DIY Network

Soup Tureen and Ladle: Getting Started Creating a Soup Tureen and Ladle, Part 1 of 4 From "Throwing Clay" episode DTHC-212

Creating this striking soup tureen and ladle is an exercise in balance and proportion. For master potter Bill Van Gilder it is a complex and rewarding stoneware clay project.

Bill makes his living as a production potter, shipping as many as 500 pieces of clay from his studio weekly. This soup tureen and ladle is probably one of the more challenging pieces he makes from clay. He will pull seven parts to create a unified form from the foot to the top of the handle. Possibly the most difficult part of the project is the ladle, which is made from a simple cup and a long, pulled handle (figures A and B).

Figure A

Figure B

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Figure C

Tools (figure C):

11 lbs. clay
ruler
undercut rib tool
trimming pad
trimming tool
soft rubber rib
woodworker's rasp
hole cutter
round cookie cutter
wax-resist emulsion
glazes
8" length of shoestring
scissors

Bill will use a 5-lb. piece of clay for the tureen, a 2-1/4-lb. piece for the lid and 12 oz. for the ladle cup. He uses clay that is slightly stiff, or drier than usual, which helps the bowl hold its shape.

The body of the tureen is thrown first. The body is where the design of the piece begins: the belly has to be in line with the rim, matching in diameter. The eye should travel up from the side of the bowl, move along the rim, over the handle and back down the other side.

	Figure D
	Figure E

1. Bill cuts the clay on a bat. The inside floor of the tureen is rounded; from the very beginning there is no flat spot anywhere inside the bowl.

2. His fingers move in a curve as he compresses the floor of the pot; compressing the clay will create a very strong base (figure D).

3. As the walls are pulled upward, starting with the second pull, Bill starts to develop a rounded shape to this deep bowl.

4. He leaves the rim very thick; he'll need the extra clay to work with when he creates the gallery (figure E).

5. The bowl opening needs to be approximately 9" in diameter. After taking his first measurement, Bill stretches the bowl out 1". He does this by pressuring out from the inside while very lightly supporting the clay from the outside. Most of the pressure on the clay is done from the fingertips working inside the bowl.

6. Before he finishes thinning the walls, he splits the rim, creating a ledge, or gallery, that will seat the lid. To create the gallery, Bill puts a knuckle from his right hand on the outside of the rim, the fingers of his left hand inside the bowl and the thumb of the left hand on top; he wets the rim and presses down with his thumb. The knuckle on the outside keeps the clay from collapsing; it's important for the knuckle to be slippery and stay in place during this step.

7. The ledge is approximately 1/2" wide and 1/2" deep. This too is important: if the ledge is too narrow, there won't be enough of an area to seat the lid.

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