Customer Reviews

Terracotta: The Technique of Fired Clay Sculpture

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
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Here is another beautiful collaboration by Lucchesi and Malmstrom. Taking what has to be one of the cheapest, most versatile materials Lucchesi takes you through seven different projects illustrated with Malmstrom's detailed photos and easy to follow commentary. The end chapter very helpfully answers questions about firing the piece, mounting, possible problems (and how to fix them) and a list of suppliers for clays, tools, mounting and casting. As a sculptor, I found the book both excellent and inviting!

I'm a student working in wax, but the most important concepts in this book are definitely cross media; it was a good buy. I mainly use the book as a reference tool and posing guide -- it is a great problem solver. There can't be many issues in posing or proportioning that a beginner won't find help for somewhere in this book. Ms. Malmstrom has such a talent for photographing sculpture that you almost feel like you have the actual piece in front of you. And Mr. Lucchesi's work... it's tough to imagine a day so bad that his sculpture can't make you feel more at peace.

This book demystifies what appears to be a difficult and therefore unapproachable art form. The surprising simplicity of the process becomes clear as Margit Malmstrom lives up to her promise of "taking the fear and mystery out of terracotta sculpture". She provides comprehensive instructions by way of photographs and narrative to enable the artist to construct, fire and finish a piece successfully. And while the problems associated with working with terracotta appear to be few she addresses each one carefully.

Seven pieces in terracotta completed by the internationally renowned sculptor Bruno Lucchesi, illustrated in clear, sequential photographs, and accompanied by Malmstroms' easily understood narrative, makes this book accessible and user friendly. It is a must for every sculptor at every level.

I found this book to be a wonderful tool for the beginner or advanced sculptor. It leads you step by step and, as a 3rd-year sculptor, the techniques Lucchesi provides have greatly inspired and helped me improve my own techniques.

The first time I browsed the book, I was blown away by the beauty of Bruno's work.
The second time, I was disappointed because of the limited explanation and technical descriptions.
But once I understood what this book was really about, I loved it.
It really is a documentary of Lucchesi at work. You can witness him working. The book is very visual.
You will not learn sculpturing, but you will get the chance to see an accomplished sculptor and his creation.
The book does not tell the why's, you can see the how's.

My copy is now really filthy, with stains of terracota all over it. I keep it by my working bench, and quite frequently, in the middle of my work, I open it to see how Bruno does it.

My recommendation is to buy this book in addition to "From Clay to Bronze " of Lagland.

This is a super book, very informative and easy to follow. It answered many questions I had, and introduced many new (to me) ideas.

I just love the calm and sensible advice Lucchesi imparts. You might mistakenly quickly peruse this book on the shelf at a book store and put it back but there are some deep secrets here that should be carefully considered. If you are a sculptor working in terra cotta and need to fire your own pieces to bring to market pay close attention to every piece here and you'll be just fine. Especially the repair of broken pieces from firing and the firing temp of cone 06 to limit undue shrinkage.

Generally a good overview of clay sculpture technique. It does skip some steps that would be helpful for beginners. Perhaps, fewer examples with more detailed steps for each would have been a better approach for the neophyte. It is likely, however, that the author never intended this to be for those relatively new to clay sculpture.

Good descriptions and pictures. Very sistematic and helpful; give me excelent idea how to start working with fired red clay.

This is an excellent reference for a beginner like myself trying to get a grip on what's involved. I was clueless and this book helped me understand why some of my sculptures were failing. I recommend it highly...