We all like to poke around someone else's studio don't we? We enjoy gleaning insights and hints about how people work. I think most throwers here in Western Australia have Venco wheels. This is a local brand and they are certainly built to last, they are practically ubiquituous here and seem to hold their value very well. Oddly though my own electric wheel is what Aussies call a 'Bitsa' - like they call mongrel dogs a Bitsa - 'bitsa this and bitsa that'. I have two wheels in my small studio at the end of my garden. The electric one (above) was cobbled together from parts from many makes of wheel. I bought it secondhand twenty years ago from the technician at Curtin University Art School, and it still goes like a rocket and has amazing torque. Is that the right word? It spins very fast, has good control and the pedal can be locked into position so it continues to spin while you walk away which can be handy for banding or drying. These days Venco produce the most desirable electric wheel I know of - a wireless wheel! It is light, easy to transport and very, very adaptable. I was lent the prototype by my friend Stewart Scambler and am hankering for one in a ridiculous manner. Venco pugmills sell very well in the US too they tell me. This wheel below is my other wheel, the pedal is on the left and being short, I need to counterbalance my weight with some bricks underfoot on the other side. It is a very contemplative Zen thing to use this wheel. I never wanted one until I saw a video of Kaye Pemberton using hers. The tray is lined with copper.
Anne Linneman, Denmark ceramic artist says that when she set up her studio she put her money into the Rolls Royce of Wheels, as it is her main source of income. I can't recall what brand. Additionally, she is extremely aware of protecting her body from repetitive strain injury, warming up before she sets to work. There is nothing common about common sense, sometimes we need the obvious pointed out to us.
