CSG Publications
The Australian Clay Handbook |
"The Australian Clay Handbook is an excellent, step-by-step guide for ways teachers can make clay work a highly effective and satisfying medium for their students. It has been especially written with school teachers in mind because, as Kay points out in her Introduction, children ‘may have poured love and time into their mini masterpieces’ and the memories of that piece cracking or exploding in the kiln are long lasting - and can be avoided with better knowledge and preparation!
In the school context, very thoughtful consideration is given to products which can be easily obtained in our Australian context and, pleasingly, techniques which not only work well for young potters, but are exciting to look at.
The section on Surface Treatments is a great example with clear steps on making stamps and finding items which can leave fun impressions. Enriching the basic steps are creative prompts, appearing in blue text, which the student (of any age) could pick up and work with.
The section on glazing takes the reader through terminology and must-dos, and gives suggested classroom organisation ideas .
The firing and kiln information is extremely clear and will help the teacher step into this part of the ceramics teaching process with confidence. There is a strong emphasis on explaining what the kiln should look like and how it should work so teachers can understand if something is missing or not working properly.
This book is an excellent blend of nuts-and-bolts, how-to information, enmeshed with creative and sustainable suggestions that can form the base of units of work for students of all ages. It would also assist Year 11 and 12 Senior Visual Arts students who want to understand more about the full process of making ceramics, to give them more agency and insights in their own work". Written by Dr Sarah Loch, President, Macquarie Hills Potters, May 2024
The cost for 'The Australian Clay Handbook' is $30 plus $5 for postage and handling.
To place an order, please email: [email protected]
To place an order, please email: [email protected]
Collected Wisdom
This CSG publication is a collection of handy hints collated from those published in Newsletters of the Ceramic Study Group over the past 50 years. The hints in this book represent the collected wisdom of practicing potters who have shared their knowledge and experience through the CSG newsletter. As well as providing the reader with useful and practical information, the content of this book provides a historical record of pottery making techniques.
To purchase your copy of "Collected Wisdom", see the front desk at the Monthly Workshop at Balcombe Heights Estate. They are available for $25.
ELEMENTARY GLAZE NOTES
Prepared by Janet Mansfield (With additional notes on the Middle-Firing Range by members of the Ceramic Study Group) FIRING AN ELECTRIC KILN By Mollie Grieve (First Revised Edition by Mollie Grieve Second Revised Edition (1996) by CSG Committee Third Revised Edition (2019) by CSG Committee) FIRING A KILN WITH LIQUID PETROLEUM GAS or NATURAL GAS By Mollie Grieve (revised by Bob Fastovsky 1998 Ceramic Study Group 2019) SAWDUST AND PRIMITIVE FIRING By Sue Moore, Terry Wright, Hildegard Anstice, Beverly Dunphy |