During my time as a resident at Penland School of Craft, I fell in love with the wooden dough bowls I found in the antique stores around North Carolina. Roughly hewn from a single log for bread-making in the 1800s, these large wooden troughs and bowls
combined a refined and generous understanding of space; a raw, basic functionality; and an honesty of material and process. I wanted to make work that, while not replicating the dough bowls, drew on the feelings these objects evoked in me. This lidded
server happened somewhere in the trickle-down as I moved this process from larger sculptural vessels into dinnerware.
The piece takes 4–5 days to finish, with quick, roughing-out steps at the outset that lengthen as the process moves from building to refining. The pot should be maintained at a leather-hard stage throughout, so use plastic as needed to keep the
clay workable.
The process relies heavily on a Surform—a woodworking tool that has been adopted by the ceramics community. I use my tools like sandpaper, working repeatedly over the surface of the pot, moving from the coarseness of the Surform, to the medium grit
of a serrated rib, to the refining properties of a smooth rib, scouring pad, and sponge.
The molds themselves I make using plywood, a hand-held jigsaw, and a drill bit to start the cut, but any slump mold or form will work.
Creating the Initial Form
On a ware board, set a slump mold up on wooden blocks (1), then lay a slab in loosely, tapping it gently to establish the inside curve. Keep slabs 0.38 inch (9.5 mm) or so thick, to leave enough material for refining later in the process. Allow for an
overlap of 0.75 inch (2 cm) or so border around the slump, remove the extra clay, cutting on a bevel underneath (2).
Next, roll out a long, narrow slab for the walls, also 0.38 inch (9.5 mm) or so thick, and cut a strip to measure about 4 inches (10.2 cm) wide. Depending on the circumference of the mold, add the walls in one slab or two, cutting the ends on a bevel
so there is an overlap for joining the slabs where they meet. Score the 0.75 inch (2 cm) border as well as the wall, add slip, and starting at one end work the walls into place, overlapping the beveled ends and compressing well. Fold the beveled edge
of the floor up over the walls, securing the join (3).
Finally, give the walls a slight outward angle from the base up, using your fingers to stretch and flare the ends in particular (4). The primary goal at this point is just to make sure the walls are attached and in the right place. Let this set up to
leather hard. If the rim starts to dry too quickly, fold a 2-inch (5-cm) strip of plastic over it to keep it workable.
Establishing the Interior
Once the piece is leather hard, score well, slip, and add a soft, fat coil to the interior join. Moving rhythmically around the pot, work the top half of the coil up into the walls, and then the bottom half of the coil, down into the floor of the pot
(5). Move around the pot again, smoothing the join to create a continuous curve between the walls and the floor. Then, with a serrated rib, work over the entire interior to clearly establish the inside space (6).
Adding a Foot
Placing a board over the top of the pot, flip the whole setup, mold and all, upside down. Remove the mold and use a knife to cut away the ledge of clay that remains (7), creating a continuous dome. Now add the foot, rolling out another long slab, 0.38
inch (9.5 mm) or so thick, and cut to about 2 inches (5.1 cm) wide. Score well and slip the oval where the foot will attach, then work the slab into place, just as you did for the walls (8).
The foot should be inset onto the curved floor, continuing the angle of the walls, so it can be helpful to cut the foot on a bevel as well to accommodate the curve of the floor. Again, let this new addition set up to leather hard, placing the rim on plastic
and loosely wrapping the bottom if needed to keep the walls from drying out.
Once the foot is leather hard, score the joins where the foot meets the base, both inside and out, slip well, and add two soft, fat coils, roughly smoothing them into place with your fingers (9). Let these coils set up to leather hard.
Refining the Exterior and Foot Shapes
At this point the whole pot should be leather hard. Use a Surform to remove some of the extra clay on the exterior, working over the surface repeatedly to establish the basic profile of the pot, setting any curves and angles in place.
Next, establish the foot, using a Surform to set its outside shape, and then working from the inside to take clay away and rough out a soft taper from the base of the foot to its edge (10). A trimming tool or smooth rib can help in the tighter corners
where the Surform can’t reach. Then level the foot, placing a board on top and taking down the high spots with the Surform.
Adding a Flange and Handles
Now, add a flange for the lid to sit on. Setting the pot upright, score a 2-inch (5-cm) band around the interior of the rim, add slip, then add a soft, fat coil, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, slightly down from the rim. Roughly pinch the coil around the
interior to secure the join, then moving around the pot, work the top half of the clay up toward the rim and the bottom half of the coil down into the interior. Use a damp sponge to compress and shape the flange, circling around the pot as many times
a needed. The flange will be refined later, so the goal is just to get it in place (see 11).
Next score the ends of the pot, slip well, and add two balls of clay, loosely shaping them into handles (11). Keeping the base loosely wrapped, let the flange and handles set up until leather hard.
Finalizing the Form
Once the flange and handles are leather hard, use a smooth rib to clean up the interior of the server, scraping away the serrated surface. This is best done at a dryer stage of leather hard, as the goal is to remove the serrated surface rather than compress
it back into the pot.
Next, clean up the flange, first setting the width using a Surform and then refining both the top and underside with a smooth rib, working it toward a soft taper at its edge as you did with the foot.
Once the inside is cleaned up, use a Surform to remove any remaining excess clay from the exterior, shaping handles and thinning edges. Do a final cleanup of the foot. Then, go back over the exterior and foot with a smooth rib, removing all Surform and
process markings.
Refine the handles, rim, and foot, bringing edges to a soft taper with a scouring pad and sponge. Finally, work the whole pot, both inside and out, with a scouring pad and sponge to complete the base of the server (12).
Forming a Lid
Wrap the form in plastic and slump a new 0.38-inch (9.5-mm)-thick slab for the lid, using the base as the mold (13). Let the lid set up to leather hard.
Once the lid is leather hard, use a knife to roughly cut away some of the excess clay. Faint markings from the base should be imprinted onto the lid from the slumping process—use these as a guide, leaving at least 0.5 inch (1.3 cm) extra for error.
Place a strip of plastic crosswise over the pot for lifting the lid in and out (14), then follow up with the Surform, removing clay a bit at a time, fitting the lid to the base. Then refine the curve and softly taper the edges. Scrape the surface
with a smooth rib, then refine and finish the edges with a scouring pad and sponge.
Lastly,
score well and slip the center of the lid, then add and roughly shape out a knob (15), leaving extra clay for error. Keeping the pot loosely wrapped in plastic, let the knob set up to leather hard.
Once leather hard, use a knife or Surform to shape the knob. Finally, use a smooth rib, scouring pad, and sponge to articulate edges and refine the knob, and the entire form (16).
Maggie Jaszczak is a potter and mixed-media artist originally from Ontario, Canada. She completed her undergraduate studies in Canada and earned an MFA in ceramics from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2013. Jaszczak has participated in ceramic residency programs at Penland School of Craft in Penland, North Carolina; New Taipei Ceramics Museum in New Taipei City, Taiwan; The Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana; Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, Colorado; and Medalta Potteries in Medicine Hat, Alberta; and has taught classes and workshops in the US and Canada. She and her husband live in rural Minnesota where they work as studio artists.
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During my time as a resident at Penland School of Craft, I fell in love with the wooden dough bowls I found in the antique stores around North Carolina. Roughly hewn from a single log for bread-making in the 1800s, these large wooden troughs and bowls combined a refined and generous understanding of space; a raw, basic functionality; and an honesty of material and process. I wanted to make work that, while not replicating the dough bowls, drew on the feelings these objects evoked in me. This lidded server happened somewhere in the trickle-down as I moved this process from larger sculptural vessels into dinnerware.
The piece takes 4–5 days to finish, with quick, roughing-out steps at the outset that lengthen as the process moves from building to refining. The pot should be maintained at a leather-hard stage throughout, so use plastic as needed to keep the clay workable.
The process relies heavily on a Surform—a woodworking tool that has been adopted by the ceramics community. I use my tools like sandpaper, working repeatedly over the surface of the pot, moving from the coarseness of the Surform, to the medium grit of a serrated rib, to the refining properties of a smooth rib, scouring pad, and sponge.
The molds themselves I make using plywood, a hand-held jigsaw, and a drill bit to start the cut, but any slump mold or form will work.
Creating the Initial Form
On a ware board, set a slump mold up on wooden blocks (1), then lay a slab in loosely, tapping it gently to establish the inside curve. Keep slabs 0.38 inch (9.5 mm) or so thick, to leave enough material for refining later in the process. Allow for an overlap of 0.75 inch (2 cm) or so border around the slump, remove the extra clay, cutting on a bevel underneath (2).
Next, roll out a long, narrow slab for the walls, also 0.38 inch (9.5 mm) or so thick, and cut a strip to measure about 4 inches (10.2 cm) wide. Depending on the circumference of the mold, add the walls in one slab or two, cutting the ends on a bevel so there is an overlap for joining the slabs where they meet. Score the 0.75 inch (2 cm) border as well as the wall, add slip, and starting at one end work the walls into place, overlapping the beveled ends and compressing well. Fold the beveled edge of the floor up over the walls, securing the join (3).
Finally, give the walls a slight outward angle from the base up, using your fingers to stretch and flare the ends in particular (4). The primary goal at this point is just to make sure the walls are attached and in the right place. Let this set up to leather hard. If the rim starts to dry too quickly, fold a 2-inch (5-cm) strip of plastic over it to keep it workable.
Establishing the Interior
Once the piece is leather hard, score well, slip, and add a soft, fat coil to the interior join. Moving rhythmically around the pot, work the top half of the coil up into the walls, and then the bottom half of the coil, down into the floor of the pot (5). Move around the pot again, smoothing the join to create a continuous curve between the walls and the floor. Then, with a serrated rib, work over the entire interior to clearly establish the inside space (6).
Adding a Foot
Placing a board over the top of the pot, flip the whole setup, mold and all, upside down. Remove the mold and use a knife to cut away the ledge of clay that remains (7), creating a continuous dome. Now add the foot, rolling out another long slab, 0.38 inch (9.5 mm) or so thick, and cut to about 2 inches (5.1 cm) wide. Score well and slip the oval where the foot will attach, then work the slab into place, just as you did for the walls (8).
The foot should be inset onto the curved floor, continuing the angle of the walls, so it can be helpful to cut the foot on a bevel as well to accommodate the curve of the floor. Again, let this new addition set up to leather hard, placing the rim on plastic and loosely wrapping the bottom if needed to keep the walls from drying out.
Once the foot is leather hard, score the joins where the foot meets the base, both inside and out, slip well, and add two soft, fat coils, roughly smoothing them into place with your fingers (9). Let these coils set up to leather hard.
Refining the Exterior and Foot Shapes
At this point the whole pot should be leather hard. Use a Surform to remove some of the extra clay on the exterior, working over the surface repeatedly to establish the basic profile of the pot, setting any curves and angles in place.
Next, establish the foot, using a Surform to set its outside shape, and then working from the inside to take clay away and rough out a soft taper from the base of the foot to its edge (10). A trimming tool or smooth rib can help in the tighter corners where the Surform can’t reach. Then level the foot, placing a board on top and taking down the high spots with the Surform.
Adding a Flange and Handles
Now, add a flange for the lid to sit on. Setting the pot upright, score a 2-inch (5-cm) band around the interior of the rim, add slip, then add a soft, fat coil, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, slightly down from the rim. Roughly pinch the coil around the interior to secure the join, then moving around the pot, work the top half of the clay up toward the rim and the bottom half of the coil down into the interior. Use a damp sponge to compress and shape the flange, circling around the pot as many times a needed. The flange will be refined later, so the goal is just to get it in place (see 11).
Next score the ends of the pot, slip well, and add two balls of clay, loosely shaping them into handles (11). Keeping the base loosely wrapped, let the flange and handles set up until leather hard.
Finalizing the Form
Once the flange and handles are leather hard, use a smooth rib to clean up the interior of the server, scraping away the serrated surface. This is best done at a dryer stage of leather hard, as the goal is to remove the serrated surface rather than compress it back into the pot.
Next, clean up the flange, first setting the width using a Surform and then refining both the top and underside with a smooth rib, working it toward a soft taper at its edge as you did with the foot.
Once the inside is cleaned up, use a Surform to remove any remaining excess clay from the exterior, shaping handles and thinning edges. Do a final cleanup of the foot. Then, go back over the exterior and foot with a smooth rib, removing all Surform and process markings.
Refine the handles, rim, and foot, bringing edges to a soft taper with a scouring pad and sponge. Finally, work the whole pot, both inside and out, with a scouring pad and sponge to complete the base of the server (12).
Forming a Lid
Wrap the form in plastic and slump a new 0.38-inch (9.5-mm)-thick slab for the lid, using the base as the mold (13). Let the lid set up to leather hard.
Once the lid is leather hard, use a knife to roughly cut away some of the excess clay. Faint markings from the base should be imprinted onto the lid from the slumping process—use these as a guide, leaving at least 0.5 inch (1.3 cm) extra for error. Place a strip of plastic crosswise over the pot for lifting the lid in and out (14), then follow up with the Surform, removing clay a bit at a time, fitting the lid to the base. Then refine the curve and softly taper the edges. Scrape the surface with a smooth rib, then refine and finish the edges with a scouring pad and sponge.
Once leather hard, use a knife or Surform to shape the knob. Finally, use a smooth rib, scouring pad, and sponge to articulate edges and refine the knob, and the entire form (16).
Maggie Jaszczak is a potter and mixed-media artist originally from Ontario, Canada. She completed her undergraduate studies in Canada and earned an MFA in ceramics from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2013. Jaszczak has participated in ceramic residency programs at Penland School of Craft in Penland, North Carolina; New Taipei Ceramics Museum in New Taipei City, Taiwan; The Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana; Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, Colorado; and Medalta Potteries in Medicine Hat, Alberta; and has taught classes and workshops in the US and Canada. She and her husband live in rural Minnesota where they work as studio artists.
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