Design and Create Contemporary Tableware: Making Pottery You Can Use

by Sue Pryke, Linda Bloomfield

Overview

A highly illustrated step-by-step guide to designing and making contemporary tableware in clay, featuring inspirational pieces by leading designers.

'This book is a go to book for the art of creating tableware... The level of experience between the pages of this book from Sue and Linda is unquestionably invaluable to the reader.' Keith Brymer Jones, Master Potter and judge on The Great Pottery Throw Down

The tableware we use is very important in our everyday lives, whether plates, bowls, mugs, cups or teapots. This stylishly illustrated guide helps budding and established ceramicists alike to create practical and attractive ranges, starting with design principles, working through appropriate construction techniques, and leading on to decoration and finishes.

Leading designers Sue Pryke and Linda Bloomfield explain the importance of inspiration and consistency in design, providing step-by-step guides to the main making methods, which include hand building, pinching, coiling, throwing and slipcasting. They also offer advice on using various clay materials – such as recycled and reused clay bodies – and the combination of clay with other materials including wood, metal, textiles and synthetics. Tips are provided on glaze fit, dishwasher- and microwave-safe glazes, firing and finishing.

Featuring beautiful photographs of the work of such prominent tableware makers as Sasha Wardell, James and Tilla Waters, Reiko Kaneko and Nico Conti, there are many sources of inspiration for those wishing to further their tableware ambitions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781789940725
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	02/28/2023
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.85(d)

About the Author

Sue Pryke is an award winning ceramic designer, specialising in tableware design, who has worked with clients including IKEA, John Lewis, Marks and Spencer and Wedgwood. She is currently a co-judge on Channel 4's hugely successful Great Pottery Throw Down and has lectured at the Royal College of Art and De Montfort University, UK.

Linda Bloomfield trained as a materials scientist before fulfilling her dream of becoming a potter. She has made thrown porcelain tableware in her West London studio since 2003 and sold her various ranges through Liberty and Harrods, as well as to Jamie Oliver's Barbecoa Restaurant and Michelin-starred restaurant The Clove Club. She is a frequent contributor to Ceramic Review and has written several best-selling books on ceramic glazes.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Inspiration

Design: How to Make a Coherent Tableware Collection

Materials: Types of Clay

Clay Preparation and Recycling

Health and Safety

Making Methods

Glazing

Firing

Finishing

Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

03/06/2023

In this visually appealing if daunting guide, ceramicists Bloomfield (Colour in Glazes) and Pryke show how to make pottery tableware inspired by the “simple shapes with clean lines” of modern Scandinavian design. The authors outline their approach alongside photos showing the principles in action, suggesting that readers limit their palette to a few soft colors and providing images of bowls in white, gray, and pale pink and blue. Brief instructions on how to make bowls, mugs, plates, and teapots will leave novices in the dark, though. For example, the authors contend that “pinch pots can be made larger by adding coils, scoring the rim of the pot and adding slip to attach each coil,” but they neglect to explain how to score clay or add coils. However, the bountiful photos illustrating the major steps of each project are useful if incomprehensive. Additionally, experienced potters will appreciate the helpful nuggets sprinkled throughout (to add handles to a pot, the handle and pot should be at the same state of dryness when joined), as well as the in-depth survey of methods for applying finish (to make a matte glaze more glassy, the authors suggest adding quartz to it). This is best suited for experienced ceramicists looking to elevate their craft. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

This book is a go to book for the art of creating tableware. Not only is it beautifully illustrated with wonderful examples of work. It explains in simple easy to understand terms of how to get started. The level of experience between the pages of this book from Sue and Linda is unquestionably invaluable to the reader.” —Keith Brymer Jones, Master Potter and judge on 'The Great Pottery Throw Down'

“Owning the book is like having a master craftsman in your studio.” —Anthony Quinn, Course Leader BA Ceramic Design at Central Saint Martins

“visually appealing… This is best suited for experienced ceramicists looking to elevate their craft.” —Publishers Weekly

“This is a book to inspire anyone to enter a studio, get hands on and create their own stylish wares for the table.” —The Arts Society Magazine

“This step-by-step guide is a great source of inspiration for those wanting to further their tableware ambitions.” —Ceramic Review

“Call this the apex of simplicity. Pryke and Bloomfield, commercial potters who design for powerhouses like IKEA, join forces to explain the how-tos of contemporary tableware… Color photographs showcase not only step-by-step details but also an incredible range of professional ceramics in the authors' understated aesthetic.” —Booklist

“Packed full of inspiration for those wishing to further their tableware ambitions, the book provides ideas for potters at any level of practice.” —London Potters Magazine

“A useful one-stop guide to the end to end process of making tableware.” —Scottish Potters

“This book is beautifully produced and superbly illustrated” —Anglian Potters Magazine

From the Publisher

06/10/2024

Pottery designers Bloomfield (Special Effect Glazes) and Pryke (co-judge, TV's Great Pottery Throw Down) take a deep dive into the world of functional contemporary pottery in this inspiring guide to designing and creating tableware. The chapter focused on "making methods" is the centerpiece of the book. It provides a brief overview of methods for hand building, throwing, and slip casting, including information about building molds. The book also shines in the chapters on glazing and firing, which cover the process of making and applying glazes and firing the finished items in extensive detail. It incorporates both art and science for a comprehensive overview. Numerous photographs of tableware by a variety of artists are included throughout the book. The images demonstrate the numerous styles and forms available to contemporary potters interested in creating functional and aesthetically appealing pieces. VERDICT Experienced potters interested in tableware will benefit the most from this book, which assumes a working knowledge of pottery tools and techniques.—Nanette Donohue

Library Journal