Material Matters
An Artist’s Guide to Understanding Ceramic Materials
Material Matters
An Artist’s Guide to Understanding Ceramic Materials
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Description
Learn the science and artistry behind the materials that shape your ceramic practice, from geological origins to finished glazes.
Understanding how and why clay and glazes work (or don't) is a fundamental skill needed by all potters and ceramicists. Material Matters reveals the science and technology involved in making and firing ceramics, explaining the property and behaviour of various raw materials based on their underlying chemistry. Suitable for both amateur and experienced potters, the topics explored include raw materials, clay types, slips, glaze development, colourants and firing techniques – as well as the safety and sustainability tips you'll need along the way.
Supported by full colour illustrations, photographs, charts and graphs, and written by ceramic arts professor Linda Swanson and glaze expert Linda Bloomfield, Material Matters is the essential guide to working confidently with ceramics.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Geology and the origins of clay
Rocks, Clay minerals, Residual and sedimentary clay, Sedimentary and metamorphic processes, Rocks and chemistry, Collecting natural materials
Chapter 2: Clay
Understanding clay, Kaolin, Ball clay, Stoneware clay, Fire clay, Earthenware clay, Bentonite, Additional terms for clay
Chapter 3: Clay bodies
Clay in clay bodies, Flux in clay bodies, Glass former in clay bodies, Filler in clay bodies, Colour, Clay body types, Clay body applications, Testing, faults and remedies, Glaze fit and thermal expansion
Chapter 4: Clay as liquid
Slip, Deflocculation, Terra sigillata, Casting slip, Slip density, Slip - engobe, Local clay, Egyptian paste and solubility
Chapter 5: Glaze
Clay versus glaze, Glaze oxides, Alumina, Silica, Boron, Phosphorus, Sodium, Potassium, Lithium, Calcium, Magnesium, Barium, Strontium, Zinc, Lead
Chapter 6: Glaze materials
Materials and the oxides they supply, Using local and recycled materials
Chapter 7: Glaze chemistry and calculation
Composition of a glaze, Unity molecular formula
Chapter 8: Colourants and opacifiers
Colourants and their effects, carbonates, oxides and sulphates, Opacifiers, Stains
Chapter 9: Firing
Important stages during firing, Measuring temperature and heat work, Oxidation and reduction, Wood firing, soda firing, Adjusting firing temperature, Glaze faults, Special effect glazes
Chapter 10: Health and Safety
Soluble materials, Toxic materials, Studio practice, Firing safely
Conclusions
References
Glossary
Appendices
Periodic Table, Natural Sources of Ceramic Materials, Directions for processing local clay, and more
Product details
| Published | 14 May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 224 |
| ISBN | 9781789942293 |
| Imprint | Herbert Press |
| Illustrations | Full colour illustrations and photographs throughout |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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