Primitive Pottery

Describes the ways by which pottery can be made in the field, without benefit of the well-equipped studio.

It briefly explains how pottery was made before the discovery of kilns, and shows how students and experienced potters today can use primitive methods — and devise their own variations on them — to better understand the nature of clay and fire. All the fundamental aspects of pottery making are covered. The contents include: Earth Minerals, Preparation of Earthy Minerals, Tools, Shaping, Surface Enrichment, Drying, Simple Glazes, Firing Without Kilns, Oxidation and Reduction, Porosity, Rudimentary Kilns, More Sophisticated Kilns, and a supplementary list of References and Suggested Reading.