Enjoyable reading for anyone interested in art.
Although written as a ceramic guide book for neophytes to advanced ceramic artists, this is also an excellent manual for teachers of all grades.
Palul's new book Clay Hand-Building and Beyond is an adventure in creating with clay. Palul takes you through the process in an easy to understand way. It's full of inspiring pictures of hand-built pieces along with simple "how to" photos. The text is clear and entertaining as Palul weaves stories, humor, history and philosophy around detailed technical information.
As well as basic hand-building construction methods, Palul covers tools and materials and includes an excellent section on colorants and glazing.
The section on kilns and firing is basic, yet in depth enough to educate the student who wishes acquire and fire one's own kiln or just to know greater details about the firing process. (During his long career Palul has built and fired 6 different gas kilns and rewired 3 electric kilns.).
There is also a useful appendix that includes types of clays, firing cones and temperatures, and the "Golden Rules of Clay."
In order to write this book Palul has relied on 45 years of experience as an artist, college instructor and scientist. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this e-book is a full length volume of creative pleasure.
Clay Handing and Beyond is available at Amazon as an E-book for only $3.99. Cover Photo: RETURN OF ICARUS
30 inches high, hand-built and
Raku-fired, feathers with burned tips.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS
Earth
Water
Air
Fire
Human Beings
THE GOLDEN RULES OF CLAY
Rule #1 - Clay shrinks.
Rule #2 - Never trap air inside your clay
Rule #3 - Dry your pieces slowly
THE NITTY GRITTY, OR PUTTING IT TOGETHER - TECHNOLOGY
Pinch Method:
Coil Method:
Slab Method:
Combinations:
ART: IDEAS AND SELF EXPRESSION - SUBJECTIVITY
Where do ideas come from?
Why do I create?
GLAZES AND COLORANTS
Golden Rule #4 - Read the Label
Slips
Underglazes
Glazes and Glazing
The Basic Glaze Formula
Obtaining your glazes
Properties of glazes
Glazing, the Process
Application: Art Versus Technology
Methods of Glaze Application
Overglazes
Resists
KILNS
Kiln Types:
Loading the Kiln
The Firing Process
Unloading and Post Firing Observations
APPENDIX 1
Types Of Clay
APPENDIX 2:
Cone/Temperature/Heat/Color Chart
ABOUT THE AUTHOR