A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain, and brick.
Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a potter is also called a pottery. The definition of pottery, used by the ASTM International, is "all fired ceramic wares that contain clay when formed, except technical, structural, and refractory products". End applications include tableware, decorative ware, sanitary ware, and in technology and industry such as electrical insulators and laboratory ware. In art history and archaeology, especially of ancient and prehistoric periods, pottery often means vessels only, and sculpted figurines of the same material are called terracottas.
Pottery and porcelain is one of the oldest Japanese crafts and art forms, dating back to the Neolithic period. Kilns have produced earthenware, pottery, stoneware, glazed pottery, glazed stoneware, porcelain, and blue-and-white ware. Japan has an exceptionally long and successful history of ceramic production. Earthenwares were made as early as the Jōmon period, giving Japan one of the oldest ceramic traditions in the world. Japan is further distinguished by the unusual esteem that ceramics hold within its artistic tradition, owing to the enduring popularity of the tea ceremony.
In pottery, a potter's wheel is a machine used in the shaping of clay into round ceramic ware. The wheel may also be used during the process of trimming excess clay from leather-hard dried ware that is stiff but malleable, and for applying incised decoration or rings of colour. Use of the potter's wheel became widespread throughout the Old World but was unknown in the Pre-Columbian New World, where pottery was handmade by methods that included coiling and beating.
Studio pottery is pottery made by professional and amateur artists or artisans working alone or in small groups, making unique items or short runs. Typically, all stages of manufacture are carried out by the artists themselves. Studio pottery includes functional wares such as tableware and cookware, and non-functional wares such as sculpture, with vases and bowls covering the middle ground, often being used only for display. Studio potters can be referred to as ceramic artists, ceramists, ceramicists or as an artist who uses clay as a medium.
Emma Bossons, born in 1976 in Congleton, Cheshire, is a ceramic artist and designer for Moorcroft Pottery.
Mintons was a major company in Staffordshire pottery, "Europe's leading ceramic factory during the Victorian era", an independent business from 1793 to 1968. It was a leader in ceramic design, working in a number of different ceramic bodies, decorative techniques, and "a glorious pot-pourri of styles - Rococo shapes with Oriental motifs, Classical shapes with Medieval designs and Art Nouveau borders were among the many wonderful concoctions". As well as pottery vessels and sculptures, the firm was a leading manufacturer of tiles and other architectural ceramics, producing work for both the Houses of Parliament and United States Capitol.
Art pottery is a term for pottery with artistic aspirations, made in relatively small quantities, mostly between about 1870 and 1930. Typically, sets of the usual tableware items are excluded from the term; instead the objects produced are mostly decorative vessels such as vases, jugs, bowls and the like which are sold singly. The term originated in the later 19th century, and is usually used only for pottery produced from that period onwards. It tends to be used for ceramics produced in factory conditions, but in relatively small quantities, using skilled workers, with at the least close supervision by a designer or some sort of artistic director. Studio pottery is a step up, supposed to be produced in even smaller quantities, with the hands-on participation of an artist-potter, who often performs all or most of the production stages. But the use of both terms can be elastic. Ceramic art is often a much wider term, covering all pottery that comes within the scope of art history, but "ceramic artist" is often used for hands-on artist potters in studio pottery.
Ernest Shufflebotham was an English-born potter and designer active from the 1930s – 1950s.
Ceramics in Mexico date back thousands of years before the Pre-Columbian period, when ceramic arts and pottery crafts developed with the first advanced civilizations and cultures of Mesoamerica. With one exception, pre-Hispanic wares were not glazed, but rather burnished and painted with colored fine clay slips. The potter's wheel was unknown as well; pieces were shaped by molding, coiling and other methods,
John Parker is a New Zealand ceramicist and theatre designer.
Ceramic art is art made from ceramic materials, including clay. It may take varied forms, including artistic pottery, including tableware, tiles, figurines and other sculpture. As one of the plastic arts, ceramic art is a visual art. While some ceramics are considered fine art, such as pottery or sculpture, most are considered to be decorative, industrial or applied art objects. Ceramic art can be created by one person or by a group, in a pottery or a ceramic factory with a group designing and manufacturing the artware.
Kate Olivia Malone is a British ceramic artist known for her large sculptural vessels and rich, bright glazes. Malone was previously a judge, along with Keith Brymer Jones, on BBC2's The Great Pottery Throw Down (2015–2017), then presented by Sara Cox.
The Great Pottery Throw Down is a British television competition programme that first aired on BBC Two from 3 November 2015 to 23 March 2017. It was then moved to More4 from 8 January to 11 March 2020, and has been broadcast by Channel 4 since 10 January 2021.
The first series of The Great Pottery Throw Down began on 3 November 2015 on BBC Two, and concluded on 8 December 2015. The series was hosted by Sara Cox and was judged by Keith Brymer Jones and Kate Malone. Also appearing was "kiln man Rich", Richard Miller, who acted as behind-the-scenes technician.
The second series of The Great Pottery Throw Down began on 2 February 2017 on BBC Two, and concluded on 23 March 2017. The series was hosted by Sara Cox and was judged by Keith Brymer Jones and Kate Malone. Also appearing was "kiln man Rich", Richard Miller, who acted as behind-the-scenes technician.
The fourth series of The Great Pottery Throw Down began on 10 January 2021 on Channel 4, and concluded on 14 March 2021. The series was hosted by Siobhán McSweeney and was judged by Keith Brymer Jones and Richard Miller. Also appearing was Rose Schmits, who acted as behind-the-scenes technician.
The fifth series of The Great Pottery Throw Down began on 2 January 2022 on Channel 4, and concluded on 6 March 2022. The series was co-hosted by Ellie Taylor, while Siobhán McSweeney was recovering from a broken leg. It was judged by Keith Brymer Jones and Richard Miller. Also appearing was Rose Schmits, who acted as behind-the-scenes technician.
The sixth series of The Great Pottery Throw Down began on 8 January 2023 on Channel 4, and concluded on 12 March 2023. The series was hosted by Siobhán McSweeney and was judged by Keith Brymer Jones and Richard Miller. Also appearing was Rose Schmits, who acted as behind-the-scenes technician.
The seventh series of The Great Pottery Throw Down began on 7 January 2024 on Channel 4, and concluded on 10 March 2024. The series was hosted by Siobhán McSweeney and was judged by Keith Brymer Jones and Richard Miller. Also appearing was Rose Schmits, who acted as technician.
