In A Potter's Workbook, renowned studio potter and teacher Clary Illian presents a textbook for the hand and the mind. Her aim is to provide a way to see, to make, and to think about the forms of wheel-thrown vessels; her information and inspiration explain both the mechanics of throwing and finishing pots made simply on the wheel and the principles of truth and beauty arising from that traditional method.
Each chapter begins with a series of exercises that introduce the principles of good form and good forming for pitchers, bowls, cylinders, lids, handles, and every other conceivable functional shape. Focusing on utilitarian pottery created on the wheel, Illian explores sound, lively, and economically produced pottery forms that combine an invitation to mindful appreciation with ease of use. Charles Metzger's striking photographs, taken under ideal studio conditions, perfectly complement her vigorous text.

A Potter's Workbook

Arts & Photography

Illian, Clary

History & Criticism

University Of Iowa Press

Clary Illian has been producing ceramics since the early 1960s, after graduating from the University of Iowa’s distinguished ceramics department and a two-year residency with world-renowned British ceramicist Bernard Leach. Clary Illian: A Potter’s Potter surveys many of the best works from her fifty-year career, including pots in stoneware, porcelain, and earthenware, the three major media in which she has worked. It is a revelatory look at one of America’s premier potters. This catalog was originally produced as a companion to the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art’s Clary Illian pottery retrospective in 2012–2103.

Clary Illian: A Potter's Potter

Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

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Books by Illian, Clary