Product Review

Enjoyable reading for anyone interested in art. Although written as a ceramic guide book for beginners to advanced ceramic artists, this is also an excellent manual for teachers of all grades. Palul's new book "Clay Hand-Building and Beyond" is an adventure in creating with clay. Palul takes you through the process in an easy to understand way. It's full of inspiring pictures of hand-built pieces along with simple "how to" photos. The text is clear and entertaining as Palul weaves stories, humor, history and philosophy around detailed technical information.

As well as basic hand-building construction methods, Palul covers tools and materials and includes an excellent section on colorants and glazing. The section on kilns and firing is basic, yet in depth enough to educate the student who wishes acquire and fire one's own kiln or just to know greater details about the firing process. (During his long career Palul has built and fired 6 different gas kilns and rewired 3 electric kilns.). There is also a useful appendix that includes types of clays, firing cones and temperatures, and the "Golden Rules of Clay."

In order to write this book Palul has relied on 45 years of experience as an artist, college instructor and scientist. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this e-book is a full length volume of creative pleasure.