5 comments about Pottery on the Wheel.

1. The book arrived fast, in excellent condition, and as advertised. Julie also promptly answered some questions I had regarding the sale. Great transaction!



2. I bought this book 25 years ago when I started pottery and my well-thumbed copy is an important part of my studio. I'm a Canadian potting in Japan and though most of my students are non-English users, the photographs in this book speak thousands of words. It is laid out logically and the cross-section cuts of the whole process from entering the centered clay to finished work are everything a student or teacher could want in an instructional book. I was very pleasantly surprised to discover it is still available and my student is looking forward to having her own copy.



3. As someone who has just started to learn pottery in a class, this book gives detailed information that your teacher may not provide. Even if you are learning by yourself the step by step (very detailed) lessons by themselves gives the beginner good and easy to understand steps for success! Lots of great pictures too.



4. I bought this book for my wife who had just finished ten weeks of throwing lessons. She read the book and was able to improve her work in just a few practice sessions. She is so pleased with her new knowledge and skill. The fine detail and the pictures of sectioned pots were easy to follow. The accompaning text was clear and the summeries allow for quick reference.

   We can only recommend this fine book to anyone that wants to improve their skill.




5. The text is detailed, but easy to understand and the pictures do an excellent job of reinforcing the concept. I have been throwing for about a year, but reached a point where I was "stuck" and couldn't seem to move forward. After only ONE day of using the techniques in this book, I was able to double the amount of clay I could successfully throw and the results were better than anything I had previously produced. This is the best book there is on throwing.

3 comments about Shawnee Pottery: An Identification & Value Guide.

1. This is a very nice book for the Shawnee Pottery collector. Every collector should use every available resourse at there disposal prior to purchasing Shawnee Pottery because over 50% of the items listed as Shawnee on our favorite on line auction web site is a fake. The value guides are not much use in that they do change frequently, but the photos and descriptions are great. This is just one tool you can use prior to buying Shawnee Pottery.



2. Good pictures and descriptions and historical information, book was as new. Like most collector's guides, the values are somewhat inflated, but it is an excellent reference and well worth the price.



3. This is an excellent book. The Mangus' have put together an exhaustive reference on this collectible pottery. They cover everything! From planters to figurines, from bookends to cookie jars, from the design lines to the kitchenware, it's all here.

   They include an extensive history of the pottery and its people (owners, designers, employees). They detail the various production methods used to produce the wide variety of wares. They include a wonderful section of photos of the various paper labels used by Shawnee (they used few, if any, backstamps or marks, other than the common "USA".)

   My only quibble with this book (and it's a teeny tiny one) is that the prices shown are high in today's market. However, that's not the Mangus' fault, as it reflects the impact that online auctions have had on collectibles in all areas and markets. The bottom line is, if you're looking for a reference on this fun pottery, this is the book to buy!

2 comments about Ceramics: Mastering the Craft.

1. Generally, I collect ceramics, I don't make them anymore. I was never very adept with the potting wheel where my projects too often became lost in space, but I used to make very nice ceramics. In the process of dabbling with molds, slip and glaze I wondered about other aspects of the craft and over the years I have read and studied the subject informally. This wonderful book is a valuable resource whether you are starting out and want to experiment with different clay projects or want to refresh your memory.

   Zakin first explains the building blocks--ceramics-making materials (different combinations lead to different outcomes). He discusses types of clays, feldspars, frits, silica, and other modifying compounds. Ever notice when you hold a cup made from Kaolin (frequently called porcelain) filled with a hot fluid you don't burn your hand whereas the cute cup you bought at the local craft show made from a more porous clay does? Zakin provides a great deal of information about the attributes of clay including plasticity, durability, color, maturity absorption, texture, resistance to warping, and intended use. If you're making a mug, a quiche pan, or a vase (or buying one), you may want to consider these aspects.

   Zakin provides the reader with much information about ceramic color, glazes, and mold-making (plenty of tips for success). I was fascinated with the sections discussing glaze making and testing, and kiln loading and firing including some nice photos of the raku process. Section 16 includes a succinct history of ceramics that covers various types generated over the ages (nicely illustrated and clearly written).

   The appendices of the book continue the in-depth exploration of the process of ceramics making including ways to analyze your results. This is an informative and well illustrated book containing many examples of ceramics made by the author and other artists working in his field.




2. This book has a wonderful overview of ceramics for the studio potter. It has wealth of useful information for all skill levels and is one of the best reference books that I have in my collection. Top artists in the field are represented with lots of pictures and glaze recipes. Very well written and easy to understand.

No comments about Ceramics in America 2006 (Ceramics in America).

1 comments about The Pin-Up Art of Jay Scott Pike, Vol. 1.

1. The first thing that struck me when I opened "The Pin-Up Art of Jay Scott Pike" is the photograph of the artist on the inside. Pike, 81, looks like he could easily pass for a man 30 years younger. Perhaps it's the gorgeous ladies that he paints that are the secret to his youth. Pike has been painting high quality pin-up pieces for fifty years and shows no signs of slowing down. It was Pike who took over for the legendary Art Frahm at the A.Fox Calendar Company. Frahm is famous for his humorous pinups which featured women whose panties had fallen down to their ankles as stunned and amused men looked on. A couple of examples of Pike's take on this subject are included in this fantastic book from SQP.
   
   Pike certainly deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as other great pin-up artists like Gil Elvgren, Rolf Armstrong, Zoe Mozert, and Vargas. I'd go so far as to say that Pike's women are the sexiest out of all these legendary artists. This book features both black & white and full color pieces, everything from sketches to finished paintings. Pike's work is very soft compared to modern pin-up artist as he comes from a more classical illustration background, but that doesn't make them any less appealing.
   
   I love the painting called "Bubbles" depicting a platinum-tressed woman in an old fashioned metal bathing tub blowing bubbles playfully. His black & white pieces make dynamic use of lighting which was often eschewed by his other contemporaries. His painting "Be-witching" is one that could easily be in one of SQPs Gallery Girls collections as we see a dark-haired beauty in traditional witch's hat and broom, dressed in lace bra & panties and nylons.
   
   Pike is comfortable working in any medium, even comic book-style art. I was surprised to learn that Pike did comic work for both Marvel (Atlas comics) & DC comics. In the 50's he worked on titles such as Jungles Tales, Lorna the Jungle Girl, and Jann of the Jungle.
   
   This is a fantastic collection of classic pin-up art by a true master!
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson

5 comments about Real Girls.

1. This is really a great book. The girls are stunning, very sexy and natural. There are some for all the tastes...Many with tatoos or piercings and some totally nude like they were at birth, with no drawings or anything. If you hate tatoos and piercing, perhaps this is not a book for you. But if you are curious and like beautiful girls in any way they ARE, then you will enjoy to discover them one by one. All deserve attention because they are natural and unique in what they express through the shots. I especially like the blonde girl from the cover and another one who is a true Audrey Tautou look-alike!! This is really one of the most attractive books i have seen in many years..Would love to meet many of them just for the pleasure of kissing their hands!



2. Like it or not, the average young woman in 2007 America will very likely have at least one tattoo as well as one or more piercing's. Such attire and fashion sense might have been construed as cutting-edge five years ago, but today is it quite normal. This is not to suggest that Scott Lanes has a thing here for pierced, tattooed young woman, this cultural obsession is in no way over-emphasized in this book; he's just showcasing what "real" girls look like beneath their clothes in today's western society.
   
   Scott Lanes is an experienced and gifted photographer and the production quality of "Real Girls" is excellent. What's most striking here is Lanes' vision. Although this is largely a collection of nude portraits, it is interspersed with gorgeous examples of more traditional figure studies as well as images that venture in the realm of erotica (lesbian sexuality and erotic nudes). This slide from one genre to the next gives the work a slightly off-balance feel. Yet, this is undoubtedly a genuine reflection of what's transpiring in the lives of these young women, most of whom are on the verge of full adulthood and all the responsibilities that entails. A little self-exploration is only natural and to be expected. It's cool that "Real Girls" is in touch with all this. This is what ART is all about.



3. "Real Girls" is a book dedicated to the beauty the natural body holds. None of these shots are photoshopped for perfection, nor are the girls manipulated with plastic surgery.
   The adornments on their body are those of tattoos and piercings indicative of their personality; their private lives, not society's idea of what beauty should be.
   Lanes does an amazing job of shooting these girls using natural light, capturing their coy smiles, fair skin and the delicate looks in their eyes.
   It's great to see that sexuality is still imminent in photography without the crudeness of pornography. The fine art of naked photography is something I have enjoyed ever since I discovered Nan Goldin a decade ago.
   Cheers to Lanes and his models for putting together a piece of art that I am happy to keep in my bookcase and flip through when I desire some inspiration.



4. I love this book. But don't let the cover, or title fool you. You have to like the young 18+ girl next door look....with piercings and tattoos. These girls would look so normal dressed, and many photos have some clothing on (but most are nude, but not real explicit) But they all have some piercings or tattoos, or both. I found the photographs to be very erotic, in maybe a goth sense. But these girls DO have the real girl next door look, but you must love the look of tattoos and piercings, or you will be disappointed. I found it very different and erotic.



5. The author is quite right - each age has its own look, in fashionable figures, styles of hair and body hair, dress and undress, and more. It's a bit much for any one artist to claim to have captured the whole look of any one time, though.
   
   Lanes has done a fair job of presenting these models. They're all attractive young adults. The figures are all charmingly natural, including the ones with naturally slim busts - I'm very glad to see people getting away from the implanted look. Unlike "Natural Beauties," though, Lanes prefers his models decorated with piercings and tattoos (though not the most radical of either) and some amount of clothing. Few of the photos are fully nude. Instead, most are partially undressed or undressing. That includes the most of the bathtub scenes. I have to wonder: do Real Girls really take baths with their clothes (or underclothes) on?
   
   The models have an innate charm, but Lanes hasn't done a great job of capturing it. Occasional capture the elegance of a model's curve. More often, the attempt at a "Real" look misses views that could have made more of their beauty, and sometimes just looks amateurish. And, despite the goal of presenting the look of the current historical moment, Lanes has shown us a moment in which every woman has European features and skin tone.
   
   So, there are better collections around. There are better books of ladies in undies, better books of ladies out of them, better books of piercings and tats, and better samplings of human variety. This collection is enjoyable enough, but rarely rises above the ordinary.
   
   //wiredweird

No comments about Christopher Williams.

No comments about Bernard Palissy.

1 comments about Thomas Demand.

1. This book is actually the catalog book for Thomas Demand's exhibtion at the "Foundation Cartier" in Paris in 2000-2001.
   All important early works to 2000 are presented. The texts are well presented describing Demand's ideas and thoughts. Since his works are photographs, the quality of the printing is important, and this book did a good job. It is printed on heavy white gloss paper and the color printing is very good. The negative of this book is the format. Many of the works are not printed on single page but takes two page, and often the spine/center detracts the image. There are some foldouts pictures to circumvent this problem but once again, it is folded, and you see the crease. Artbooks such as these should either be bigger or use the horizontal format so there will be no split images or creases.

No comments about The Art of Richard Tuttle.