Contemporary Ceramics

Twenty Key Themes

Jo Taylor

• Publisher: The Crowood Press
• eBook ISBN:
  9780719847127
• Year: 2026

This book offers a unique opportunity to gain technical, practical and professional insights from leading international ceramic practitioners, inviting readers into their studios to understand the realities of daily practice. Organised around 20 accessible themes, it addresses topics ranging from sources of inspiration and studio routines to firing techniques and the development of resilience within a ceramics career. Honest and grounded in professional experience, the book considers both the rewards and the challenges of sustained practice, and serves as a thoughtful companion for makers at all stages of their ceramic journey.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• The Contributors
• 1: Discovering Clay: Children
• 2: Discovering Clay: Adults
• 3: Inspiration and Research
• 4: Perspectives on Planning
• 5: Approaches to Handbuilding
• 6: Approaches to Throwing
• 7: Experimenting
• 8: Working at Scale
• 9: Colour and Finish Considerations
• 10: Drying and Firing
• 11: Studio Setup
• 12: Studio Routine
• 13: Risk and Resilience in Making
• 14: Residencies
• 15: Professional Practice: People
• 16: Professional Practice: Technical
• 17: Exhibiting
• 18: Resilience in Career
• 19: Sustainability
• 20: Ceramics Community
• Index
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Copyright