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| A Potter's Workbook | 
 enlarge | Author: Clary Illian
Creator: Charles Metzger
Publisher: University Of Iowa Press
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $11.21
You Save: $14.79 (57%)
Buy New/Used from $11.21
Avg. Customer Rating:  (6 reviews)
Sales Rank: 213934
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 124
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 10 x 7.9 x 0.4
ISBN: 0877456712
Dewey Decimal Number: 738.1
EAN: 9780877456711
ASIN: 0877456712
Publication Date: July 14, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In A Potter's Workbook, renowned studio potter and teacher Clary Illian presents a textbook for the hand and the mind. Her aim is to provide a way to see, to make, and to think about the forms of wheel-thrown vessels; her information and inspiration explain both the mechanics of throwing and finishing pots made simply on the wheel and the principles of truth and beauty arising from the traditional method. Each chapter begins with a series of exercises that introduce the principles of good form and good forming for pitchers, bowls, cylinders, lids, handles, and every other conceivable functional shape. Focusing on utilitarian pottery created on the wheel, Illian explores sound, lively, and economically produced pottery forms that combine an invitation to mindful appreciation with ease of use. Charles Metzger's striking photographs, taken under ideal studio conditions, perfectly complement her vigorous text. Clary Illian was an apprentice at the Leach Pottery in 1964 and 1965, where she helped produce a line of standard ware shapes; in this book she pays tribute to Bernard Leach as the creator of the modern studio pottery movement. A Potter's Workshop is designed to help students who are just learning to throw pots, potters who know how to throw but who feel the need for greater understanding, and skilled craftspeople who enjoy thinking about the objects they love.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Great Book January 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
An excellent resource for the novice or the professional. Wonderful read, and great pictures.
 ok, but quite limited. July 17, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Clary Illian presents a decent book dealing with the conception of form in pottery. She details aspects of functional pottery such as volume in relation to function, and little details like rims and bases, handles and spouts.
Overall I think her approach is extremely limited. she mentions only briefly in the beginning chapter that she will be presenting only a functional approach. But even within that approach I feel she takes a very narrow stance.
This book is OK if you want to study how to become a potter who makes functional pots (but not if you want to actually glaze those pots). It will not help you contextualize the role of hand-made ceramics in postmodern america, which is something that I think all ceramists need to think about.
Pros: not just a schematic approach, but a workbook of ideas and concepts, as they relate to functional pottery. Ms. Illian clearly has a deep appreciation of the material as well as a great deal of experience (she worked for bernard leach!).
Cons: reads like journal scribblings. often more white space than words or pictures on the page. very limited vocabulary and conception of clay. many of the sketches and greenware examples (they're all greenware) feel like complete throw-aways.
Best Book for the 2nd Leg of Your Pottery Journey September 13, 2005
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Once you have some skill at basic throwing, this is the book you need! Clary examines aesthetic principles of pottery. If you have wondered aloud just what has happened to your pot as it emerges on the wheel, you can get your answer here. Why does your pot look cumbersome while the person next to you has double the clay and yet their creation is light and airy? If you have pondered the question, you need a course in the matter. There are no colored pictures because the book is about form and not about glazes or other embellishment. No more bowlng pin vases for me. I am on to lovlier pots!
 Not what I was looking for... May 21, 2005
19 out of 26 found this review helpful
If you're looking for a book on technique, which I was, RUN AWAY! This book is about the philosophy of making pots. I found the title misleading; I expected something more concrete (no pun intented). This is a cerebral book; it has its place, and I may learn to love it, but not today. Today I'm just disappointed.
A Must-Read for Potters February 9, 2000
25 out of 26 found this review helpful
Clary Illian has given the ceramics community an amazing gift by writing this book. Not only is she thoughtful and clear, she inspires potters (whether beginners or professionals) to make better, more personal pots. Filled with examples -- beautifully photographed by Charles Metzger -- which add flesh to her supurb text. Every potter should consider this must-reading.
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