This title gives a clear, thorough and practical account of firing, but goes further and explains the techniques and ideas behind this magical stage of making. It highlights commonly-overlooked details that can lead to disastrous results and shares tips to help you achieve the best from your kiln. With over 100 photos, it also profiles leading makers and shows how their use of kilns contributes to their unique and beautiful work. Whether read from cover to cover by the novice or used as a reference book by the more experienced, this book will be your handbook to successful and confident firing.

Jo Davies is a ceramicist who specializes in wheel-thrown porcelain. After training at the Royal College of Art, she set up a studio to make and exhibit her work alongside running a kiln-firing service in East London for twelve years until 2019. She has always recognized the importance of firing in her work - experimentation and testing drove new ideas in her early career and continue to develop her practice today.

Ceramicist Jo Davies' book give a clear, through and practical account of firing, explaining the techniques and ideas behind the magical stage of making. It highlights commonly overlooked details that can lead to disastorous results and shares useful tips to help you achieve the best from your kiln. It also profiles leading makers and illustrates how their use of kilns contributes to their unique and beautiful work. This book will be your handbook to successful and confident firing.

This very prepossessing publication has to be one of the most important books to be published this year for anyone involved in or who wants to develop their interest in ceramics. It is also very timely in that it meets the new market for ceramic making and people wanting to start their own studio at whatever entry level. This book by Jo Davies starts from the premise of asking what is it you want to fire and with which effect. Not forgetting the type of clay used and where will the kiln live, that you are just about to buy. My advice is to stop immediately and buy this book and read it from cover to cover. It’s going to answer all the questions you need to know and save you a lot of money.

This very prepossessing publication has to be one of the most important books to be published this year for anyone involved in, or wants to develop their interest in ceramics. It is also very timely in that it meets the new market for ceramic making and people wanting to start their own studio at whatever entry level.