In my previous blog, I broke down the basic costs and the reasons for why getting my handicap accessible studio built is SOO important.  The universe is at work however…as earlier this week I received a message about how ineffective MY message was.  The person is a fellow artist, and had no idea that my desire for my own studio space was so much bigger than just me wanting a studio.  And I don’t feel that this part two explanation of what I see for my studio space is the place to delve into that…but know it’s coming.  And know that my desire for this space…is SO MUCH BIGGER and more involved than it just being a nicer space for me to create… so much more…

With that being said, in the last blog post I showed you guys the office/gallery space that I’ve designed.  In this post, I’ll share the actual studio space.

     This is the view from the office/gallery entrance into the studio. Lots of shelving, big work table, and the carts in front are sculpture stands. Everything will be on wheels to easily move things out of the way so that I can accommodate a variety of mobility devices/equipment

     This is the view from the bathroom.  You can see the kiln and wood stove with a set of metal shelves acting as a partition.

     To the right, you can see the view from the kiln area. The primary work station, heat pump, and the sliding doors to the office/gallery space.

     This is the view from main work station.  You can see the bathroom (ADA friendly), an exit so that folks don’t always have to go through the office/gallery to get to the studio, and a different angle for all the storage.

     This is the alternate view from the bathroom.  You can see the shelves on the right hand side – this is the partition between the work space and the kiln. All the storage, and different work stations to help against cross contamination between all the different parts of my studio practice.

Of course this is all subject to change. But this is the rough idea of my studio space that I’ve designed.  Trying to keep the cost of building down and maximize the space to its fullest potential.  With everything on wheels (that can be locked in place), the layout/floorplan has the capability to change to our needs.  Whether there’s a Tuesday Tea Party being held (more on that later..), a Spoonie Art class with several people in wheelchairs, or a basic sculpting class…With this design I can easily accommodate them all.  The office space shown in Part 1 has multiple uses as well; from the gallery space to packing and shipping to office… this will be the area where I will record digital classes, conduct my lives, and even remote webinars. Maximum space efficiency is the name of the game.  The office and studio space combined will be less than 1,000 sq ft.

If you’re interested in helping this dream become a reality a bit sooner, I’d like to introduce you to STUD the Maine Puffin.  Why is his name Stud?  Well, for STUDIO of course. 🙂  You can get the full explanation in the blog post titled “Stud the Puffin” (there’s also a fun challenge associated with Stud now..) These art miniatures are one of the many things I’m doing to prove to my husband that I can get this structure built before my realistic goal of 2020…  Who wants to help me prove him WRONG (he doesn’t think we’ll be able to get the foundation before before October/November of this year – 2018). You can go to the STORE tab in the top menu to see the standard and collectors editions under “art miniatures”, plus all the art prints. Until this happens, I’m only keeping 25% to replace materials… everything else is going to the studio fund. 🙂

So that’s my planned studio. Room for growth, plenty of storage, running water, a space for community, a space to further my art as therapy outreach…and who knows what else I’ll be able to accomplish once the studio gets built.  If you’re a contractor local to Belfast, Maine, and you’d like to see how you can help get this project moving in the right direction, I’d love to hear from you.

Until then, I’m going to keep pluggin away; teaching my classes, working on commissions, and hustlin’. It would be pretty amazing to be able to participate in the Maine Pottery Tour next year…