The lands of Anatolia we have been embracing as our homeland with the history of thousands of years hosted many cultures throughout the centuries. Art of ceramics inherited by us from these cultures has been revealed as various materials in every period of our lives. Archaeological excavations show that our history of ceramics dated to the Neolithic period. In Anatolia, embracing such a rich cultural history, many manufacturing centers in the field of traditional pottery still do exist. Avanos, among those centers, is a district of the province of Nevşehir located in the Central Anatolia region. Established on both shores of Kızılırmak, the district is one of the substantial settlements of the region known as Cappadocia. Due to the red soil of Kızılırmak, it contributed to the birth and development to the greatest extent of pottery within the region. The red soil of Avanos region provides opportunities for various research within the field of ceramics technology. In the study “paperclay”, which is also the subject matter of this study, the clay of Avanos region has been used. The paper containing clay is named as “paperclay” in English and takes part in the ceramic terminology with the same nomenclature. It is obtained by adding certain ratios of paper into the ceramic clay upon processing through various stages. In comparison of the paper containing clay with the traditional clay, it reveals numerous superior features. Based on the fact that cellulose, the raw material of the paper, forms a reticular structure in the clay, it eliminates the adverse effects such as fissures and cracking that may occur during drying. Paper containing clays are preferred by ceramic artists due to their positive features such as the large-sized ceramic form work facilitating the works and lightweight after kilned. The natural clay used in the Avanos pottery does not allow large-sized works as it results in fissures and cracking particularly as a result of rapid kilning during the artistic practices. Therefore, various tests have been conducted by adding paper in different ratios into the red clay used in Avanos pottery. Artistic practices have been performed based on the outcomes of the tests.
Keywords: Art ceramics, clay, papercaly