Susan Peterson

Jan Peterson

Widely considered to be the most comprehensive introduction to ceramics available, this book contains numerous step-by-step illustrations of all ceramic techniques to guide the beginner, as well as inspirational ceramic pieces from international potters. For the more experienced ceramist, there is a wealth of technical detail on glaze formulas and temperature conversions which make the book an ideal reference. To quote one review: "I am a studio potter and would not be without it."

A Complete Potter's Handbook

The Craft and Art of Clay

Written by a world-renowned ceramist and leading expert in the field, this introductory book describes the initial processes of handbuilding, wheel throwing, plaster mold making, decoration, glaze application and firing techniques in a simple, easy-to-follow narrative. The text offers rich pictorial guidance throughout, both inspiring and instructing students with 500 full color photographs of processes and clayworks. It includes a pictorial timeline of ceramic art history; and exposes students to a gallery of ceramic art, from traditional to avant-garde. This new edition contains a completely rewritten and expanded section on Reds, Yellows and Oranges, with unprecedented documentation and results of actual, in-the-studio tests. There is also a new chapter on Ceramic Sculpture.

Working with Clay

Provides instruction in crafting pottery and ceramic creations.

Black Diamond City: The Victorian Era is the first book in Jan Peterson's trilogy on the history of Nanaimo. Peterson traces the evolution of the city from its First Nations history to its coal industry to its becoming a diversified Victorian-era community. Using original diaries, journals, letters, ships' logs, government records, maps, archival photographs and her own drawings, Peterson vividly brings to life both the historical events that shaped Nanaimo and its people.

Nanaimo, the Victorian Era

Black Diamond City

Any community that has ever been labelled a "mill town" carries both the promise of prosperity and the constant threat of collapse, its fortune hinging on a single industry whose performance is as much related to the whims of a global economy as it is to the abundance of a key natural resource. The people of Port Alberni, located deep in Vancouver Island's Alberni Valley, know all too well the highs and lows that come with such a label. Jan Peterson, who lived in Port Alberni for two of the town's most tumultuous decades and worked as a reporter for the Alberni Valley Times, describes how the town's people persevered through three decades of boom and bust, developed a vibrant arts and sporting community, and strived to make life better under any circumstances. From the prosperous 1970s, when Port Alberni earned the reputation of "forestry capital of Canada," to the decline of the industry in the 1980s, when economic uncertainty signalled a need for diversification, to the environmental protests in nearby Clayoquot Sound, which polarized the community, Port Alberni tells the story of Port Alberni from a perspective that is rarely heard. Through fascinating interviews and meticulous historical research, Peterson captures the heart and soul of a town so often defined by dollars and cents.

More Than Just a Mill Town

Port Alberni

Widely considered to be the most comprehensive introduction to ceramics available, this book contains numerous step-by-step illustrations of various ceramic techniques to guide the beginner as well as inspirational ceramic pieces from contemporary potters from around the world. For the more experienced ceramist, there is a wealth of technical detail on things like glaze formulas and temperature conversions which make the book an ideal reference. To quote one review: ...I am a studio potter and would not be without it. The fourth edition has been updated to include profiles of key ceramists who have influenced the field, new material on marketing ceramics including using the internet, more on the use of computers, added coverage of paperclays, using gold and alternative glazes.

Jan Peterson

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