Ceramic Artists on Creative Processes (How Ideas Are Born)

A representative selection of the work of some of the best ceramic artists and an insightful and visually rich book about ceramics and the origins of creativity.

This book contains a representative selection of the work of some of the best ceramic artists in the world. The 25 featured artists explain, in their own words, the creative processes behind their work, what inspires them, the strategies they use to stay fresh and creative, what distinguishes their work from that of other ceramic artists and how they achieve this. Through examples of their most personal creations—objects capable of affecting us emotionally, surprising us and making us think—the artists reveal important details about their ceramic creations: how it was made, how it was shaped, which glaze and engobe coating they used to give the clay color and texture, the firing temperature of the kiln and the type of kiln chosen. The reader is provided with an illuminating glimpse into each artist’s unique creative world, where they point out the defining features of their work and reveal some of the secrets that characterize their artistic processes. Paragons of exploration, risk and versatility, the extraordinary artists highlighted in this book rediscover thousand-year-old traditions, reinvent perspectives, transcend boundaries, tell stories and rebel from conventional expectations, creating in the process an exhilarating space where art, clay, water, air and fire meet and, ultimately, inspire.

CERAMISTS INCLUDED. ARGELIA: Nathalie Doyen (Belgium). BELGIUM: Ann VanHoey. CHINA: Wan Liya. FRANCE: Monsieur Cailloux. GERMANY: Monika Debus. INDIA: Madhvi Subrahmanian. IRLAND: Nuala O’Donovan. ITALY: Paola Paronetto. JAPAN: Shozo Michikawa, Kaori Kurihara (now France), Yuko Nishikawa (now USA). MEXICO: Gustavo Pérez. NETHERLANDS: Cecil Kemperink. NIGERIA: Ngozi Omeje Ezema. POLAND: Monika Patuszynska. SPAIN: Ícaro Maiterena, Xabier Montsalvaje, María Oriza, Myriam Jiménez Huertas, Ana Felipe, Roger Coll. UK: Alice Walton, Nicholas Lees. USA: Lauren Nauman, Godeleine de Rosamel.

Miguel Ángel Pérez Arteaga is a graphic design and communication expert and co-founder of the design studio Batidora de Ideas. Author and illustrator of twelve children's books published in Spain, Mexico and Brazil, he is also the author of the book Creatividad: curiosidad, motivación y juego (Creativity: curiosity, motivation and play) in the series “[Re]thinking education” published by Prensas de la Universidad de Zaragoza. He participated in the exhibitions “Ready to Read: Book Design from Spain: A selection of the best books published in Spain” (New York, Washington, Mexico, Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Madrid and Lisbon) and “Ilustrísimos: An overview of children and young adults' illustration in Spain” at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. A finalist in the Daniel Gil Awards (Spain) and the Biennial of Illustration of Amarante (Portugal), he has had numerous individual and collective painting, photography and illustration exhibitions. Miguel Ángel Pérez Arteaga is a lecturer in the Marketing Department of the University of Zaragoza (Spain).