Rebekah Krieger

Another tip would be to leave a “button” in the center bottom of the plate. You can find some images of Steven hills plates/platters to get the idea. 

Another tip would be to leave a “button” in the center bottom of the plate. You can find some images of Steven hills plates/platters to get the idea. 

Are you stuffing it full to begin with. Meaning mix it then add-mix a minute add more. Mix add ,more until the lid will barely close as its so full. Then mix ansd then pug.
When it stops extruding the mixer chamber is pretty empty but the barrel has a bit left
New users seem to have issues with this-my guess is they are under filling it. You cannot fill it in one go round or even two.It works best stuffed full and not to wet.You know its full when some comes out the backside overflow tchamber hen you have it full.
Now that vpm9ss is a pretty small batch (I have written on this a few times) so the output is about 2/3 the input meaning in the small machines it a pretty small output
Meaning on my vpm 20ss is max 45#s  so I get about 35#ish  out of it  as the rest is in the barrel
In my vpm 30 the max is 85#s so the output is much more (thety do not make this ione in ss yet)
heres so info
https://peterpugger.com/videos/

Thank you for the book recommendations, I’ll get them from the library immediately.  In terms of non-ceramic art, I’m pretty boring favoring Van Gogh (enough to spend over $100 on a mug where the artist impressively copies his and others paintings. And it wasn’t even Starry Night, so when she eventually has that for sale again I’ll fork over another $100, for mugs that are too much works of art for me to use because I know I’ll break them. It’s displayed along with another mug and a teapot I’m all afraid to use) and Monet of course, as a sculptor I was incredibly obsessed with Rodin, despite not being a figurative sculptor like him, but his ability to convey emotion in his pieces is unparalleled. Of course he was rather an ass it turns out, actually forcing his assistant, sculptor in her own right, and long time mistress into an insane asylum for a few years, I think because she was getting so good and getting recognition he was threatened. I actually consider her, Camille Claudel, to be my favorite sculptor outside of ceramics or my other medium glass. I find that I am developing a huge huge range of influences in ceramics and glass with current artists, top for ceramics for me are Beth Cavener (again another figurative sculptor!) and Rosette Gault, who invented paperclay which is what really got me from just using clay as an intermedium model to be casted into metal or glass, and obsessed with ceramics. I love her work. I’m using the save feature on Instagram a lot, and go back through the different categories I have set up when I need inspiration (what I come up with rarely has much obviously in common with the work that inspired me, but I guess if I would go back to it I would find some details) or just to enjoy the vast amount of makers that I adore their work. I’m not sure how much I steal really, not much of my work even references historical ceramics, although I am going to be attempting a body of work of cone 6 majolica on black stoneware once I find the right white glaze…there are some great glazes but black stoneware is finicky especially about Superpax for some reason. I just hadn’t seen that done, and I plan on leaving part of each piece unglazed so that it is obvious it is black stoneware and not terra cotta, including some carving and Sgraffito, with more modern abstract majolica paintings. Obviously leaving parts of the piece unglazed or carved is not traditional majolica, but it looks gorgeous with the contrast between the majolica and the black clay and if I don’t do that I won’t be showing that I’m spreading majolica from its roots. My other work is 100% different, lots of large scale sculptures that have to be put together after firing them in sections, doing medium and even some small paperclay handbuilding that explores the limits of paperclay’s fantastic abilities, including a lot of building with slip or with textiles that will burn out. I also have a series I’m making dipping ripped pieces of paper from my days as a biology professor, using up the huge pile of corrected tests and labs I have. I name them after biology tests and labs, but the writing burns out in the kiln and it leaves incredibly thin vessels mostly so far that are translucent. I have a whole deep meaning behind it but it is stuff about academia that no one is going to guess, sadly.
I love a huge variety so I use colored clay with my paperclay, have a very small selection of molds that I throw away after so many uses, for strata casting different layers of colored slip and then carving into them. Everyone is different then and I polish them usually instead of glazing. I used colored clays in a huge variety of ways, including just inlaying it in various random shapes onto other colored pieces, I like making Nerikomi but when I make loafs I quickly get bored of using the same slices so have to mix it up, and feel stifled by kind of the rules of colored clay so I’ve been doing some stuff I haven’t really seen anyone else do but that’s always a lie, someone else has always done it. I have some artists who I am obsessed with their work, but other than some people particularly in raku, pit, and saggar firing most are emerging artists not that much ahead of me, so I don’t want to name names. I’m starting to think maybe I need to steal more! While some of the work I am doing has some roots or precedent, it is mostly in the construction method, and not what I actually do with it. I’ll be very interested to read those books! Especially as I am arranging for several residencies this year with a few really rather high reaching goals for the spring and summer, that if I don’t get this year I’ll be really really busting my ass to get the following year. Really interesting points you’ve brought up. I’ll have to start looking at my work and trying to see if I find a little Monet in it etc!

For me, contrast is key, whether it's matte and shiny or light and dark or opaque and transparent. Light over dark is generally more interesting than the opposite. You also need the glazes to be fluid enough that they move. Glazes with titanium in them tend to make for interesting layering. A over B does not look that same as B over A, so test every combination.

I am lucky that I am able to participate in his “journey” workshop this year. It’s all about developing your voice as a potter. Has anyone here taken it? 
I took a class with him last year. His critiques work for any aesthetic and the perspectives I got about my own work has helped me “see” things that I didn’t notice before… things like lines, and flow. 
I am huge admirer of mike Strumbras’ work and didn’t realize Steven worked with him.  
The workshop requires 2 books to be read before it starts. “Big magic” and “steal like an artist”. 
After reading steal like an artist, it says to write down all the artists that you admire (and research them), things you prefer, things you have always loved etc. So far, writing these things down has given me more clarity than I expected. I feel like a world has opened up to me and I want to explore so many more things in my work (fresco style architecture, Heironomous Bosch inspired everything, and dark /misunderstood topics) 
Long story short, I would love you to ask, who is your favorite artist/maker/writer etc… and what would they make if they were working in clay today?  Have you taken his workshop? I would also love to hear what happened for you during: thanks! 

Check out Greg Daly, Linda Arbuckle, John Britt and a few others.
Majolica work.
On glaze decorators.
The glaze itself can alter greatly your results.
Initially put your washes on top third of
your vertical surfaces..runming glazes not much fun on shelves of kiln.
Lots of fun ahead!!

Depends on my mood.  Pottery... It's a helluva drug 

working on some handle attachments. I prefer pulling off the pot, but this shape wanted a pulled and attached handle. 

working on some handle attachments. I prefer pulling off the pot, but this shape wanted a pulled and attached handle. 

working on some handle attachments. I prefer pulling off the pot, but this shape wanted a pulled and attached handle. 

working on some handle attachments. I prefer pulling off the pot, but this shape wanted a pulled and attached handle. 

I love the bill van guilder videos on his website.
hsin is very relaxing 
Simon Leach is great with fun classic tips now and then
tim see has some great videos 
ceramics monthly has some good uploads on your tube 
 
also in clay buddies (Facebook) they did a video  series since nceca couldn’t happen.
Nceca has released some of their videos too 
 

I love the bill van guilder videos on his website.
hsin is very relaxing 
Simon Leach is great with fun classic tips now and then
tim see has some great videos 
ceramics monthly has some good uploads on your tube 
 
also in clay buddies (Facebook) they did a video  series since nceca couldn’t happen.
Nceca has released some of their videos too 
 

I felt like the results thread was a nice place to see all the work finished, but I also liked seeing the works in progress posted on the actual topic. I feel like the results thread was a lot of extra work for you Joel and we should have just posted our works in progress and final pictures as went in the same place. 

ancient theme (various era)
 
clay hero inspired piece 

I made some suggestions in the original thread.  Some type of theme, like "Nature" or "Technology".  Or since it's the first contest, we could do a "My Style" or "Self-Portrait".  It would just be making something that describes you, not an actual depiction of yourself... unless of course that is your style.