Practical Potter : Step-by-Step Techniques, 30 Projects and Inspirational Examples, Shown in 800 Photographs

THE PRACTICAL POTTER

Step-by-step techniques, 30 projects and inspirational examples, shown in 800 photographs

Josie Warshaw

• How to create your own beautiful ceramics, with practical step-by-step instructions.

• Six how-to sections cover design; handbuilding; making and using moulds; throwing; glazing and decoration; and kilns and firing – each including an inspiring gallery of work by contemporary ceramic artists.

• Over 30 projects explore the fantastic creative possibilities with clay – from a simple hand-coiled pot needing the minimum of equipment, a wheel-thrown cup and saucer, to a press-moulded plate with printed overlays.

• Explains all the basic pottery techniques, such as pinching, hollowing, coiling, slab building, extrusion and clay relief.

Working with clay is tremendously satisfying, with enough possibilities and variations to fill a lifetime of imaginative discovery. This book explains all the main methods for both novices and experienced makers wanting to improve their skills. Each chapter features step-by-step explanations, brought to life with examples of contemporary work. Ideas include a thrown cup and saucer, a hand-formed interpretation of the human figure, a press-moulded jug with sprigged decoration, and slipcast vessels with the distinctive crackled surface of raku. Accessible and inspiring, the book uncovers both the practical essentials and the creative secrets of working with clay.

About the Author: Josie Warshaw trained in ceramics at Harrow School of Art. She then worked as a ceramics technician at Camberwell School of Art. She teaches individuals and groups in her studio, and also gives classes at the City Lit in Covent Garden, London.

Josie Warshaw trained in ceramics at Harrow School of Art then went on to work at Camberwell School of Art as a ceramics technician and as a production thrower and worker in commercial London studio pottery workshops. Since setting up her own studio at Kingsgate Workshops Trust in 1983 her work has been shown in galleries and placed in private collections. Josie teaches short, making and surface decoration courses at the City Lit and at her own London studio. She continues with her "timeline" of hand built ceramic work and welcomes visitors to her open studio events at Kingsgate Workshop Trust.