The Mud Witch Guide to Ceramics

The ultimate guide to making colorful, whimsical pottery creations!

If you’ve ever dreamed of crafting your own handmade mugs, bowls, or plates but your vision is more bold and colorful than beige and simple, this is your book. Noted potter Viviana Matsuda, also known as Mud Witch, has amassed a devoted following of fans who love her creative, curvy designs. Now, she reveals her knowledge on getting started and unleashing your creativity through pottery.

Filled with gorgeous photographs, Playful Pottery covers all the essential information on diving into making imaginative creations. Starting with the basics on working with clay, choosing a project, and familiarizing yourself with tools and techniques, Matsuda also covers everything you need to know about pinch pots, slab building, firing, glazing, and everything in between. Step inside her colorful studio and unleash your inner Mud Witch with this comprehensive and gorgeous book.

Viviana Matsuda (they/she) is a Queer, Japanese-Mexican Artist from San Francisco who focuses on handmade pottery production. Her journey with pottery began following her dad’s passing -- he was a ceramist and when he passed she was left with his pottery supplies. She began taking ceramics classes as a creative outlet to work through her grief, which eventually led to the creation of her business Mud Witch. Vivi draws inspiration from her Japanese and Mexican ancestry, as well as the body positivity movement. She is inspired by the natural curves of all body types and is best known for her ＂chubby mugs.＂ She is passionate about creating a diverse and inclusive space for artists in the Bay Area and increasing representation for Queer and POC artists. One of her goals is to create an accessible space for artists of all abilities to learn pottery, hoping to eventually open a studio at which she can provide discounted or no-rate classes for artists from all walks of life to come learn, play, and turn earth.