If you have been waiting for the best book on ceramic extrusion, it is
available now Ceramic Extruding by Jean and Tom Latka successfully answers the question of, "Why are all of those clay extruders rusting on potter's walls?" Their answer is thus: Ceramists, like everyone else, have to be inspired to create beautiful work. This book acts as a magical muse for artists by showing over 300 quality photos of beautiful work by some of the finest international contemporary artists working in the medium today. This book's focus is on the recent emergence of extruded ceramic art as dynamic and surprisingly varied form of creative expression.

"Though the words extrude and extrusion are not ones most people encounter in everyday conversation, we live in a world where we are surrounded by extruded objects. Our brick houses and their tile roofs are made from extruded clay. We shower on extruded tiles, send our smoke and fumes up extruded chimneys and our waste down extruded sewers. From the round O's in your breakfast cereal to the pasta on your dinner plate, extruded objects occupy every conceivable nook and cranny of our lives". Beginning with bricks, Ceramic Extruding details the history of the extruder then demonstrates the ease, as well as the necessity, of using an extruder in one's pottery. The book is organized in a logical manner in order to guide the reader by employing numerous step-by-step instructional methods.
Essentially, Ceramic Extruding is a how-to book and the projects gradually become more advanced. Apart from the photos, another subject that distinguishes this book from other books on the market is its comprehensive theory of extrusion and was the only chapter I had to read twice. It is a difficult subject. The authors give detailed information on why extruders act in the manner in which they do. For instance, I didn't know that clay moves faster down the center of the barrel than clay closer to the walls. This information is useful for artists who want to design their own dies.

Educators take note: As a teacher, I know how it feels to give students a
blank canvas and ask them to be creative. In contrast Ceramic Extruding
shows how to create a limitless supply of foundation material from the
extruder for the student.

The book truly has an international cast of artists, photos of ceramics
spanning from Australia to Inge Pedersen in Norway. I became aware of
several renowned European ceramicists. Antonio Cumella, Alessio Tasca, Elina
Brandt-Hanson, Jim Robison. Other artist's work that impressed me was Ken Williams, Jutta Golas, and Jack Sures. Jean and Tom Latka have an excellent body of work apart from each other, but their collaborative work shines superior.

Everyone has been waiting for the next thing in clay. Well Latka's Flying
Hybrid Extruder and Michael Sherrill's novel extruder/wheel could lead to
the new revolution in clay. The quick release system makes these extruders user friendly. The expansion box is larger than most other machines, and in the case of Flying Hybrid, it out performs slab machines by making slabs faster and more superior. Oddly enough, slab machines compress the clay from the center of the roller to the edges. This creates an unstable molecular structure and cracks result. The clay is evenly compressed in the Vertical Flying Hybrid. An 18"x24" slab is the result when an 8" cylindrical shape 18" long is extruded and sliced lengthwise.

I would like to sum up with a quote from Michael Cohen. "It is important to find a well-made extruder that is adaptable to your needs. As for the
wheel, once you learn how to use it, one question ultimately remains: What are you going to make? After mastering centrifugal force and friction, perhaps it's now time to use gravity and inertia to make a personal statement. Like throwing, it only looks easy."

"Extruding clay takes on a wonderful new meaning when you use the extruder as you would any tool---as one step in the making process, not as an end in itself. The extruder's contribution to the studio can be as profound and influential as the potters wheel --- a slab for the imagination to leap off from". Jean Latka

Two thumbs up! Burn the other extruder books; this is the only one you will ever need.
I am an college art teacher at U.S.C. and find it the best book for my introduction course on the Extruder.
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