This book should appeal to a wide range of people but particularly those who would like to have a go at pottery without having to spend a lot of money on a kiln.

This handsomely illustrated survey of contemporary international artists and their approaches to smoke-fired pottery is an inspirational resource for ceramics devotees, from seasoned practitioners to curious collectors.

Demonstrating four different clay-firing techniques, this book illustrates the diverse results that each can produce.

Learn the key techniques, tips, and tricks for pit, barrel, raku, and wood firing. Fall in love with flames, wood, and the effect that unique firing methods have on pottery. Move beyond the electric kiln and explore the dramatic surfaces of raku, the flashes of salt firing, and the rustic look of ash rivulets. In this book, Lindsay Oesterritter provides a crash course in the most accessible methods of alternative firing. Raku firing requires minimal equipment and can easily be fueled with a standard propane tank. Likewise, pit and barrel firing do not require much in the way of initial investment. Yet all these techniques provide an immediate glimpse into the magic of firing. Bright reds and blues, dramatic black and white crackle, even metallic luster are instantly possible. For more experienced potters and studios looking to offer more, Oesterritter also explores wood-fired kilns. Drawing on years of experience and extensive interviews with fellow wood-fire potters, there is no comparable resource on the market. Features on top potters working today get to the heart of specialty techniques and asides show firing variations and traditional kilns in different cultures around the world. A gallery of showstopping work from a diverse group of artists round out the package and inspire you to get started. The Mastering Ceramics series is for artists who never stop learning. With compelling projects, expert insight, step-by-step photos, and galleries of work from today’s top artists, these books are the perfect studio companions. Also available from the series: Mastering Hand Building and Mastering the Potter's Wheel.

Provides a brief introduction to this pottery process, discusses ways in which the clay and fire interact, and the color effects that can be achieved, and examines various types of sawdust firing through the work of different potters, who describe their methods. Illustrated with color and bandw photos. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR