Ceramics: A Potter's Handbook PDF
Preview Ceramics: A Potter's Handbook
ve pes _ Sixth Edition aan ef, aTESSEHDRM. E Dye, sH*ah idse, a Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2022 with funding from Kahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/details/ceramicspottershO00Onels CERAMICS A POTTER’S HANDBOOK Sixth Edition CERAMICS A POTTER’S HANDBOOK Sixth Edition Glenn C. Nelson Richard Burkett San Diego State University VVADSVWORTH mm THOMSON LEARNING Australia * Canada * Mexico * Singapore * Spain * United Kingdom * United States VVADSVWVORTH mm THOMSON LEARNING Acquisitions Editor: John Swanson Art Director: David Beard Developmental Editor: Stacey Sims Production Manager: Linda McMillan Editorial Assistant: Melinda Bonnell Photo Researcher: Elsa Peterson Ltd. Marketing Strategist: Mark Orr Copy Editor: Charles Naylor Project Editor: Laura Hanna Cover Printer: LeHigh Press Manufacturing Manager: Elaine Curda Compositor: TechBooks Permissions Editor: Shirley Webster Printer: R.R. Donnelley COPYRIGHT © 2002, 1984, 1971, 1966, 1960 Asia Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning™ is Thomson Learning a trademark used herein under license. Copyright 60 Albert Street, #15-01 renewed 1994, 1988 by Glenn Nelson. Albert Complex Singapore 189969 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be Australia reproduced or used in any form or by any Nelson Thomson Learning means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, 102 Dodds Street recording, taping, Web distribution, information South Melbourne, Victoria 3205 networks, or information storage and retrieval Australia systems—without the written permission of the publisher. Canada Nelson Thomson Learning Printed in the United States of America 1120 Birchmount Road ZXZ© 7 AOp S4 2 Of Toronto, Ontario M1K 5G4 Canada ISBN: 0-03-028937-8 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: Europe/Middle East/Africa 2001096329 Thomson Learning Berkshire House 168-173 High Holborn London WC! V7AA aa United Kingdom For more information about our products, contact us at: Latin America Thomson Learning Academic Thomson Learning Resource Center Seneca, 53 1-800-423-0563 Colonia Polanco 11560 Mexico, D.F. For permission to use material from this Mexico text, contact us by: Phone: 1-800-730-2214 Spain Fax: 1-800-730-2215 Paraninfo Thomson Learning Web: http://www.thomsonrights.com Calle/Magallanes, 25 28015 Madrid, Spain “& This book 1s dedicated to my father, who taught me about science, and to my mother, who always included art as a part of life. PREFACE he ceramics world has changed greatly in the nearly fifty years since Glenn Nelson began writing Ceramics: A Potter’s Handbook as a small reference man- ual for his students in Minnesota. His was a pioneering effort in an era when there were few art galleries that handled the ceramic arts, not many suppliers of ceramic materials, and no textbooks that comprehensively covered the basics of making pottery and ceramic art. As a beginning potter in 1970, I found Nelson’s book to be a wonderful resource. It was heartening to hear from so many other potters as I began this revision of Ceramics: A Potter’s Handbook, that they too had fond memories ofu sing this book as they started out in clay. I must thank Glenn Nelson for all his many years of diligent work in writing and revising Ceramics. | realize now what a monumental task that was. Ceramics is still chock- full of useful information, ideas, philosophy, history, and art. I’ve tried my best to preserve those qualities in this new edition and to merely add to it what I could to bring the information in the book into the current era. Structure of the Book and Changes to the New Edition The new edition begins with the basic material, clay, as this elemental and ancient medium is the core of all we do as ceramists. An understanding of the origin, composition, and types of clay is fundamental to understanding what humankind has done with clay in the millennia since the first person discovered that objects could be made from this substance. Chapters on the history ofp ot- tery and the ceramic arts follow and remain largely unchanged from the earlier edition, save for some rearranging of the text and a few other minor additions. A new fourth chapter brings the history of clay up to the end of the twentieth century, primarily through a portfolio of contemporary work in clay that illus- trates the rich diversity of form and content typifying the past fifty years of art. A brief overview of this recent era focuses on how the ceramics world has changed and how it has often paralleled changes in the art world as a whole. This section replaces the section on the Professional Potter in the previous edition—a difficult decision, but one which I feel is for the best as it allows a larger portfolio of contemporary work. Quotes from ceramic artists about what motivates them and inspires them about clay are scattered through the captions that accompany the illustrations. The chapter “Clay in the Studio” starts the studio practices section of the book. Chapters on the forming processes basic to ceramics follow, covering hand- building, throwing, glazing and glaze formulation, and finally kilns and firing. All of these sections include all-new photographs of both the processes and contemporary ceramics to illustrate those processes. The chapters on glaze and glazes have been updated to reflect the removal of lead as a glaze ingredient from almost all glazes and the ever-growing focus on safe studio practices. Warnings for acutely toxic materials are more common now, but it is also important for young potters to understand that a lifetime of exposure to more subtle hazards in the workplace can greatly affect their health, and the warnings now reflect those concerns as well. The section on glazes and calculations has been rewritten to try to make tlie difficult concepts surrounding ceramic chemicals and glazes more easily under- stood. At a time when ceramic raw materials (Gerstley borate, for example) keep disappearing from the marketplace and new ingredients must be found to make glazes, a basic knowledge of simple glaze chemistry can make the potter’s life much happier. Even in an era where computers can calculate and recalculate glazes in a split second, a fundamental understanding of how glazes work is essential to using these new tools effectively. Finally the section on kilns and firing covers that last, but ever so crucial, process in the transformation of clay from an expressively soft and plastic medi- um to one of the most long-lasting art materials known. Several sections of this chapter have been rewritten and expanded to include currently popular tech- niques such as soda firing. Additions and updates have been made to the appendices, too, including new glaze and clay recipes, some useful calculations for ceramists, and a section on glues, adhesives, and ceramic repairs—a useful topic for a fragile art medium. The roster of ceramic suppliers is updated, with Web site and e-mail information included where available. Sources of ceramic information on the Internet are also listed, as this valuable resource has grown tremendously in the last few years. Acknowledgments Id like to give my most heartfelt thanks to all the many, many people who have so patiently offered their help during this revision. First and foremost are all the potters and ceramists who have so generously offered photographs, recipes, information, and advice. I am grateful also to the following reviewers whose input guided this revision: Linda Arbuckle, University of Florida; Aurore Chabot, University of Arizona; Chris Dayman, Owensboro Community College; Gail Kendall, University of Nebraska—Lincoln; Robert Kibler, Glendale Community College; Mark Pharis, University of Minnesota. I would also like to thank my book team, now of Wadsworth Publishing. The team included John Swanson, acquisitions editor; Stacey Sims, senior development editor; Melinda Bonnell, editorial assistant; Shirley Webster, literary and picture rights editor; David Beard, art director; Laura Hanna, project editor; and Linda McMillan, production manager. My family and friends have been a great support to me during this epic process—I must say I had no real idea what I was starting when I began the revi- sion. Finally, I'd like to thank Richard Peeler, wherever you are, for introducing me to both the potter’s art, and also to this book. I wish you could be here to see this new edition. And thanks again to Glenn Nelson: you set the standard. Richard Burkett San Diego, California PREFACE CLAY CHAPTER 1 Formation of Clay Clays for Potters and Sculptors Clay Types Kaolin Ball Clay Stoneware Clays Fireclay Earthenware Clays Slip Clay Bentonite # iA oer ere Age aei s nae pee EARLY CERAMIC HISTORY-~Paleolithic (~26,000 B.C.) CHAPTER 2 to ~1000 A.D. Origins of Pottery Paleolithic and Neolithic Cultures The First Pottery Technology and the Evolution of Pottery The Ancient Orient China Korea Japan The Americas Pre-Columbian America Mesoamerica North America South America The Ancient Middle East Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Iran Egypt The Ancient Mediterranean World Crete Greece Etruria Rome Europe Africa Vitti
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