Books I read, enjoy & use + quick notes on why I have them.
Love this book. Inspiring collection and nice short written pieces, a lot or makers voices in there and nice bio section at the back — (yep, lots from RCA.) Bought before I was regularly working with clay, have always loved the material — from digging out clay in Lake Erie, making weird pots in primary school, to my mother’s collection at our beach house that we filled with fruit, salad, beef tenderloin, guac, coffee…everything every summer day — ceramics have always been there and been enjoyed.
Another GREAT collection of interesting contemporary makers working with clay. This book is better than New Wave Clay, more comprehensive, more international, more depth — SUPERB. A massive selection of interesting makers who actively use clay (but not necessarily exclusively) & some v nice essays.
From my Central Saint Martins degree course reading list, less awful to read than it looks and because I need to know how things work and geek out on science — will eventually read from cover to cover. I like it, looks dry, but really, really interesting to know more about WTF clay actually is, WTF glaze actually is and why all of this ceramics stuff is so amazing — spoiler, nature.
From my Central Saint Martins degree course reading list, dip into when I need to, quite technical, good for glaze recipes.
From my Central Saint Martins degree course reading list, a bunch of pictures which might be inspiring for some people, the descriptions tend to just state the obvious and sometimes teeter into annoyingly obvious and often is rather thin on the ground in terms of technical info for techniques. It’s like a book that want to make the reader ooh and aah at virtuosity — like a lot of snacks, no big balanced meal. But useful I suppose, I rarely pick it up.
Gift from Julian Stair, delighted to see a text from Andrew Renton who I knew in late 90’s and taught me about YBAs, nice essays, beautiful work bravely exploring death and installed in a cathedral — what’s not to love?
Gift from Julian Stair, decent essays but Glenn Adamson took a really cheap and superficial shot at Hirst which I found really petulant and unnecessary.
Gift from Julian Stair, Julian especially likes Q&A with Mark Jones (former Director of the V&A), there was a brief moment when the conversation veers into art vs/ design dualism territory which is tedious BUT still nice. I defo tend to like the Q&A style pieces in catalogues.
USEFUL. There are a lot of ceramics how-to books that provide patchy info — this isn’t one of them. Comprehensive, easy to navigate, a good companion & all-rounder. From my Central Saint Martins degree course reading list and written by my tutor who knows his shit.
From my Central Saint Martins degree course reading list, also perhaps useful? Dunno, I never pick it up …probably should? More about methodology for teaching design which is pretty tough to teach from a book (sections like: inspiration, mood board, concept, sketch, design development and so on) doesn’t really reflect a curiosity led practice and the role of a higher level research & reflective practice but maybe useful to someone who wants things really broken down? That said, it does a good job of showing the many directions & methods a practice with ceramics can go —some solid info, a friendly layout.
A Bible of sorts, EXCELLENT resource, no dippy writing, my kind of studio companion, DENSE and wonderful like a really good, slightly bitter flourless chocolate cake. Everything you need. Love this book.
LOVE. Theaster who is a potter with multi-disciplinary, milti-dimensional practice. Excellent catalogue, wonderful essays, even includes a ‘Walking Prayer’, I love the design of it, the content, the invitational style that isn’t up its own ass but is so, so full of depth & humanity. Bought this at his Whitechapel exhibition, which was a peak experience.
From my Central Saint Martins degree course reading list. I read the whole thing and really enjoyed it. My fellow students didn’t seem to like it and de Waal I guess gets in people’s nerves, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s an academic text, but I find his writing engaging. I learned a lot, how ceramics fits together across the 20th century, who was from where, when and who was reacting to who etc. It was a total pain in the ass to get a copy, even Edmund’s studio manager couldn’t help me find a copy…I ordered from the states, waited for ages, cost a lot. Worth it though to my mind. Gooooood.
Really LOVE this book. It’s a bit beastly in size and weight, have to prop it on a pillow to read it or read at a table BUT it’s EXCELLENT and I find the writing actually very beautiful — it’s not flowery or effusive — clear and precise with wonderful turns of phrase. I haven’t read the whole thing, it go buried under some other books, I started to read from the beginning and then just dipped in from time time. Terrific way of looking at the interplay between ceramics and culture/civilisation. Very interesting and a very ambitious, vast subject to take on — Greenhalgh does it ever so elegantly.
Julian Stair recommended this book to me when we had a BIG chat about British ceramics history in his studio (special space BTW). The table of contents are to die for, for example: “Introduction, The Existential Base; The Role of Technologu; Memor-Traces and Meaning; Tactile Values”. Yeah….good stuff. Excellent writing and I like the slightly bossy tone. All about pots, so much about pots, so much to love about pots. A pot world to immerse yourself in.
Richard gave this to me after a glaze conversation, I love these pieces. Ever the materialist, RD finds ways of pushing practices to the margins — glaze on a flat surface for instance which sounds simple, can go so, so right + the considered form. Ooh la la.
Richard gave this to me, includes some excellent ceramic sculpture that require a trickster process to bring into the world. A reminder to push at the edges and not complain when I feel bewildered, but to keep going. Some very nice writing in there too.
Also from Richard, I love this book, great writing, including great writing by Richard — a reminder to keep at it with the writing practice, puts a lot of the ceramic work into a wider context of his practice. Beautifully produced.
Another excellent one from Richard. Also great writing, inspiring and the works in ceramics absolutely sing.
