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pictures of both of my studios are in my gallery so you know i have privacy in both locations.  it is very cold here in florida right now, i know you are probably dealing with below freezing temps but at least you probably have a heat source.  wish i had a woodstove!

 

there is an area the city hopes will be filled with artists in downtown st. petersburg, where the old train station, formerly st pete clay is renamed and just as vital as ever and the newer clay center is just about to move to a larger facility with better everything just a few blocks away.  so, if i tire of the cold or the draw of other people working with clay is too much, there is a place to go for stimulation.  

 

seeing the working spaces that other people share makes me grateful that i have my own studio for quiet and their facilities for variety. 

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I have my own space at home in the garage. I do however enroll in the community college courses here. I like the interaction of faculty, artists, and students. I enjoy both the solo and communal aspect of ceramics. We are monkey see monkey do kinda people.

 

MatthewV: Kudos to you for setting up community studio.

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Mark: that is a nice equipped studio of yours. Great you have your own space! Question: why aren't you whasing your clay cloth with soap? I am curious!

 

1515art: welcome to the QOTW! If I understood right, you have two possibilities to work, the one in town, together with other artists, and the garage. Noise outside the studio is less disturbing than noise or interruptions inside, IMO. Of course, when the interruptions comes from 30 Chinese girls.... :D

 

Denice: next time your hubby borrows a tool, tell him: "did you see what's written on this tool? Thank you for bringing me back to Denice!"

 

Marcia: it was sad to see (in the pic on fb) your grapefruit tree so ruined. I know Matt likes his Grapefruit in the morning. Can't you wind something round the tree trunk to hinder the beasts to climb the tree?

 

Guinea: working in the kitchen is a bit dangerous for the health. No glazing while eating! Or no eating in the studio... Take care.

 

Tyler: ;)

 

Babs: it seems kind of a tug-of-war in your studio. I hope you'll win! Funny thing is: the linen is ironed and put away in the drawer, but now I am procrastinating....

 

Callie: I like the "Mummy Ghost" idea! Children have to learn, that their parents must have their time for themeselves too. Did it work, the Mummy Ghost thingy? Did they leave you in peace for a time?

 

Pugaboo: oh sorry, I didn't know that your hubby has mobility issues. I wouldn't have made fun otherwise. Could you install a house intercom maybe, or a walkie talkie? I had to laugh out loud about your husbands reaction on your threat to run away with the robot vacuum cleaner!!

 

Nerd: first I wanted to tell you how envious I am of your studio and surrounding, but then I thought it better for my Karma ( :) ) to tell you that I am really glad for you that you can work in such a nice environment! 

 

PaulR: you seem to have a similar studio situation then I have (although I don't have a daughter who puts her bag on covert pots and I don't have dogs). Is nobody complaining when you carve in the living room for days? Thank you for the picture of your work in progress! Regarding my hands: both surgeries are a complete success story. No more pin and needles, no more pain in the hands and wrists! Still a lot of pain in the scar area, but also this will pass. As I told Babs, I am procrastinating now that my basement studio is empty of linen again. I think I fear to start working again... Hmmmm... I need some encouragement!

 

AndreaB: welcome to you too to our QOTW! Your "studio" seems to be much more temporary, and you have to be much more flexible than we other "sharing-the-studio-space"-potters. I would suggest: no more parties! :lol:

 

Matthew: your proposal is tempting! I always wanted to visit Alaska. But isn't it a bit cold there at the moment?

 

Paul: yours is really a win-win situation. Glad you are so happy having both options! Btw: I just admired your attempt for the Community Challenge!!

 

Doris: :)

 

Oldlady: I once saw pictures of your studio and I was completely in awe. Such a nice place to work!

 

What: I for one am working best when I am completely alone, no music, no noise (my neighbours are still arguing most of the day (roll eyes) no interruption, no phone calls etc. What I "hate" in community studios is that you have to leave again after 3 hours, although you just want to finish what you began in the morning. At home, I can start and finish when I want, and not when the teacher says to pack up... How long can you stay in the communal space? As long as you like?

 

 

I keep opening Nerd's picture of his inspiration room. Such a nice place!

 

Evelyne

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Evelyne:

 

We have a large deck on the right side of the inspiration room. I have often thought of putting a camera out there with a live nature feed. Hawks, turkeys, jays, cardinals, blue buntings, orioles, fox, coyote, skunk, possum, deer, raccoons, hummingbirds, and a few other critters pass by on a daily basis. I am waiting for the DNA testing, but I am pretty sure a Yeti sits in the recliner at night.

 

Forgot--we also have two pair of barn owls, and one pair of screech owls. four pair of red tail hawks.. big daddy is bigger than a chicken. ducks, geese, blue heron, and white egrets.

Nerd

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Evelyne: Both of the community colleges in my area are open from about 8am-9pm Monday-Thursday and 8am-3pm Friday-Saturday as long as room permits for ongoing classes and you have permission from the professor to work in on their class . I still hate packing and cleaning up after myself. At home I can leave my tools and water bucket out not sweep or wipe down. Oh and I can make tweaks at just the right time at home. However at home I have been known to bite off more than I should have and want to finish everything before bed leaving two or three hours for sleep before having to go to my paycheck job.

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hi Evelyn, thanks for the welcome to the group... no, only one studio located at the home downtown in Santa Clara so I have to drive back and forth whenever I work and fire the kilns, although we do keep a bedroom (and kitchen) at the studio house for visiting guests. it was a lot easier back when we were living there for studio access now I have a 6 mile drive back and forth, but the new house has the best school district and is located in the foothills, also its nice to have a separate place to host events away from home.

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Evelyne, no problem what so ever. I actually tease him about it myself, it's not like we can do anything about it so we might just as well find the humor in it. The Pugs offered to share their chair with him when he comes down but he has yet to take them up on their offer. I don't have the heart to tell them that it's too short for him.

 

There are so many different working environments! It's been neat to read about hem thank you for sharing everyone.

 

T

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Evelyne, the "mommy ghost" worked because.my Great Auntie Rose, who was watching them, has a huge ammount of Early Childhood Education certifications, and is lovingly refered to as the Baby Whisperer.

I agree that kids need to know their Mom is a multi-dimensional human being, not just there to be at their beck and call 24/7.

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Babs: it seems kind of a tug-of-war in your studio. I hope you'll win! Funny thing is: the linen is ironed and put away in the drawer, but now I am procrastinating....

 

 

 

Evelyne

Thanks Evelyne, no war just a flow of space depending on who is most needy at the time, but it is interesting to see the bisque trolley edging to different ends of the room, slow mo camera would catch the work loads of the occupants  just by focussing on the position of this item.

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My studio is in the basement of my house.  It was originally the coal room of the home, and is a good size.  The previous owner turned the space into a wood shop.  He left a base for a work table, so I just had to put a top on.  He rigged up a vent, that he used to control the wood dust.  So once I get my kiln up and running, I'll convert it into a vent hood.  He also set up plumbing to eventually put in a sink.  I haven't done so yet, but it would not be difficult to do so.

 

There is a door, so I can close the studio off, to the rest of the basement.  I normally only do so, if I have a lot of work out drying, as the cat thinks that is her space as well.  That wouldn't be a problem, BUT; she likes to steal my sponges, she rubs up against things AND she sheds all over everything.

 

Beyond that, it is a fairly private space.  My daughter likes to come in a check on me, and she has an easel in there for her to work on.  She also enjoys cleaning up my trimmings, and putting them in my reclaim bin, as well as mopping the floor.  I know that phase won't last, as she gets older...

 

I can hear pretty much everything going on above me, as it's just wood floor over sub-floor.  So my studio space essentially acts as a big drum.

 

Temperature isn't too bad.  Nice in the Summer, because it's cool, a bit chilly in the Winter, because it's still cool.

 

I'm very lucky to have the space.  It's exactly what I need, no more, no less.

 

In my classroom, I have a bit of counter space I reserve for myself.  It acts as both storage for my projects, and work space.  I'll occasionally have more advanced students, that need to use that space, in which case, I share.

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Matthew: your proposal is tempting! I always wanted to visit Alaska. But isn't it a bit cold there at the moment?

 

 

You might be confusing Alaska for places that still get snow and cold these days! It is -2°C right now... global warming is easy to notice here. The studio will also be open in the summer :-)

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Every day I dream of going out into my studio and throwing for 2 or 3 hours without hearing anything but music from my headphones. In reality, I get throwing sessions like that only once or twice a month. 

 

I have a small son who asks hundreds of questions a day, so I have learned the hard way to organize, attach handles, glaze, even trim when he comes out with me during the day. Anything, anything but throwing or dust-producing activities like sanding. Throwing with him in the room means crooked pots because I can't get out of mommy mode when he's awake. Even when my husband is home and stays in the house with him, I hear my son's little feet outside the door every 20-30 minutes because he wants to see what I'm up to. Then my husband usually comes out at least once. Sometimes my neighbor's cat drops by as well. Don't get me wrong, I love taking my kid to work but there is a reason most offices don't allow it. I'm perhaps 30% as productive with my son in the room. 

The golden time for me is after 9 pm. My son is in bed, the cat is locked up for the night, and my husband is not particularly distracting. I had slipped into a very bad habit of working from 9 pm-2 am. I'm going to bed by midnight now (as I type here at 12:30 am) and I'm figuring out when I can work out there because that was my most productive time. I'm not going for 400 mugs/month or anything but I'm currently working in the studio less than 8 hours a week, which is sad considering how hard I've worked this year to make the garage usable. 

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DirtRoads: well, I don't know what to say. This is really a serious problem. The cats seems to really love your studio!  :D 

 

Nerd: What a great idea. Yes, do put that live camera up and show us more of your paradise! About the Yeti... well.... what are they eating anyway?

 

What: if a community room or college has open hours and you can stay as long as you like, that's great of course. The open studios around here are open only for 2 to 3 hours and only twice a week. Working at home is much better. Try to get more sleep!

 

1515art: so I misunderstood your studio situation. All is clear now. What if you take the bike instead of the car for the 5 miles? You would do something for your fitness. That doesn't work though if you have to transport greenware to the kiln...

 

Pugaboo: ;) 

 

Callie: I told my niece about the mummy ghost. She is looking for a "Great Auntie Rose" now.... Problem is, I am her only aunt....

 

Babs: I didn' mean "war" but a tug-of-war.

 

Benzine: your studio sounds a bit like mine, only that your space is bigger. I unfortunately have no daughter (or somebody else) who acts as my cleaning fairy. Enjoy while it lasts!

 

Matthew: I was under the impression that Alaska is cooooold and chiiiilly. I am not joking now: after next years NCECA (Portland) I wanted to drive up to Alaska from Seattle (by boat). Is that an option in March?

 

Giselle: did you read Callie's post about the "Mummy Ghost"? Would that be a solution for your problem? On the other hand: the kids are so curious at that age. It is also nice to have them around. But of course they must learn that Mummy should have time for herself. Otherwise you will be unsatisfied with your work.

 

I love to read about all the different working situations! Keep them coming...

 

Evelyne

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giselle, would this work?  close the door to the studio and if you have a window put an opaque drapery on it.  when it is OK for the child to visit, tell him to look at the door and the window, if the window is open, he can look in and watch quietly.  if the door is open you would love a visit from him.  if both are closed, it is mommy's special time and he just has to learn to wait.  maybe a timer would add a bit of tactile and audible interest.

 

make it an event when he is welcome to come inside so he can tell it is a special occasion. 

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I live alone now, so I converted my bedroom to a studio (kiln on the back porch) and moved myself into the small spare room. I have all the peace & quiet, or jacked up music, that I want. My space is nicely outfitted and the only limitation is there is absolutely no room for mixing and storing any quantity of clay and glazes, so I am using all commercial products in fairly small quantities. Plus I am not doing any production or looking for a lot of retail action...this is more a self-nurturing endeavor that happens to spill over to other people.

 

As far as working undisturbed, I interrupt my own self way more than anyone or anything else could ever do! I keep to myself on my street (a very small mobile home park) so I don't get too many neighbors dropping by.  I also have to accommodate some health issues and must work in shorter time frames than is in my nature. Once I get going I am inclined to keep going and going, so I am re-training myself to break it up and space it out, and to not be resentful or throw myself a pity party. Attitude of gratitude wins the day!  

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I used to always have company. My son is now in Pre-K so I have between 9-2:30 every day to do what ever I like alone in my garage studio. I do a lot of work during those hours. However we have a dog now, Delia, who drives me absolutely bonkers staring/nosing at me while I am throwing to go outside and see what the birds are doing,  what the neighborhood cat is up to, what that odd sound was, who is driving down the street, or pee/poop. I secretly enjoy the company though. Shes a good little puppy. 

 

If I had the studio of my dreams it would be on a farm with all sorts of animals and multiple dogs and a nice masonry heater to keep me warm in the winter and for the dogs to lay beside and be lazy instead of disturbing me.

 

 

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March is a very pretty time to visit Alaska, especially farther north to Fairbanks where there will still be snow, ice art and visible aurora. But March is too early to drive significant distances and camp along the way. There is a ferry which runs from Bellingham (northern bit of Washington) to Alaska. Takes about 3 days to get to southeast Alaska. A very pretty boat ride. Getting to Valdez or Homer and the mainland of Alaska is a rougher crossing in March and another 2-3 days.

 

Alaska is big.

I am hoping to make it to Portland NCECA too.

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Evelyne and Oldlady: I didn't mean to complain. Honestly I love taking him out to the studio with me, and his visits are super cute as long as I'm not elbow deep in throwing. He's a very boisterous child and in my studio he's so careful and respectful. He doesn't get into anything or break anything, he moves around in a totally different way in there, leaves all my tools alone because he knows it's my studio. It's just that he always seems to be asking a question, or showing me something his truck does, or wanting a snack. I'll be in the middle of a lift and he comes up, my head turns and my hands follow even just a little bit .... whoops! So I don't get super deep into anything, don't achieve pure focus like I want to. He loves to "do clay" and though right now this causes more work for me I know that as he gets older he will spend time independently working on his own projects out there. 

 

This thread made me think about how little time I've been spending in there. I have barely been using my studio and I want that to change. I'm going to work up a schedule for it. You have all inspired me! 

I'm also a tad envious of your incredible studio, glazenerd! 
 

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