoke-fired pottery, both with and without recourse to kilns, the author gives us a broad perspective on the possibilities of smoke firing to achieve a multitude of contemporary approaches and results."--from the Foreword, by Janet Mansfield

The ancient technique of smoke firing transforms raw clay into durable ceramics while carbon from burning leaves, sawdust, or paper embeds itself in the clay, mottling it with blues and grays, leaving cloudy forms around resist materials, or blackening the surface completely. Each smoke-fired piece is a unique record of collaboration between heat, chemistry, and creativity. The method has its roots in traditional pottery, but its technological simplicity lends itself to today's artistic improvization and experimentation.

Jane Perryman explores creative possibilities of this time-tested yet liberating method in Smoke Firing: Contemporary Artists and Approaches, a survey of the varied work of contemporary ceramicists from around the world. After a brief introduction to the cultural history of smoke firing, Perryman and leading ceramics practitioners share the latest ideas and innovations in the use of bonfires, containers, earth pits, saggars, and kilns. As artists from 17 countries discuss their work, they reveal the meaning and inspiration behind their creations. Smoke Firing contains dozens of full-color photographs of ceramics and ceramicists in action, plus a special chapter on smoke firing for educational groups and workshops.

Handsomely illustrated, Smoke Firing is an inspirational resource for ceramics and pottery devotees, from seasoned craftspeople to curious collectors.

Children, Clay, And Sculpture

Cathy Weisman Topal

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sterling Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $10.04

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

hands-down the best 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.

This book is extremely useful for classroom teachers and homeschooling families alike. It slowly and thoroughly works through the progression of skills from first using clay to creating finished sculpture. The chapters include information for teaching the skills, multiple examples of professional artwork that can be studied to view the technique at hand, tons of pictures of student work with the age of the student identified (very helpful for knowing how to set your expectations at a realistic level) and every chapter includes free exploration ideas as well as specific exercises.

Chapters:

Before You Begin
Explorations
Making Sculpture
Sculpting in Relief
Animals
Heads and Faces
Figures
Improving Sculptures
Finishing and Displaying Sculpture

I have taken classes with Cathy Topal; she teaches in the Education department at Smith College, helping prospective teachers learn how to teach art. The care and attention she has taken to laying out the exercises in this book clearly reflect this experience - she can think both like an experienced teacher of art and like a mentor to new teachers. This book is a valuable purchase for any art teacher or homeschool family and can be used with students from age 4 to high school level. It will grow with your child and can be used over and over to explore topics in more depth in subsequent years. I give it my very highest recommendation.

Editorial Review:

Kids will happily dig into the soft, malleable medium, exploring its possibilities. They’ll break the clay apart, rejoin it with water, try to model it into recognizable shapes, and cut out great big slabs to design. Pictures of professional sculptures, as well as objects created by kids, fill the book. Children will think it’s playtime—you don’t have to tell them they’re learning, too.

Motawi Tileworks: Contemporary Handcrafted Tiles in the Arts & Crafts Tradition

Anne Stewart O'Donnell

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 By: Pomegranate Communications Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $17.26

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Working out of a garage they had converted into a studio, Nawal Motawi and her brother Karim started a small art-tile business in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Beginning in 1992, they sold their hand-sculpted tiles at art fairs and the local farmer's market. Word spread; commissions started coming in; soon the Motawis were in demand.

Today Motawi Tileworks employs about thirty people and creates beautifully designed contemporary art tiles in the tradition of the Arts & Crafts movement. Many designs are inspired by the work of famous graphic artists--such as Dard Hunter--or architects--such as Frank Lloyd Wright--or by traditional textile patterns or Japanese woodblock prints. Others are born solely of Nawal's imagination. But each Motawi tile is an original jewel, embodying a sophisticated color palette and the finest craftsmanship.

In this book, Anne Stewart O'Donnell, editor in chief of Style 1900 magazine, gives an engaging account of the Motawi Tileworks story, from the company's design and manufacturing processes through its unique inventory system. A foreword by Joseph A. Taylor, cofounder and president of the Tile Heritage Foundation, places Motawi Tileworks firmly in the forefront of contemporary tilemakers. The book concludes with a photo essay that leads the reader through the tilemaking process.

Illustrated with about 125 color photographs of individual tiles, murals, and installations, Motawi Tileworks is a must-read for anyone interested in Arts & Crafts design, tiles, and a small-business success story.

Fantastic Figures: Ideas and Techniques Using the New Clays

Susanna Oroyan

List Price: $22.95 By: C & T Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $26.40

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Fantastic Book!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful.

This book is wonderful, it covers every aspect of dollmaking. If this is your first time making a doll or your 100th you will find new and helpful information in this book. Definatly add this book to your doll making library.

Editorial Review:

In Anatomy of a Doll master dollmaker Susanna Oroyan gave us a definitive work on cloth dollmaking. In Fantastic Figures she concentrates on unique dolls made from polymer and paper clays, especially those that combine sculpted clay with cloth bodies. Emphasizing innovation rather than imitation, she provides lengthy and detailed information on the clays themselves; on sculpting the head, hands, feet, and legs; on finishing medium and painting methods; and on constructing the body, clothes, hair, accessories, and even display stands and tableau settings. The appendix discusses doll clubs and organizations and offers advice from other doll experts. Numerous line drawings and diagrams supplement the text, but the best feature is the set of exquisite color photographs of dolls made by 60 professional doll artists, some of whose creations are almost frightening in their startling realism.

Out of the Earth into the Fire: A Course in Ceramic Materials for the Studio Potter

Mimi Obstler

List Price: $52.00 By: Amer Ceramic Society Amazon Marketplace: 2 new & used starting at $45.00

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A necessary book for any serious potter. 5 out of 5 stars.
21 of 24 people found this review helpful.

"Out of the Earth Into the Fire" is a necessary book for any potter , and is especially useful for any potter doing their own glazes.It details in it's four chapters, although very long and comprehensive chapters, all of the glaze and clay making ingredients that you will need. The first chapter deals with the glaze cores. It talks of both the historical and the emperical aspects of all the necessary substances in use. A substance that I can't wait to get my hands on is Rotton Stone. I'll let you read the book to find out why. The second chapter is about clays and clay bodies.Although most of us buy prepared clay this gives us reason to make our own. The next chapter concerns auxillary melters.We find here about glaze surfaces; how to best utilize a substance to make a glossy, a matt, or an opaque surface. Finally the last chapter reveals all we want to know about silica and alumina. The appendices are full of useful material. There are even some good pictures in this book. An unexpected surprise.

Editorial Review:

This second edition book written by Mimi Obstler studies glazes by examining the connection between the raw materials of the earth and the surface of a ceramic form. This second edition includes updated text, revised and expanded appendixes, plus 50 color photos to make this an even more valuable resource for potters who want to develop a true mastery of their materials.

Setting Up Your Ceramic Studio: Ideas & Plans from Working Artists (A Lark Ceramics Book)

Virginia Scotchie

Amazon Price: $19.46 List Price: $24.95 In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served. By: Lark Books Amazon Marketplace: 15 new & used starting at $11.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Classy, but limited. 4 out of 5 stars.
35 of 35 people found this review helpful.

The studio examples are regionally limited to the author's home base area (Southeastern U.S.). The good part of this restricted view is that the photographs are numerous and pretty fantastic. The drawback is there's a lot of us who have to factor in different weather and terrain conditions--depending on where we live.
The plans shown didn't have any measurements showing scale, so it was hard to get a true feeling as to how the various pieces of equipment filled the space. The graph paper used as a backdrop for these plans only caused more confusion, as there was nothing to show if each graph square equaled one square foot, or four.
I would suggest--to anyone designing a studio--that you beg, borrow or buy your own graph paper and do your drawing to scale. Also draw your equipment to scale and cut out silhouettes so you can try out many approaches to placement.
None of the studio plans matched my desires or needs, but the examples are varied enough that bits and pieces of almost all were helpful in designing my new studio. Pay particular attention to the information on traffic and work flow. It will help whether you work alone or have students sharing the space.
All in all, a presentation with classy paper, pictures, and prose--and all at a great price.

Editorial Review:

Take a photographic tour of 10 beautiful ceramics studios, and discover exactly how and why each design so perfectly meets the artist’s particular needs. Author and ceramist Virginia Scotchie covers all the practical decisions about equipment, safety, and workflow, from using the available space effectively to establishing a small office to handle the business side of the craft.