Customer Reviews

Clay: A Studio Handbook

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This book is wonderful. It contains information on everything from properly wedging and centering clay, to how to set up your own studio and select equipment. It's informative without being so academic that it's hard to read. I would recommend it to anyone who is trying to supplement their knowledge of ceramics. I have more hands-on pottery experience than academic, so this answers all the little things I've been wondering about such as "What is the difference between earthenware and stoneware?", "How does a noborigama work?", or "What is the proper way to photograph my work?" This is the perfect studio reference book.

Vince Pitelka's Clay: A Studio Handbook is a comprehensive, highly detailed manual on all the myriad ways to create and enjoy clay sculpture, from hand-building to potter's wheels to kiln firing and glazes, to exhibiting and marketing finished works. Written in sensible language easily understandable to the lay reader or novice hobbyist, yet covering all the material a professional needs to know, Clay: A Studio Handbook is the perfect guide for anyone with an interest in learning or improving their clay craftsmanship, whether for fun or for profit. Black-and-white photographs and drawings visually model the many styles and techniques presented, making them easy to imitate. Clay: A Studio Handbook is strongly recommended for anyone with a yearning to create three-dimensional art.

I have read several books (library) on pottery and technique and THIS book, for all inclusive information, beats them all. One definitely that should be in everyone's studio. Easy to quick reference. Easy to read and understand. I actually could visualize making forms as I read the text. It gets right down to the molecular events that happen in the kiln, things I didn't know before. Wonderful work!! Take a class, then read this book. You'll want to play with clay the rest of your life.

I took two years of a ceramics class, which was enough to get me a job in the 70's as a studio assistant and earn some extra money while going to school. There were a lot of techniques we used that I didn't understand, but I got by.
Now that I have the luxury of immersing in ceramics again, I wanted to know what I was doing, and what all those lucky four year+ ceramics majors got to play with.
This is the book for it- it's actually an upper level ceramics handbook. Easy to read, easy to understand, and all that incredible depth of information that can make you good at what you do.
Vince Pitelka has a website for his college courses (based on the book) along with additional handouts and resources at:
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/syllabi-handouts/handouts-info.htm

I'm SO pleased I found this book. . . Thanks, Vince!

This book is very thorough and well organized. It is a great resource for students, studio artists, and teachers. I bought my copy from the Appalachian Center for Craft for about $50.

Great book! This book will give the beginner potter all the information you could possibly need when starting your new adventure in pottery. Along with a great teacher this book has me up and running! Recommend it to anyone getting started in pottery.

This book packs a lot of information into it's pages. It works well as a book to sit down and read through and as a reference book. Very well laid out, good directions and pictures, very inclusive. I highly recommend it.