Conscious Crafts: Pottery: 20 mindful makes to reconnect head, heart & hands (Mindful Makes)

by Lucy Davidson

In Conscious Crafts: Pottery, maker Lucy Davidson reveals the meditative nature of working with clay and its wellbeing benefits for slowing down, creativity and mindfulness.

Making is mindfulness made practical, and pottery is a popular meditative craft. Drawing on the traditions of hand making, Lucy has created 20 modern makes with air dry and polymer clay - all without the need for a wheel or kiln: imperfect pots; coasters; necklace beads; abstract earrings; terrazzo-style bracelets; bird brooches; pinch pot tea holders; light pull; incense holder; botanical & feather wall hangings; festive decorations; potted herb markers; clay 'leaf' bowls; plant hanger pots; indoor planters; miniature bunting; serving dishes; and seaside vases. She shares the basic techniques to pottery and shows how these can be explored and personalized for different projects, as well as making your own clay and memories.

Clean photography, contemporary illustration and heart-affirming text are beautifully mixed together to celebrate art of making for a handmade future.

Packed with inspiring ideas and practical guidance, Conscious Crafts: Pottery gives you the raw skills to get started with this fulfilling craft, and shows how the pottery experience and the satisfaction of creating your own unique makes can create happiness.

The Conscious Crafts series places mindfulness and well-being at the heart of making. Picking out proven meditative crafts and bespoke authors, these practical, contemporary guides are an inviting introduction to reconnecting head, heart, and hands.

Also available from the series: Conscious Crafts: Quilting/Knitting/Whittling.

• ISBN13: 9780711257436
• Publish Date: 15 June 2021 (first published 2 March 2021)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: The Ivy Press
• Imprint: Leaping Hare
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 144
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Conscious Crafts: Pottery is a tutorial guide with projects by Lucy Davidson. Released 15th June 2021 by Quarto on their Leaping Hare Press imprint, it's 144 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

I liked the layout a lot. There's a casual philosophical feeling throughout which is much more focused on the process and mindfulness than in the finished product. The introduction includes some basic clay recipes (air drying dough type clays) as well as a primer on basic tools and supplies. The following chapters include process tutorials for lace/botanical surface impression, slab work dishes jewelry components and several others, pinch pots, wall art, plant pot markers, and several other tutorials for a wide range of objects both practical and whimsical (or both at the same time).

Each tutorial has an introduction, tools and supplies in a bullet list in the sidebar, and step-by-step directions. The accompanying photographs and line drawings are clear and easy to understand and illustrate the process well.

There is some good information here about the artistic process and skill building. The projects themselves are simple, the clay recipes provided are non-toxic and easy to use. This would make a good choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, or use in maker's or activity groups. The tutorials are appropriate for all ages (with a facilitator for the youngest artists).

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.