Appears in the February issue of Ceramics Monthly. Subscribe to Ceramics Monthly. Clay Earthenware, currently testing a few different types for throwing and slip casting. Primary forming method A combination of throwing, hand building, and slip casting. I have a studio tucked into the garage of the home we built in We live on a little less than two acres in a quiet neighborhood of the small urban city of West Fargo, North Dakota.
It is small but efficiently organized to maximize workflow. Within the space, I have a couple electric kilns: an older Paragon and a Skutt One of my favorite things about the space is the access to a sink and hose hookup along with a floor drain. My wheel is set up at the end of a shelving unit with a pegboard above to hold throwing tools. I also have a slab roller and a couple of worktables with storage below.
In addition, I recently added a slip-mixing tank and have molds for slip casting some of my forms. Many of the layout and studio design decisions were influenced by my previous studio experiences.
Before moving into our home, we rented a townhome with a garage studio equipped with one light bulb, a space heater, and water access from the third level of our house. I knew if I invested in shelving, tables, and equipment, they could move along with me. Moving into my current space with equipment and the basics of light, heat, and water allowed me to hit the ground running. The organization and cleanliness of the space are a product of my type-A personality in combination with my residency experience at Belger Crane Yard Studios in Kansas City, an immaculately clean and organized community ceramic center.
In addition, I also have a small office inside our home where I keep the finished pieces, take photos, make listings, and ship orders. It is full of shelving for inventory, boxes, and photo equipment. Having control and access to my own kiln is my favorite part. Toting work back and forth for kiln access is doable, but having my own kilns has increased the frequency and amount of work I make. Though I never worked in a traditional classroom setting, I did teach a lot in community studio and museum settings.
