Cookware, Clay, and Community Danielle Carelock

Appears in the December 2021 issue of Ceramics Monthly.

Growing up, ceramic ware filled the cabinets of my grandmother’s home. We often used these dishes on special occasions, like Sunday dinners, birthdays, and holidays. We would gather together in fellowship, passing around delicious food served in a familiar porcelain and cobalt dish, eating while enjoying each other’s company. The tableware became part of our family ritual, and was symbolic of the joy we’d feel when we used these dishes. 

Many of my fondest memories as a child have been centered around food and community. Often, these gatherings and outdoor barbecues or cookouts were where I’d feel the strongest sense of village and community. I’d find family and friends basking in this shared joy of laughter, food, and fellowship. Food has always had this innate power to bring people together, especially when it is shared. 

Initially, I began making utilitarian ware as a means to serve some of the holiday meals that I’d prepare and share with my family, adding on to the familiar tradition that I cherished as a child. Later, this expanded as I welcomed the work of my peers into my home and onto our dinner table. 

One of the forms I have made for shared meals is an oval, lidded dish. There were several iterations before I happened upon the one I make now, refining my technique and measurements along the way. As makers, our work almost poetically weaves itself into the lives of our patrons, becoming a part of daily rituals and shared memories. With this in mind, I am constantly considering the vessel and how it functions. Taller vessels are best for parfaits and layered desserts, shallower vessels become best for baking and roasting. This vessel, I find to be best for baking and casseroles. 

Note: I preheat my casserole dish slowly, starting with a room-temperature oven. When making bakeware, it is important to test the clay body’s performance when heated and cooled in an oven. You can find tips for testing ovenware, as well as flameware clay body recipes, linked here. 

Constructing the Vessel

I begin the process of creating this serving vessel by rolling out a slab of red earthenware clay that has a thickness of approximately ¼–⅜ inch with a length of more than 30 inches and height of around 4 inches. For this particular vessel, I used a slab roller; however, a rolling pin and two square wooden dowels used as thickness guides when rolling out the slab will also suffice. While the slab is still on the same canvas used for rolling it out, I gently compress the slab using a metal rib and a rubber rib, holding the tools at a 45° angle. Compression helps to mitigate the chance of splitting and/or cracking during construction while also removing the remaining texture left behind from the canvas and slab roller. I complete this step on both sides of the slab, using a board or the slab-roller canvas to flip the slab over.

Once the slab has been compressed on both sides, I then begin to measure and cut a rectangle with a length of 28 inches and a width of 3½ inches. Once this is cut, I use a bisque-fired ceramic stamp to create a repeating leaf motif on the bottom length of my slab, alternating between smaller and larger leaves (1). Using a ruler and needle tool, I hold my needle tool against the ruler at a 15° angle, gently marking the slab to create a soft, shallow line midway across the surface. I then use the ruler as an edge to trim away any excess clay that had been pressed out during the stamping process (2).

One of the most important aspects of any utilitarian object is to have a comfortable lip and soft edges. This not only refines the form but also makes it suitable for daily use. Softened, rounded edges are much less likely to chip over the life of the object, creating a more durable vessel. To create this softened lip, I use a pony roller held at a 45° angle to create a gentle bevel on both sides at the top of the slab (3).

Applying light and equal pressure, I roll out a ⅜-inch-diameter coil, using the slab’s thickness as a guide. This coil will serve as the gallery on the inside wall of the serving vessel that keeps the lid stable and in place. 

On the back of the slab (opposite side from the leaf impressions), I use a serrated rib to score across the length, approximately ½ inch below the top. I also use the rib to score along the length of the coil, then add slip to both sides. Using my thumb and index finger in a gentle downward pinching motion, I compress the coil against the slab’s surface (4). This creates a secure attachment and ensures that there are no gaps, which could later lead to cracking and/or weakened areas in the gallery. Later in the process, I also compress this area with a dampened sponge to refine the gallery.

Using a bevel-cutting tool, I cut a 45° angle on one of the short ends of the slab and then flip the slab over like a page in a book and bevel cut the other short side (5). This parallel bevel allows for a nearly seamless join. Lifting the slab upright, I score and add slip to both ends and join them together (6). Using the palms of my hand, I shape the pot, opting for an elongated oval shape. To form the base of the pot, I place the oval form onto another slab, trace a line around it that is ⅛ inch larger than the oval, and cut along this line (7). While the bottom slab is still on the work surface, I use a sponge to soften the outer perimeter. I score and slip both the bottom edge of the form and the bottom slab. I attach both surfaces, using a pony roller to compress and seal them together (8). Now with the vessel upright, I use a rubber rib to compress the inner base of the pot to reinforce a flat bottom, which helps prevent warping during the drying and firing stages (9).  

Completing the Vessel

To create the lid, I roll out a slab of clay that measures slightly larger than the outer length and width of the pot. I then place this slab over the top of the vessel and apply gentle, downward, swooping pressure with a rubber rib to create a curved, lifted lid (10). Once I am confident in the shape of the lid, I allow both the lid and form to stiffen to a leather-hard consistency before fitting them together. Since the vessel itself was used as a slump mold, the inner wall of the vessel creates a precise outline on the outer edge of the lid that allows for a custom fit. I cut along this outline and fit both lid and vessel together. Lastly, to create the handles, I take a small ball of clay and, beginning in the center, pinch and rotate the ball of clay while moving the pressure away from the center to lengthen it into a bone-shaped coil (11). I then compress this coil using a damp sponge to simulate a pulled handle while using much less water. I score and slip to attach the handles to the lid and sides of the pot (12). Lastly, I refine the surface of the pot using a rasp, a sponge, a paintbrush, and a rubber modeling tool to clean up the form (13, 14).

Glazing 

My approach to glazing is to simplify the process by using an iron-rich or richer-toned clay body in tandem with a semi-translucent glaze. This choice in clay body adds warmth and dimension to the glaze, often giving a reduction look in oxidation. Typically, my work is bisque fired slowly to cone 06 and then glaze fired in an electric kiln to cone 5–6. The glaze that I often use is a simple clear base glaze recipe with added Zircopax for opacity, occasionally with more or less Zircopax and/or colorants to adjust for opacity and hue. I also often use an atomizer to spray on subtle amounts of other colorants and materials to enhance and add dimension to the surface of the glaze to create some variation.

the author Danielle Carelock is a ceramic artist and educator located in Charlotte, North Carolina. To learn more about her work and her business, Danielle Carelock Studio, visit her website, daniellecarelock.com.