When I switched from wheel throwing to handbuilding a few years ago due to chronic neck pain exacerbated by throwing, I let go of the work I had been making to allow new forms to emerge from new processes. I consciously embraced a spirit of play and experimentation, allowing these principles to guide and inform me.
Over the years, I’ve been inspired by the altered work of ceramic artists such as Suze Lindsay, Lisa Naples, and Jen Allen. So, I was excited to attend a workshop a few years ago where Lindsay demonstrated one of her candelabra forms made from wheel-thrown and hollow slab components. I felt eager to get back to my studio to explore how to personalize the process and adapt the methods for handbuilding.
The candelabra consists of three stacked parts: a hollow midsection, a pedestal, and candle cups. Lindsay builds her hollow midsection by laying the slab parts on a piece of foam and pushing up from underneath the clay to create volume. I tried this method but struggled to get the volume I desired. Through trial and error, I found that a customized drop mold gave me the best results and allowed me to vary the volume with each candelabra. While Lindsay throws her pedestal and candle cups on the wheel, I’ve found a way to slab build those components by creating customized conical templates. Changing the proportions for each part of the candelabra has resulted in a growing collection of parts that can be mixed and matched, allowing for subtle or dramatic variations in each form and keeping play at the heart of my practice.
Building the Hollow Midsection
Begin by sketching some shapes for a candelabra, considering how many candles you would like it to hold (or make a shape that allows for various options). Once you have a shape you like, draw what will be the hollow midsection onto newsprint and cut out the shape. Trace the form with a pencil onto a wareboard. Following the traced shape, coil or slab build a ⅜-inch (9.5-mm)-thick, straight-walled drop mold about 2 inches (5.1 cm) high. Dampen the base of the slab or the first coil so it adheres to the wareboard. Designate the A and B sides of the mold to ensure both slabs align when you attach them later (1). Allow the mold to firm to leather hard. If you like the results and want to keep using it, bisque fire it later.
Prepare a ⅜-inch (9.5-mm)- thick clay slab (I find that this thickness helps with stability). Cut a rough section approximately 2 inches (5.1 cm) larger than the template you used to make your mold (2). Drape the slab onto the A side of the mold. Using a pouncing pad (mine is made from a section of old cotton pillowcase filled with sand) or a damp sponge, push the clay down into the mold to create your desired volume, lifting the outer edge of the slab as you go (3). Allow the slab to stiffen slightly in the mold before removing it. Then, move the slab to a wareboard and press along the outside seam to articulate the edge. Repeat the process using the B side of the mold.
Once the forms are medium leather hard, cut along both slumped shapes at a 45-degree angle (4), then flip onto a thick piece of upholstery foam. Dip your scoring tool in water repeatedly to create a slip as you score the rims of both slabs. Join the slabs rim to rim and firmly press along the seam (5). Compress and smooth the seam with a metal rib (6). Cover the form with plastic until you’re ready to attach the pedestal and candle cups.
Constructing the Pedestal
Consider how tall you’d like your pedestal to be in relation to the hollow midsection. Make an open-ended, tapered pinch pot with straight walls (7). For stability in the final form, check that the widest part of the pedestal is at least ⅓ of the diameter of the widest point of the midsection.
Cut a vertical line through the form and lay it flat. This will serve as the template for your pedestal. Trace the clay template onto newsprint and cut out the shape. Roll out a ⅜-inch (9.5-mm)-thick slab, then trace and cut out the template. Cut the outside edges of the pedestal in opposite directions at a 45-degree angle (8), so when you stand it upright, the seams will overlap. Score and attach the two beveled edges and blend the seams. Add volume to the walls of the pedestal, if desired, by pushing the clay out with your fingers or a rib (9). You might alter the shape into an oval or square to correspond to the shape of your hollow midsection. Allow the piece to stiffen to medium leather hard.
Forming the Candle Cups
I never realized how many different-sized taper candles there were until I started making forms to hold them! Choose a size you like and use that as a guide when forming the cup. Create a form for the candle cup by repeating the process for making the pedestal. Make a form that is approximately 1½ to 2 inches (3.8 to 5.1 cm) tall so the candle can sit securely in place. To account for clay shrinkage, make the cup slightly wider than the candle (10). Once you have your slab candle cups formed, set them aside to reach the same consistency as the other parts.
Attaching the Parts
Using foam for support, score the base of the hollow form and the lip of the pedestal. Attach the pedestal to the hollow form. Blend small coils around the inside and outside attachment points for additional support (11).
If you’re interested in altering the rims of your candle cups, do so now, as it will be difficult to cut them once they are attached. Compress knife cuts to prevent cracking and soften any sharp edges (12). Attach the candle cups (13). Compress and smooth the seams using a sculpting tool, which can assist in reaching the interior base of the cups.
If you altered the rims of your candle cups, you might choose to similarly alter the pedestal now. Let the edge of the pedestal overhang from the foam for ease in making cuts (14). Compress knife cuts to prevent cracking and soften any sharp edges.
Poke a small hole in the bottom of the hollow form with a needle tool so air can escape during the bisque firing. Add finishing details such as lugs or handles, if desired. Cover with plastic and allow the piece to reach a stiff leather-hard consistency.
Decorating and Firing
Make a few sketches of your finished form to explore surface design options. When the pot is stiff leather hard (applying slip past this stage may cause it to pop off after the glaze firing), I dip it in a bucket of thin, white slip (see recipe at right) that allows my red earthenware clay to show through after the glaze firing (15). Brush marks can leave interesting patterns that also permit the underlying clay to show through, so you could brush on a thicker slip instead of dipping. Once the white slip dries, I paint gestural botanical motifs using colored slips (16). After decorating, check that slip isn’t blocking the hole you made earlier with a needle tool. Once the work is bone dry, I bisque fire to cone 07 and glaze fire to cone 2 in an electric kiln.
Learning Through Play
To date, the candelabra has been the most complex form I’ve made, and I’m continuing to learn from the process. Working with stacked slab components keeps play alive in my studio practice, leading to more ideas for how these forms could evolve. Experiment with proportions for the various parts and sketch out new ideas that come to mind. You’ll see that the possibilities are endless!
Susan McHenry is a studio potter, writer, and teacher living in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She has an MFA in writing and literature from Bennington College in Vermont. To learn more, visit susanmchenryceramics.comor follow on Instagram @susanmchenryceramics.
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When I switched from wheel throwing to handbuilding a few years ago due to chronic neck pain exacerbated by throwing, I let go of the work I had been making to allow new forms to emerge from new processes. I consciously embraced a spirit of play and experimentation, allowing these principles to guide and inform me.
Over the years, I’ve been inspired by the altered work of ceramic artists such as Suze Lindsay, Lisa Naples, and Jen Allen. So, I was excited to attend a workshop a few years ago where Lindsay demonstrated one of her candelabra forms made from wheel-thrown and hollow slab components. I felt eager to get back to my studio to explore how to personalize the process and adapt the methods for handbuilding.
The candelabra consists of three stacked parts: a hollow midsection, a pedestal, and candle cups. Lindsay builds her hollow midsection by laying the slab parts on a piece of foam and pushing up from underneath the clay to create volume. I tried this method but struggled to get the volume I desired. Through trial and error, I found that a customized drop mold gave me the best results and allowed me to vary the volume with each candelabra. While Lindsay throws her pedestal and candle cups on the wheel, I’ve found a way to slab build those components by creating customized conical templates. Changing the proportions for each part of the candelabra has resulted in a growing collection of parts that can be mixed and matched, allowing for subtle or dramatic variations in each form and keeping play at the heart of my practice.
Building the Hollow Midsection
Begin by sketching some shapes for a candelabra, considering how many candles you would like it to hold (or make a shape that allows for various options). Once you have a shape you like, draw what will be the hollow midsection onto newsprint and cut out the shape. Trace the form with a pencil onto a wareboard. Following the traced shape, coil or slab build a ⅜-inch (9.5-mm)-thick, straight-walled drop mold about 2 inches (5.1 cm) high. Dampen the base of the slab or the first coil so it adheres to the wareboard. Designate the A and B sides of the mold to ensure both slabs align when you attach them later (1). Allow the mold to firm to leather hard. If you like the results and want to keep using it, bisque fire it later.
Prepare a ⅜-inch (9.5-mm)- thick clay slab (I find that this thickness helps with stability). Cut a rough section approximately 2 inches (5.1 cm) larger than the template you used to make your mold (2). Drape the slab onto the A side of the mold. Using a pouncing pad (mine is made from a section of old cotton pillowcase filled with sand) or a damp sponge, push the clay down into the mold to create your desired volume, lifting the outer edge of the slab as you go (3). Allow the slab to stiffen slightly in the mold before removing it. Then, move the slab to a wareboard and press along the outside seam to articulate the edge. Repeat the process using the B side of the mold.
Once the forms are medium leather hard, cut along both slumped shapes at a 45-degree angle (4), then flip onto a thick piece of upholstery foam. Dip your scoring tool in water repeatedly to create a slip as you score the rims of both slabs. Join the slabs rim to rim and firmly press along the seam (5). Compress and smooth the seam with a metal rib (6). Cover the form with plastic until you’re ready to attach the pedestal and candle cups.
Constructing the Pedestal
Consider how tall you’d like your pedestal to be in relation to the hollow midsection. Make an open-ended, tapered pinch pot with straight walls (7). For stability in the final form, check that the widest part of the pedestal is at least ⅓ of the diameter of the widest point of the midsection.
Cut a vertical line through the form and lay it flat. This will serve as the template for your pedestal. Trace the clay template onto newsprint and cut out the shape. Roll out a ⅜-inch (9.5-mm)-thick slab, then trace and cut out the template. Cut the outside edges of the pedestal in opposite directions at a 45-degree angle (8), so when you stand it upright, the seams will overlap. Score and attach the two beveled edges and blend the seams. Add volume to the walls of the pedestal, if desired, by pushing the clay out with your fingers or a rib (9). You might alter the shape into an oval or square to correspond to the shape of your hollow midsection. Allow the piece to stiffen to medium leather hard.
Forming the Candle Cups
I never realized how many different-sized taper candles there were until I started making forms to hold them! Choose a size you like and use that as a guide when forming the cup. Create a form for the candle cup by repeating the process for making the pedestal. Make a form that is approximately 1½ to 2 inches (3.8 to 5.1 cm) tall so the candle can sit securely in place. To account for clay shrinkage, make the cup slightly wider than the candle (10). Once you have your slab candle cups formed, set them aside to reach the same consistency as the other parts.
Attaching the Parts
Using foam for support, score the base of the hollow form and the lip of the pedestal. Attach the pedestal to the hollow form. Blend small coils around the inside and outside attachment points for additional support (11).
If you’re interested in altering the rims of your candle cups, do so now, as it will be difficult to cut them once they are attached. Compress knife cuts to prevent cracking and soften any sharp edges (12). Attach the candle cups (13). Compress and smooth the seams using a sculpting tool, which can assist in reaching the interior base of the cups.
If you altered the rims of your candle cups, you might choose to similarly alter the pedestal now. Let the edge of the pedestal overhang from the foam for ease in making cuts (14). Compress knife cuts to prevent cracking and soften any sharp edges.
Poke a small hole in the bottom of the hollow form with a needle tool so air can escape during the bisque firing. Add finishing details such as lugs or handles, if desired. Cover with plastic and allow the piece to reach a stiff leather-hard consistency.
Decorating and Firing
Make a few sketches of your finished form to explore surface design options. When the pot is stiff leather hard (applying slip past this stage may cause it to pop off after the glaze firing), I dip it in a bucket of thin, white slip (see recipe at right) that allows my red earthenware clay to show through after the glaze firing (15). Brush marks can leave interesting patterns that also permit the underlying clay to show through, so you could brush on a thicker slip instead of dipping. Once the white slip dries, I paint gestural botanical motifs using colored slips (16). After decorating, check that slip isn’t blocking the hole you made earlier with a needle tool. Once the work is bone dry, I bisque fire to cone 07 and glaze fire to cone 2 in an electric kiln.
Learning Through Play
To date, the candelabra has been the most complex form I’ve made, and I’m continuing to learn from the process. Working with stacked slab components keeps play alive in my studio practice, leading to more ideas for how these forms could evolve. Experiment with proportions for the various parts and sketch out new ideas that come to mind. You’ll see that the possibilities are endless!
Susan McHenry is a studio potter, writer, and teacher living in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She has an MFA in writing and literature from Bennington College in Vermont. To learn more, visit susanmchenryceramics.com or follow on Instagram @susanmchenryceramics.
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