Tag: Life In The Studio

It’s been such a long time since I’ve actually made anything with clay that I thought it was deserving of it’s own blog post!

As I’ve noted in previous posts, my new studio doesn’t have power, water or sewer set up yet or even doors and windows but that doesn’t mean that I couldn’t make something with clay. So I dragged out a bag and got started. It’s hard to jump back into making the serious stuff, so I started with a brand new batch of Art Hearts since they were completely sold out at my Open Studios in October. It’s a great was to get my hands dirty without having to think too much about what I’m making.

The best part is that hours flew by and I hardly thought of anything else but the making process. It’s so great to get back into that flow state. I also started a few prototypes for some outdoor lights that I want to make and some signage for around the studio. I’m also thinking about making parts for a gate, which could be really fun if the ideas all work out. So, lots of fun and random projects are starting to brew in the studio and you really can’t beat the view!

Getting a new studio set up and organized is its own exciting and very creative project. But at what point do you need to stop reorganizing your tools and just start using them?

It has literally been months and possibly my longest break from actual art making as I’ve moved the studio. As I get myself geared up for a new rhythm of working in the studio again, I was reminded of the last time that I moved studio spaces, it was documented in an article in Ceramics Monthly magazine kind of by accident. I had been invited to write an article about my studio space and art practice in my home/garage studio space for an upcoming issue, but over the following months, I had the opportunity to move to a much larger warehouse space. So I ended up re-writing the article to talk about the process of moving studios.

I recently re-read that article to see how I thought then about that switch from moving into making again. I also flipped back through my sketch book to look at ideas I’d had brewing before this move started. I’ve started talking with friends about upcoming local art events and possibilities and I have to say, I’m getting very excited to get my hands back into some clay.

Logistically, I’m about a week or two away from actually jumping back into making art again full time and it will still take me a minute to get my kilns up and running. That said, I’m really looking forward to returning you to your regularly scheduled blog posts of new work, art events, successes, failures and all the nuances of life in the studio. In the meantime, please enjoy images of amazing sunsets… and thanks for sticking with me as I transition from one studio and country to another.

Very excited to report that my Santa Cruz studio stuff has officially arrived to our property in Baja Sur. All nine pallets and some random pieces made their way across the border, the 1500 miles journey south with multiple loading and offloading. So far everything we’ve unpacked has been in good shape and it’s all there. Whew!

We’ve been working on painting the inside of the space so we can start to set things in their place. And while we still don’t have power, sewer or water hooked up yet, I’m still thrilled to be able to start to set up my space.

When we’re not working on studio projects, we’ve been enjoying walking and fishing at the beach, eating locally caught fish and freshly made tortillas and watching the whales make their migrations. It’s not to shabby here and we’re soaking it all in!

After nearly a week of travel, we finally arrived at our property in Baja Sur and are so happy to be here! We’re reconnecting with friends and our property, as well as settling in Bowie to Baja life.

One of the most exciting parts was being able to see my studio build in person. For months we have received photos and videos from our builder but it was a whole different feeling to be able to walk through the space ourselves. The main structure is nearly complete and has spectacular views of the ocean & desert. I can’t wait for my supplies and equipment to arrive so I can start being creative in this space. Here’s a few pics of the space…

So the studio is pretty fabulous, but our very empty beach is a pretty sweet spot to start the day with a dog walk too.

It was a very productive week here at the studio. We packed up and palletized all of our large tools and tables, got everything loaded up into a ginormous U-Haul and my husband Nate drove it all to our international shipper at the border. It was a very long day for him, but a relief to finally get our things on their way and get the studio mostly cleared out.

Of course it didn’t stay cleared out for very long, since I still have all of my flower parts for my Feast of Flowers installation that still needed finishing. All six flower heads were moved from the metal yard to the studio and I was able to attach all of the ceramic elements. These will all be stored here until the foundations are ready for installation.

Now, we’re packing up all the little things and getting ready to make our first trip south very soon. Scenes of the desert, cactus and sunsets over the ocean coming soon!

The studio has gone through many transitions over the past few weeks, sometimes you can see the floor and sometimes you can’t. Sometimes there’s a place to sit and sometimes there’s not. Sometimes the place to sit is in a box.

We are exhausted by all the sorting and packing but slowly everything seems to be getting organized and boxed up. We’ve spent days hunting for the perfectly sized pallet, loaded up boxes only to unload them again because we forgot to photograph them for the inventory list and gratefully closed the lid on a box knowing it was for the last time. Most of the big items, like my kilns are ready to go to the international shipper, and the little things will follow. Trusting that we’ve got this even though it doesn’t always feel like it!

Believe it or not, this flat-packed pile of wood is my ginormous 7’x 7′ studio table with two huge shelves under it. I can’t believe that I’m shipping a load of lumber to Baja, but I love this table and I know it’s the first thing I’m going to want to have when I’m setting up my new space. Hundreds of students and studio visitors have gathered around this table over the past 15+ years, so it’s full of positive vibes and I think it’d be a sin to not bring it with me.

It’s been a crazy time in the studio as we rode out the wave of Open Studios excitement and then dug in deep packing up the studio. It has kicked up fun random finds, some bittersweet emotions and a lot of dust. Some days I feel like I just keep moving the same things to new piles and nothing is actually getting accomplished but after a solid week of seemingly moving things in circles, there are actually some changes in the studio and some spaces are getting cleared. Thank you to everyone who took or has agreed to take some sort of random treasure with them, I love keeping things out of the landfill and the reality is that we just can’t take everything with us.

Meanwhile, 1500 hundred miles south of here, things are being created. My new studio on our property in Todos Santos, Baja Sur has really started to take shape. I’m really looking forward to seeing it in person very, very soon! Excited for all the changes but definitely feeling the exhaustion of it all too. Thanks to everyone who keeps checking in on us and cheering us on!