The Spirit of Clay: A Classic Guide to Ceramics

This is one of my favorite books that has ever been written about clay! Art is not just about skill, it is about heart and soul, and this book addresses that from the very first paragraph. * Covers technique from handbuilding to refined throwing * Tons of information about glazing, firing and making * Written with the emotional side of the artist in mind If you are just beginning in clay, boy are you in for a treat! This book is the only clay book I have ever come across that up front deals with the idea that art is not just a bunch of techniques that we are trained to use, or an assortment of skills that we mix in some kind of a recipe- instead Robert Piepenburg recognizes from the first page that artists are soul driven people, looking to make what is in their heart visible. "I now know that clay can be a fertile growing ground of the spirit. I 've seen this same spiritual birthing scenario occur time and time again with students of min who were new to clay. What I didn't know then, but have come to know now, is that you don't actually find your self with clay...you make yourself with clay." ~Robert Piepenburg -from introduction of The Spirit of Clay The author is a teacher, so if you are a teacher, you will relate to the various exercises and experiments in clay. If you are just learning clay, you will have fun just plunging in and experiencing clay!

This is absolutely the best book on pottery/clay that I have read. It is clearly written, thorough and most of all inspirational. Scott Piepenburg weaves the importance of the reader's personal and spiritual self in relation to working with clay with easy to follow instructional text. Highly recommended!

Very well written, complete coverage of contempory craft ceramics. It's the one book I keep going back to. Nice discussion of the emotional/spiritual side of creating in clay which most books ignore. Excellent presentation graphically & visually too.