Product Description

It has been ten years since Precious Metal Clay was introduced in the United States, and it is time to see what artists have done with this fascinating material. This book gathers for the first time work made by leaders in the field. A critical essay by noted designer Donald Friedlich and a technical explanation from scientist Darnall Burks make this a landmark volume for artists and collectors.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #249957 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-12
• Released on: 2006-12-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

About the Author
Tim McCreight is a designer, teacher, author, and jeweler who was among the first Americans to work with PMC. He has been its primary ambassador within the metalsmithing community. He has taught workshops in the US, Europe, Mexico, and Japan. He is the founding director of the PMC Guild, and remains active in the PMC community, where he has designed curricula, websites, and educational forums. He has written over a dozen books on metalworking and design.

Customer Reviews

An unprecedented compendium of PMC history, insights, science and art!
PMC Decade is a gorgeous volume that is required reading not only for metal clay artists but also for anyone interested in contemporary art and design.

There is no one better qualified or more appropriate to bring us this outstanding review of "The First Ten Years of Precious Metal Clay" than world-renowned metalsmith, teacher, author, jeweler and acknowledged PMC guru Tim McCreight. His prefatory remarks provide a personal look back at PMC's birth in Japan and its subsequent introduction into the United States - a process in which he played a leading role. The essay by world-class metalsmith and jewelry artist Donald Friedlich on the "Progress and Potential" of PMC is an insightful and thought-provoking exploration, not just of this medium but of art and artists' use of their media in general. And physicist Darnall Burks' explanation of "The Science of PMC," accompanied by Tina Carvalho's amazing electron microscope images of sintered PMC, breaks down the physics into simple language that all of us can understand.

But the main focus of the book is the chapter titled simply, "The Decade," which presents more than 200 pages of some of the most remarkable and ground-breaking PMC work from the past ten years. McCreight has selected a wide variety of impressive artists and striking art to represent the period, and while not all of them will appeal to every reader, it is obvious why each artist and piece was chosen for inclusion. And many of the pieces are absolutely breathtaking!

One of the most valuable features of the book is the layout of the gallery pages. Each high-quality photo is large and occupies its own page, allowing us to focus all our attention on one piece at a time and to examine all the astonishing detail inherent in each of the featured designs.

The book ends with a chronology of key historical events along with a helpful list of publications from the period.

This is a seminal work by this country's leading advocate and authority on Precious Metal Clay. It's beautiful enough to be considered a "coffee table book," but it's much richer and more valuable than mere "eye candy." I know I will turn to it again and again, both for inspiration and for the pure pleasure of appreciating the extraordinary art captured in its pages.

I highly recommend adding this satisfying and important volume to your library.

PMC Decade a must have
For the serious Metal Clay artist or those that are interested in seeing what artists are doing with Metal Clay, I highly recommend this book. I have inundated myself with various books on a variety of topics about PMC and I was pleased to see a book take an artful jump into the history, the process, the progress, and the potential for PMC like no other.

Donald Friedlich's essay set the tone perfectly for the artwork to follow. He hit upon points that struck home for me. Many of which I have sighted to my students in my classes in PA. Comments such as "... it is not the material itself, but the depth of the exploration and finally the quality of what is done with the material that counts the most. ..."; along with several critical questions he posed on p.10 about the PMC artists use of the material as it relates to form, function and design. These types of questions force one to take a deeper look into the whole artistic process verses the mere act of executing a piece. He eloquently discussed the "gloppy and unresolved shapes" and "over the top use of texture and pattern" by contrasting such questions with examples of today's PMC artists that stretch the boundaries of these possibilities in creative and innovative ways.

He delves into the use of mixed medium pieces guiding us through the marriage of these materials leaving us to ponder his final statement, "Perhaps the next decade, someone 'will' make a body of work with metal clay that breaks radically new ground and shakes up the whole jewelry and ceramic world."

The final chapter, "The Decade" in review was a reminder of how far PMC and the artists have come in such a short period of time. It was so complete in its historical references, and the books that are available to us.

It is obvious that Tim McCreight has a passion for all that he does. It comes out in his writing and his presence in the jewelry community.

A Spectacular Book!
For anyone interested in beautiful silver jewelry, this book would be an absolute delight. For those of us obsessed with metal clay and its history (which is only a decade old), this book is an absolute essential! The jewelry world and metal clay artisans owe Tim McCreight a debt of gratitude for being willing to look at a new product in 1996 and see its possibilities. The fact that he is a world-class metalsmith makes his interest in metal clay even more important. This is a beautiful and meaningful book--a "must-have."