Ceramicist pens book on wonders of clay

Additions to Clay Bodies is a guide to ingredients one can mix through clay to achieve interesting finishes. This is the first book written by Kathleen Standen, a ceramicist who uses experimental techniques in her own practice.

Standen lives in West Cork. She was born in London to Irish parents. Her father was a weekend artist and a major inspiration to Standen. He trained under Gerard Dillon and like Dillon he painted scenes from the Irish countryside.

Standen was a science teacher in her earlier career. This gives her the perfect background to pen a book of this nature. Her experience is evident in the text which has a clear and comprehensive voice in the step-by-step instructions on how to implement the techniques. “Science and ceramics go hand in hand. There is a bit of science in all art forms, in making sure the materials do what you want them to do in a predictable way.”

Standen was surprised that there was a demand for such a book, and had assumed that it would have been in existence already. “When I was showing at this event, a lady came up to me and introduced herself as the ceramics editor at Bloomsbury and she said, ‘would you be interested in writing a book on the way you work and other people who work adding things to the clay?’ I have to admit it was the last thing on my mind.”

The 128 page paperback covers: clays, hard materials, combustible materials, impressions, imprints and dipping, fibres, metal and colour; with a chapter devoted to each. Standen pays special attention to health and safety, flagging the dangers in each process. Optimum temperatures and cones are given where needed, as well as notes of how to avoid pitfalls and tips for success. The book is heavily illustrated, documenting every step, from digging fresh clay, right up to polishing work after firing.

Standen uses a warm narrative that softens the technical writing of the book. Several ceramicists from the UK and Ireland are featured. Mette Maya Gregersen uses bamboo as a scaffold, which burns out, leaving delicate 3D shapes. Fiona Byrne-Sutton works with moulds and uses slips, oxides and vermiculite as well as pressing plants into the form. Jim Turner has been included for his use of fibre slip on top of glaze. Deborah Sigel and Tony Shanafelt give examples of contemporary use of Egyptian Paste. Standen draws on personal experience too, using a large amount of her own work as examples. She makes her own coloured clay from dry materials, allowing her to get precise results. The colour palette is drawn from that of Standen’s favourite Irish painters such as Paul and Grace Henry, Sean Keating, Gerard Dillon and her father, Joseph Quilty.

Standen’s sculptures are based on machinery from the fishing industry, such as buoys, winches and pulleys. They are an investigation of the threat to the coastal eco-system.

* Standens work can be seen at, ‘Form’, the Bangor Castle Walled Garden Sculpture Exhibition, which runs until Jul 6, and ‘Sculpture at the Castle 2013’, at Blarney Castle, July 4 until the end of September.

Additions To Clay Bodies is published by Bloomsbury and available online at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/additions-to-clay-bodies-9781408153949The Talbots, who were due to appear at the West Cork Literary Festival, will not now be able to attend.