Pottery Studio 1.0

 

 

In early 2014 I had two kids under 3 years old. It was both wonderful and completely overwhelming. I had too much time at home and not enough time for me. I found a local art center and for 3 blissful hours on Saturday afternoons I finally put my hands back in clay. It was just what I needed. I started clearing out the studio space and looking for a used wheel.

 

 

 

The studio space I call home has a long history as an art space and began as a pottery studio built in the 1960s. When we bought the house this room had a ping pong table inside, carpet on the floor and a large abandoned chimney from a gas kiln. There was so much paint in the drains that we had to get the pipes blown out so we added painting studio to the list of previous lives. It was time to bring back the pottery studio but reimagined for life with young kids at home.

 

 

 

The initial work hours to transform the studio were crammed in to nap time and after bed. The chimney came down over Thanksgiving as my Uncles-in-law (is that a thing?) worked like mad to tear out the old chimney. When the chimney was down we could see concrete on the floor but had no idea if it was only under the chimney structure. We took a leap of faith and pulled the carpet, carpet pad, OSB flooring, and studs. All of our years building houses and cabins with my dad and remodeling our own house paid off as we dismantled the flooring and used the wood to build shelves and a wedging table.

 

The studio 1.0 changed my life. I had a utility sink, a wheel, shelves, and a big work table rescued from a neighbor’s garage. I found a kiln and started my slow appropriation of the garage. It was heaven.

 

 

 

 

 

The kids grew, stopped trying to eat the clay, and began making their own work in the studio. I hosted my first open studio and art sale.  The pottery studio became my reality.