I have been absent from my ceramics studio for long periods of time in the last couple of years. In some ways I just needed a change. I needed a bit of grounding inside my head and to do that I needed to get out of my creative space and go work for someone else a bit. But now I am coming around again – looking at things with fresh eyes and ideas for where I think I am heading with my business.

First up is my need to make some ceramic spoons. I looked up a lot of stuff on Pinterest and Etsy to see not only what people are making in clay, but also in other materials such as wood (I love the thought of carving wood – getting those nice peels and curls coming off). There are some great things out there and I wanted to see from my own sense of feel and use – how to design some of these spoons.

Basic Spoon Shaped Templates

Three of the designs I drew out are meant to be spoons, one is more like a tea bag holder or spoon rest (still not settled on that completely).

Cutting out basic spoon shape.

I rolled my paperboard onto a clay slab and cut out the spoon shape.

Adding another slab for the bottom layer of the press mold.

I then added another layer of clay to give the spoon a bottom (I have since made another series of slab molds which have yet to be fired and tested).

Cleaning up the press mold.

As these press molds set up, I went in and rounded out the edges and made sure there were no undercuts.

Bisque kiln done and press molds ready to use.

At the “that is as good as these get, I need to STOP touching them” phase, the press molds were dried flat (slowly) then bisque fired to Cone 04.

First ceramic spoon prototype tests out of the press mold.

To make the actual spoons, I tried two techniques: soft slab pressed into mold and coil pressed into mold. Both worked ok, so it is really what is going to work best for me. I then used some of my handmade bisque stamps to press in the designs into the top of the spoon (just imagine the possibilities!!!).

First tests out of the press mold. Going to see how the glazes look on these.

The newer molds I made will allow for a slightly thicker spoon that has a bit more allowance for a curvy area at the end. And I need to figure out how to keep track of having my designs stay a bit more centered.

Snow covered trees outside the studio.

And all of this is happening in the warmth of the studio while outside it looks like a winter wonderland.

I’ll be posting photos on Instagram and my Marsha Neal Studio FB page as I am working on these. If you want to know when they might be available, sign up to get my newsletter.