Salt & Pepper Shakers Dennis Ritter and Grace Tessein of Sugar Jaws Pottery

Appears in the Mar/Apr 2024 issue of Pottery Making Illustrated.

If you had told either of us that we would be making functional pots as part of our studio practices ten years ago, we wouldn’t have believed you. We’ve always loved collecting and using handmade pottery but didn’t think we would ever be potters. In 2016, we started collaborating on pots while working in a shared studio space at Louisiana State University. We found that making pots together was a fun way to use some of our studio time and explore shared interests. We both have an endless fascination with nature, an innate curiosity about the histories of objects, a passion for animals, and a love of food. Working together allowed us each a place to explore our strengths as artists and to create a vehicle to share our passions. The salt-and-pepper shakers on a tray are a great reflection of our collaborative process, combining Grace’s magical sense as an illustrator and Dennis’ slab-building prowess while sourcing imagery from many of our shared interests. 

Forming the Shakers

To start the shakers, cut out templates using the provided examples as guides (1). You can scale up or down the example template to your desired size. If possible, use Bristol board for the templates as it will allow you to use them many times; however, newsprint or printer paper will work as well. 

Roll out several slabs to ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. After rolling out your slabs, place them on a smooth surface, such as a drywall board, and compress both sides using a rubber rib. This helps to prevent warping and removes any canvas texture or marks. Next, use a rubber rib to gently press and smooth the templates into the slabs, then trace the edges with an X-Acto knife. Tracing before cutting will allow you to make a cleaner cut. Cut out each of the pieces (2). You will also need to cut out several long strips of clay to form the wall of the tray. The example uses 1-inch (2.5-cm) strips that are cut to length while assembling.

Allow the pieces to set up on drywall for an hour or two before building. They should be firm enough that you cannot ball them back up yet soft enough to easily manipulate them without cracking. 

Now you can begin constructing the shakers. To start, use your fingers or a rubber rib to slightly bevel the edge of the wall seams, score the beveled edges in a cross-hatch pattern, and apply water or joining slip to one edge. Next, bring the edges of the wall together to form a truncated cone (3). Match the beveled edges and gently compress the seam with your fingers or a rib. When the clay is joined, compress the seam with a rubber rib while supporting the interior of the piece with one hand and pulling the rib along the outer part of the seam. Use a damp, square-tip paintbrush to lightly blend the edge of the seam on the interior and exterior of the form (see 4). 

To attach the bottom and top of the shaker, score the edges of the truncated cylinder as well as one each of the small and large circles. Apply water or joining slip to the scored edge of the large circle and gently tap the bottom of the shaker to the cylinder. Lightly blend the outside seam with a rubber rib (4) and compress the inside seam with a paintbrush. 

For the top, apply water or joining slip to the scored top of the shaker form and gently press the edges of the small circle into the form. After the top is attached, use a pony roller to further compress the join (5). 

The last step for constructing the shakers is to create a place for a stopper on the bottom. Holding the shaker form in one hand, use a rubber rib to create a concave bottom on the piece (6). To create a uniform hole on the bottom, use a spade drill bit and slowly cut through the clay (7). 

Forming the Tray 

Score the outside edge of the tray bottom and one of the edges of the strips. Apply water or joining slip to the scored area on the tray. Attach the strips to the tray by pressing them down onto the scored part of the tray and cut to length as needed (8). Use two separate strips to create the sides while creating a seam on each side of the narrow area of the form. Once the strips are in place, use a wooden paddle to gently tap them down onto the base. Clean up the inside seam with a wet paintbrush. 

For the handle, you can pull a handle or roll out and cut a slab. Form the handle into an arc and let it set up until it holds its shape. Before attaching, put the handle in place and make light marks on the tray and the handle so you can score more accurately and avoid unwanted marks on the clay. Slip the scored areas of the tray and compress the handle to the walls of the tray (9). Use a paintbrush, blending tool, or rubber rib to clean up as needed. 

For the sides of the tray, create a scalloped edge that compliments the curves of the shakers and the floral underglaze decorations (coming later). Do this by creating a simple newspaper template or freehand for your desired aesthetic. Trace the scalloped template onto the walls, then use an X-Acto knife to cut the scallops around the form (10). Use a paintbrush, blending tool, or rubber rib to clean up any extraneous marks on the pieces as needed (11). 

Surface Design 

Next, use a thinned, white slip (skim-milk consistency) to cover the dark clay body. This will create contrast in the drawings when carving through the slip and allow for some of the color of the clay body to show through when fired. 

When you are ready to apply the slip, mix it well before dunking the leather-hard shakers and tray into the bucket. Grip the object firmly from the bottom edge, and lower it, top first, into the bucket. Remove the object quickly and shake off excess slip (12). Flip the object upright and give it another shake, up and down, to get some drips. Set it aside to set up. 

Once the slip is dry to the touch you can create surface imagery. The pieces and slip should have a leather-hard consistency; your fingers shouldn’t leave an impression on the slip, but it should still be cold to the touch. Prepare your drawings on a piece of tracing paper and transfer the drawings using graphite paper (13). As long as your pieces are leather hard, the transfer should give you a graphite-line drawing on the surface. If the piece is too dry, the transfer won’t take as well. 

The colored slips used in the examples are the white slip base mixed with Speedball underglaze. This tends to diminish the vibrancy of the underglaze to create softer tones. Paint the colorful areas onto the pieces. Once all the colorful areas are painted on, you can make the line drawings on the surface. Using a mechanical pencil, or something with a similar tip, gently carve into the slip and expose the red clay underneath (14). Use a soft bristle brush to sweep away the crumbs to avoid making drag marks in the slip. 

After the drawings are complete, use a 3/16 drill bit to make the shaker holes on the tops (15). Now, you are done building and decorating! Bisque fire them and then glaze fire the pieces with a clear glaze. 

Dennis Ritter and Grace Tessein are artists and educators. They live in Rome, Georgia, with their two dogs, Sugar Jaws and Etta June, and a cat named Sunny. They have been working collaboratively on Sugar Jaws Pottery for seven years. They share a love of hiking, collecting, and food. Learn more at www.gracetessein.com/sugar-jaws-pottery or on Instagram @sugarjawspottery.