clay

If you follow me on instagram you will know that last week I accidentally bought a secondhand pottery wheel.

I was browsing on Ebay one day, looking up wheels and how much they cost when I found a Venco wheel like the ones I've been using at my ceramics classes. This one stood out because it was a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than all the others. It got me daydreaming about how nice it would be to have access to a wheel at home to practice on!

I watched that listing for a few days and when the price didn't go up I thought I would try to bid on it. There was a slight problem in that it was in Wollongong, but I thought I'd work that out if and when I bought it!

Well luckily at the last bid I missed out on that Wollongong wheel, it went for $225, still cheap but over my self imposed limit.

Suddenly fate stepped in, as the screen refreshed Ebay suggested another Venco wheel listing for me. This wheel and drying block had only been online for two hours, was in Sydney and had a buy it now price of $117.

So I accidentally bought a wheel.

Ceramics is a hands on skill that builds up from time on the wheel, making simple shapes over and over until your hands learn what to do. I love the idea that I can now work on it whenever I want, that I can practice things at my own pace. And if my love affair with clay dies out I can sell the wheel on to someone else.

A quick trip in the rain to the Pottery Supplies shop (candy store) and I had the basic tools to start. I came home and with my gang standing around asking questions and cheering me on threw some pots. My new wheel, which I found out was born in May 1981, works beautifully.