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After 4 month of abstinence because of my carpal tunnel surgeries, I decided to start, slowly slowly, to hand build a chawan again this week. I just wanted to go down to my basement studio (part of the laundry, part of the wine cellar - you remember...) and prepare some black Spanish clay, and what did I see? My husband made a hot wash early this morning and the whole laundry is full of white and clean linen.....  :angry: Goodbye to working with black clay for the next few days....

 

Are you sharing your studio space as well, or do you have a room for yourself? If sharing, how do you cope with the need of others?... (a husband for example who is always doing the washing when I want to work with black clay....And don't tell me to do the washing myself ;))

 

Have a great week!

 

Evelyne

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Guest JBaymore

I'm fortunate in having a large dedicated studio space at my home.  No apprentices anymore ...so the only person that gets in my  way is me.

 

best,

 

................john

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I also have a dedicated studio space at my home, but I do get disturbed on weekends.  My husband's garage/workshop is the next room over, he is always bursting through my door looking for some kind of clay tool that he can use for a non clay project.  He is very disorganized so I keep things like gloves and masks in my studio, he would never find them in his.  I try not to work on a piece that takes a lot on concentration when he is around, even though he can be distracting I enjoy having him around.  If nothing else I can roll my eyes and mutter MEN!       Denice

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I have a studio to myself, it's on the ground floor and oh so peaceful. Well except for the Pugs, I generally have 3 or 4 of them down there with me. They insist of sleeping ON my feet which can be annoying and dangerous at times. I have learned move first then pick up the ware board of pottery otherwise it's a bit like a scene from the 3 Stooges. The Pugs say it's not their fault I am clumsy.

 

I actually dislike it even when my husband walks into ask a question, which doesn't happen often but is annoying when it does. I've tried to get him to just text or Skype me his question since that would mean he didn't have to climb the stairs but he is old school.

 

I LOVE having a studio to myself. I used to have to do everything in the dining room which was like trying to work in the middle of Grand Central Station. I never understood why if you see a painting in progress on the table my daughter would have to put her school bag on top of it. She's 33 now and in another state so no more school bags for me sigh. Weird what you remember and find you miss even if it was annoying at the time.

 

I hope your sheets dry quickly so you can get back to the fun stuff. Or you could just buy some black sheets LOL

 

T

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I have a designated studio space on the far side of my garage. It is an enclosed double carport and a nice size for me. I have a view of the resaca (old segment of the Rio Grande) from my wheel. I am possibly one of few people in the area at home during the day so it is very quiet. I can distinguish the bird calls and recognize unknown ones which do cause me to go look for the source. That is about my only disturbance.

One exception was a police search for a murderer a few years ago. They found him when he returned to the house to shower.

Not the safest area in the US to live. But it is usually quiet.

 

Marcia

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Studio is separated from home- Its my  industrial area- kilns are in a huge metal roof covered area studio is stand along building with its own clothes washer outside.I do not wash clay clothes in the house or with soap for that matter.

Wife works away from home

I live in a rural area with 1 acre parcels all around

There is  some industrial noise from a business about 1/2 mile away 5 days a week but usually it pretty quiet

When my assistant is not here its all mine

Its been a pottery business since 1973 at this location .

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We are currently living in a different city from my studio, a house that sits on a busy street in what has become the center of town that my wife and I are turning into a gallery and studio space. It's a slow process and we have been taking our time and involving lots of our artist friends to help and participate in the fun, my wife is a jewelry designer and we have invited other friends so far involved in oil painting, sculpture, jade carving and fashion design to join us. We are also designing a website to support the studio and artist network, 1515art.com, although the website is not active yet, it's designed and almost ready to go. 

 

my studio uses about half the 3 car detached garage space patrician by a framed wall, but will eventually expand to the entire garage when i get a shed to store essentials (and junk) in. I also have a covered area just outside my studio sitting on a concrete pad that runs along side of the studio where i have my gas kilns set-up.

 

Developers just finished a brand new large retail center as the "Town Centre" directly across the street, so as you can imagine there is much street noise and activity... the reality is, mostly I don't hear it and when I do hear the commotion I don't mind and it doesn't bother me.

 

At times I do get a lot of visitors in the studio if friends are over or there is some event going on and sometimes the interruptions make work different. One of our friends is a fashion designer in San Francisco and was heavily involved in the International Fashion Week in San Francisco's China Town. She used our studio as a training area for about 30 of the fashion models for the week long event, now it's very difficult to complain about 30 beautiful Chinese fashion models popping in and out of the studio... but, a lot of the time (most) my studio stays as private as I need, sometimes a little to private and I consider joining another studio group or doing some more teaching just to add some balance.

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Evelyne,

Our grapefruits have been attacked by opossum, raccoons, and rats. But today, it was Nutria. We picked a lot of grapefruit at dusk last night and matt threw the gooey damaged ones out into the yard. Last night at 2 am and again at 5 the dogs wanted out. It has cooled down to 40 so we are sleeping with the patio door (w/screen) and windows opened to enjoy the cool air. However, the dogs hear everything. So at 5 am, we turn the warning lights on for whatever is in the yard, wait and then let the dogs out. Unfortunately for a young Nutria, about 10" and 5 lbs, was attacked by our dogs who chase everything out of their yard. We thought it was a opossum playing dead, but by daylight, it hadn't moved. I had to use a shovel to take it out of the yard. The mother Nutria is about 25" long without the tail and looks like about 40 pounds.The birds are still poking hopes in the good ones too.

Marcia

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I share the throwing area with snakes, birds and possums, mentioned before, and a dog who knows just here to lie to get in the way of person carrying pots. The glazing area is the far end of a shared workshop. The divider is my bisqued wrack, it's on wheels, depending on who is feeling needy or dominant?? this trolley inches towards the other's end......subtle unmentioned moves until a line is crossed..

Shared tools, yes! officially the other's in both cases and so who has t do the replacing?? :)

Evelynne just go for it with the black clay, partner may adjust the washing times....... :D

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I do have the proverbial room of one's own, but..

I have 2 young children that have a very sketchy sense of things like "boundaries" and "Mommy's studio time." They have been known to walk downstairs and ask me for a drink or a snack when their engaged and highly capable father is sitting in the kitchen. >.<.

They are beginning to get the idea after this past Christmas season, when I had a family member watch them two days a week so I could be the "Mommy Ghost." (I was in the house, but invisible.)

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Evelyne, my husband has serious mobility issues so asking him to skype or text was me trying to make things easier on both of us. I don't really sit in the studio as my back prefers standing and he can't stand very long so by the time he gets down the stairs he is looking for a chair. This usually means I have to un bury the chair which then means I have to put that stuff somewhere, etc etc. So a visit from him in person ends up being more of a distraction than either of us plan on. I guess I could just keep the chair cleared off but it's the perfect place for ware boards when I run out of shelf space.

 

T

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I am fortunate, and very aware of how fortunate I am to be living on acreage surrounded by creeks and woods: which in turn is surrounded by farm land- with more creeks, woods, and farm ponds. I built my studio on the corner of the property; which is just over 150' from my front door. With the exception of a toilet ( but hey I am a guy- so who cares), I have most creature comfort inside. I leave the garage door open so I can hear the birds, ducks, geese, cows, coyotes, and other critters talking. Bea and Susi stop by most days to eat and drink water- have had pet racoons most of my life. Every once in awhile Pepe walks by- the neighborhood skunk- you have not had a pet until you have had a pet skunk. If you took part cat and part dog- you would have a pet skunk.

I was going to install an intercom, then decided to use the cell phone if the wife needed me. I hate cell phones- but needful for business. So I went to Radio Shack and bought a cheap walkie talkie set- so now the phone is off. Unlike most, I like silence, I like stillness and serenity. My wife once asked me what my favorite sound in the world is: " silence you can hear." Every once in awhile I will play a Jackson Browne, Gordon Lightfoot, or Joni Mitchell CD- but rarely. It's more than a studio to me, it is my sanctuary.

 

Nerd

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My studio also shares space with my basement laundry room but the its rather large so the laundry doesn't get in my way and I have access to my back yard where I take my wheel outside to throw when it's warm. I carve my pottery sitting at a table set up behind my livingroom sofa as it is a very bright sunlit room. I'll use it like this for a few days at a time and I'm undisturbed during the week. I attached a photo because I was working there today.

 

Terry, my 32 year old daughter visited one afternoon and threw her bag on a covered pot on the banding wheel one day and crushed it so I laughed when you mentioned that. My son has a pug that visits once a week and there are hairs all over no matter how much we dust and vacuum so I can't even imagine how you deal with four especially around your pottery.

post-61902-0-63582000-1453262272_thumb.jpeg

post-61902-0-63582000-1453262272_thumb.jpeg

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My "Studio" is the porch. I sit and I see the garden, the cats sleeping, my babies (2 spaniels) and hear the birds, the construction sites around us and the roar of the freeway. I'm by nature a very messy person and that extends to my setup. I explain this away by saying I don't have any storage area. So buckets of glaze are in one section, I use an old dining room table for wedging, slab work, decorating, waxing etc... I have ware boards lying all over, bats doing the same, and so on. My problem is when someone in the family wants to throw a party or we have family over for a Braai. Then my whole life is moved haphazardly into my husbands photographic studio, and when it's moved back I can't find any thing! :(

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I have been setting up a community studio. The last two months it has been a construction project and very large private studio. Right now it is almost starting to be used by paid members and classes. I have a love-hate feeling about working alone and in the end would rather build a community and sacrifice my solitude.

 

Anyone willing to move to Alaska is welcome to join :-)

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I do have the luxury of a private space at home where I can work alone...and in the early morning hours, I grab as much time there as I can.  My office on campus is less than 100 yards from the art department's clay studio and although I don't do a lot of clay work there, I cherish the interaction with students and the instructor (my son).  I think I need both privacy and social engagement...I confess to being spoiled having both options available to me.

 

Peace,

-Paul

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Terry, my 32 year old daughter visited one afternoon and threw her bag on a covered pot on the banding wheel one day and crushed it so I laughed when you mentioned that. My son has a pug that visits once a week and there are hairs all over no matter how much we dust and vacuum so I can't even imagine how you deal with four especially around your pottery.

So they still do things like that even as adults. Hmmm I better close the studio door next time she visits! As for the Pugs yes they shed enough to make a whole new Pug every day... I think it's their secret plan to repopulate their species. I joke with my husband, we started with one and then suddenly there were 5! He said the shedding explains the 3 Fawns but not the Blacks.

 

In the studio I clean up after pretty much every day. I keep everything covered and rinse all bowls, buckets and such before using them. Saying all that I have found that hair or two on bone dry pieces will burn way in the kiln. I store the finished pieces on shelves in the garage where the Pugs don't really go so that helps limit hair on finished pieces.

 

For the rest of the house I have a robotic vacuum that runs every day and I love it I have told my husband I would run away with Neato if he asked me. Neato being the vacuum cleaners name. My husband looked real serious and said he understood and hoped I would take all the pugs with me when we go. BRAT!

 

T

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Paul C., I'm like you.  I have and enjoy both solitude and interaction.  I was so excited last year when I turned my home office into a clay studio, but have been surprised how often I forsake that solitude and drive to the community studio to work.

 

Paul R., it's not allowed to show a work space which doesn't include a work in progress!  Or a selfie...

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