Matt Levy has a strong connection to the geology around him, which is a constant driving force in his practice. He is motivated by what can be found in the soil beneath his feet and the rocks he finds in the landscape. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, sourcing local clay from Lake Superior and the Mississippi River Basin.

Hitomi Shibata is a Japanese native ceramic artist. She studied Fine Art & Craft at Okayama University before working as a potter in the village of Shigaraki, and then moving to the USA to study ceramics at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. She later set up a permanent pottery in Seagrove, North Carolina, where she and her husband build wood kilns.

Takuro Shibata is a Japanese native ceramic artist. He studied Engineering in Applied Chemistry at Doshisha University, but then took up an apprenticeship at a pottery studio in Shigaraki, Japan. After visiting the USA in 2001, many opportunities came up to join ceramic art programs, and in 2005 he accepted the position of director at STARworks Ceramics, moving to Seagrove with his wife.

"This beautifully illustrated guide is the ideal starting point for those wanting to forge a closer bond between their art and their natural surroundings." --Ceramics Now

"Finding your own clay-especially for use as a glaze material or to augment a commercial clay body-is increasingly popular and this book is a guide to finding, testing, and using wild clay." --The Studio Manager

"A fascinating guide to finding your own clay and creating your own glazes. Billed as ideal starting point for novices, experts, and everyone in between, this is an excellent addition to the experienced ceramicist's library, but also to those new to the art." - Book Riot