For Art/Ceramic and Studio Foundations courses at the undergraduate level. Written by a world-renowned ceramist and leading expert in the field, this introductory book describes the initial processes of handbuilding, wheel throwing, plaster mold making, decoration, glaze application and firing techniques in a simple, easy-to-follow narrative. The text offers rich pictorial guidance throughout, both inspiring and instructing students with 500 full color photographs of processes and clayworks. It includes a pictorial timeline of ceramic art history; and exposes students to a gallery of ceramic art, from traditional to avant-garde. This edition has increased in length, to include modifications and new techniques. This new edition of Working with Clay is substantially revised and redesigned to be even more specifically crafted to meet the needs of the beginning student of ceramics. It combines clear instructions with easy-to-follow pictures and inspires with its examples of a wide range of colorful ceramics throughout. Full color illustrations throughout - Clear, easy-to-follow steps, now with many more pictorial sequences - Suggested projects for the beginner - An inspirational chapter on the art of ceramics, ranging from masks and animals through walls and installations - A brief pictorial history of ceramics - A glossary of terms and a bibliography for further reading 494 full color photographs, including 150 new images Susan Peterson is Professor Emerita of Ceramics at Hunter College of the City University of New York. During her long career as a teacher and ceramicist, Susan Peterson founded five ceramics departments at colleges throughout the USA and has exhibited her own ceramics and lectured all over the world, including China. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from NCECA and the prestigious Binns Medal from the American Ceramic Society and the New York State College of Ceramics. Jan Peterson is a high school and college ceramic teacher, ceramic artist and jeweler. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION, 1998 I have written this book to inspire and to teach the beginner about working with clay through colorful photographs and anecdotal descriptions of the various processes involved. I also aim to appeal to the collector, who can make use of this analysis to gain an indepth perspective on historical and contemporary ceramics. The practical photographs are set off by copious illustrations of what can be achieved, from everyday items such as plates and bowls to international examples of the potter's art such as sculpture and site installations. Beginner students and all those who appreciate the art of ceramics will find many illuminating insights into this endlessly fascinating world. My long career as a professor of ceramic art and a practicing potter has enabled me to pass on the benefits of my experience to students and aficionados at all levels. I have five books in print, apart from this one: Shoji Hamada, A Potter's Way and Work; The Living Tradition of Maria Martinez, Lucy M. Lewis, American Indian Potter, The Craft and Art of Clay; Pottery by American Indian Women. I have a video in circulation from film made at Hamada's studio in 1970 when I did the notes for his book, and a series of 54 videos on ceramics, called "Wheels, Kilns, and Clay." Thanks are due to the many artists all over the world who have helped me with suggestions and by sending me their own examples. I am grateful to Laurence King, Lee Ripley Greenfield, Judy Rasmussen, Janet Pilch, and the staff at Calmann & King in London who package the book; to Elisabeth Ingles, my editor, and Karen Stafford, who designed the book; to Craig Smith, who photographed the process shots of me working in my studio, to Bud Therien at Prentice Hall, and to Overlook/Viking. I also acknowledge the help and encouragement of my three children, Jill Peterson Hoddick, Jan Sigrid Peterson, and Taäg Paul Peterson, plus five grandchildren, Annah Gerletti, Kayley Hoddick, Alexander and Calder Peterson, and Augustus John Gerletti. I would not have got so much done without assistants Nori Pao, Judith Schreibman, and Tony Mulanix. Finally, a fond remembrance and deep gratitude to my deceased parents, Iva and Paul Harnly, and my late husband Robert Schwarz Jr. SUSAN HARNLY PETERSON Carefree, Arizona, June 1998 PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION, 2002 Since 1998 I have published five more books: the second edition of this one, Working with Clay; the third edition of The Craft and Art of Clay; Contemporary Ceramics; Smashing Glazes; and Jun Kaneko — quite an output! March 2002 sees the establishment of the Susan Harnly Peterson Ceramic Archive and Study Collection in the Ceramic Research Center of the Nelson Art Museum of Arizona State University. We hope many of you will add to this beginning. I am grateful to all you artists over the globe who send me your images, invite me to lecture in your schools and conferences, and aid in countless other way