Author(s): Ian Marsh; Jim Robison

Craft

Although this is essentially a very simple subject, slabs can be used tomake the most basic of forms to the most complex. This broad approachto slab work shows a wide variety of building methods and shows thework of many high-profile ceramic artists in this area. The bookexplores and explains most of these methods through step-by-step imagesand text, using a varied range of both pots and sculpture. There areoften several techniques that could be used to achieve the same result and this book shows that no one method iscorrect, but there will be one which is appropriate for the potter, theclay and the firing process. The reader is encouraged to experiment and develop their own ideas.
The book covers all the basics, such as making your slabs andjoining well, simple building methods, use of supports, creatingtextures, decorating with slips and ways to avoid disasters duringfiring. It also looks at many innovative and original approaches, aswell as buildinglarge-scale pieces and the problems associated with it. The book aimsto encourage the reader to experiment and findthe methods most suited to them, while fantastic images of finishedwork areoffered to show what is possible.