Glaze The ultimate ceramic artist's guide to glaze and color

*Starred Review* Other, previous tomes on ceramic glazes cover territory similar to that featured by Taylor and Doody: explanations, historical context, color, creation and tests, and a representative artists' gallery. Still others have provided just as detailed how-to's and, occasionally, advanced techniques for practitioners. Yet no one else has given readers such a well-designed and dazzling directory of artists' works, with exhibits alone worth the book's price. Each of the 100 ceramicists gets two full pages, with color photographs of at least two pieces, plus glaze details, technical descriptions, colors, and artist quotes. It would be difficult to capture this variety of talent even in an art show, from Dirk Staschke's confectional facade to Molly Hatch's bowls and bottles patterned after the Victoria and Albert Museum's textiles. As teachers and practitioners, Taylor and Doody eliminate the associated jargon, giving instructions in clear language that both novices and professionals will understand. Layout, too, is geared for clarity, including lots of white space as well as sidebars grouped around the margins for maximum design appeal. Pottery was never so alluring. Appended are a glossary, a bibliography, an Orton cone chart, a directory of ceramic materials, and teachers and artists.--Jacobs, Barbara Copyright 2014 Booklist