Raku Pottery [Paperback]

Robert Piepenburg (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0962848115 | ISBN-13: 978-0962848117 | Publication Date: January 1994 | Edition: Revised

This international #1 best seller on raku ceramics is a richly photographed, accessible, all-in-one compendium of knowledge and inspiration for the contemporary raku potter. In addition to vividly providing important exposure to kiln construction and glaze reduction techniques the pages are visually loaded with the imaginative work and resourcefulness of today's raku artists.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Robert Piepenburg has been a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and several Creative Artists Grants from theMichigan Council for the Arts. His works are in public and private collections from the Smithsonian in Washington, DC to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts in Honolulu, Hawaii. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Author

Our pottery gives testimony to ourselves. To a potter, education is really self-education: it is the continual revelation of one self by oneself. Each time the potter transforms a mass of clay the clay is transforming the potter; the creating is the searching and finding of meaning; an attempt to unite mankind and his or her being. I often believe that a beautiful pot achieves that goal. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 159 pages
• Publisher: Pebble Pr; Revised edition (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962848115
• ISBN-13: 978-0962848117
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #925,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My wife Gail took this 2009 photo just after purchasing my John Carlo look-alike hat in Porto Venere, Italy. It's striking enough that I'm tempted (well ... almost) to write another book just to put it on the jacket. Just so you know, John Carlo is the consummate Italian gentleman whose camaraderie we had the pleasure of sharing with our cherished friends (and Italian traveling companions) Jan and David Roberts. If you're looking for a profoundly impressive ceramic book, check out the new edition of "David Roberts, Painting With Smoke" for which I had the honor of writing the forward.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Raku Bibles, September 30, 2002

By 

Gary Ferguson (Nampa, ID USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raku Pottery (Paperback)

This is one of the Bibles of the Raku art world. Piepenburg gives a great introduction into the history of Raku, where it originated, the Raku families, and the ties to the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Sprinkled throughout the book are excellent examples of Raku artwork from a variety of artists. A wide variety of shapes, forms, glazes, and techniques are all detailed and described. There is also a nice collection of glaze recipes along with application methods and testing techniques. There is a section that talks about Raku kilns and burners and some basic information on how to build them. Finally there is an introduction into the firing and post-firing techniques that are used in Raku. Overall it is a very nice introduction to Raku with a very nice gallery of pieces to inspire you to create your own works of art.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars King of Raku, June 8, 2001

By 

William D. Rigdon (Canyon Lake, Tx USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raku Pottery (Paperback)

Robert Piepenburg is one of the leading Raku artists in our time. I have been doing pottery for 20 years and this book has helped me hone my pieces to as near perfection as we can get. The helpful insights from type of clay, glazes, firing techniques and even kiln building are a step by step aide in creating and developing your own techniques--with borrowing a little from Piepenburg and others you can claim it as your own. Luckily the beauty of Raku is that you can follow anothers techniqes step by step and still come out with a totally different look. The main idea is to help develop the technique that is right to get the results you are seeking for the glazes you are using.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great PLace to Start in Raku, February 17, 2003

By 

Lisa Gatz (CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Raku Pottery (Paperback)

I found this book very clear with the detailed information on building kilns invaluable. The author has also included great information in forming raku bodies and glazes.