Stoneware is a hard, strong, and vitrified ware, usually fired above 1200 C (2192 F), which allows the body and glaze to mature at the same time and form an integrated body-glaze layer. During firing, the organic matter found in clay is burned away, the color changes, and a layer of glass is fused onto the surface. The quality of the glaze owes much to the establishment of this layer, and it is therefore the glaze quality that determines a ware's acceptance as stoneware. Such high firing can achieve qualities and finishes that appeal to many potters; however, firing clay at such high temperatures imposes particular demands on the clay, glazes, and kilns.
In Stoneware, Richard Dewar discusses the various considerations that need to be taken into account when working at higher temperatures and shows the myriad techniques and glazes that can be used to achieve excellent results. Including the work of Sandy Brown, Will Levi Marshall, Robin Welch, John Calver, and other internationally known artists, this handbook is the only one available on this increasingly popular subject.
