Welcome to the Artists Studio - BOC Open Studio Event

Congrats Michelle Mach for winning my first giveaway!!(email me your address).

Thanks everyone for stopping back - Welcome into my studio space.

For my clay work, I use a lot of porcelain and handmade texture plates and stamps to get reverse images and raised textures.

I then use readily available cookie cutters (kitchen supply stores, polymer clay suppliers) and a few home made ones to cut out the pieces.
One day soon I hope to have some custom shape cutters made - just have to get them drawn out to scale.

I love the way the glazes interact with the surface of the clay & how translucent glazes show the texture.
All of my porcelain pendants are glazed on all sides.

Sticking to this level of creation and glazing means I have to suspend every piece for the glaze firing and not just lay it on a shelf.
Buttons and cabochons are an exception because they are only glazed on the top. It can take hours to load a kiln like this and if you check out my Etsy shop, you can see that my pricing reflects this.

It is not the material cost (clay is as cheap as - well - dirt - very nice, wet, easy to work with mud/clay/dirt), but the amount of time that goes into working with the clay.
My pieces have over 20 steps from start to finish. Not including the jewelry making part.

Multi function tables in the basement for clay and glaze work.

I work out of my house.
Technically all over the house & sometimes I bring the clay outside into the garden with me depending on the time of the year. For the most part, the "main" clay studio is kept to the basement (except for the pug mill for recycling clay - that is in the garage for ventilation and access to the hose and lots of space to move).

My glazes to be tested are stacked & Chloe's under-glazed beads mid-painting.

Bins with beads sorted by texture.

Reusing trays that I had for bead shows to hold bisque beads that are lesser made.

Kiln room is behind a lockable door and is vented to the exterior of the house.

My sister Teren and Chloe were making signs for Chloe & Riley's bedroom doors the other night. 

I jokingly said that I would like one that says STOP on it for my kiln room door. 

This is what they made...

At least the kids will stop to look or pick at the foam stickers.

Computer desk, packaging area in background - a work in progress.

Temporary Jewelry Making Table - nice to have a place to leave stuff out.

Some recent jewelry making adventures.

I find my inspiration in Nature. 

In Textures. In Colors. In Shapes. In Patterns.

I take lots of pictures with my iPhone…

But then there are moments that require more detail - like from my digital SLR that I am just learning to use:

I am trying to find balance in every day.
And take my time to notice all that is around me…

Right now I am in the middle of some major life changes.
I know when I look back years from now, I will know that this time - right now - as a point when my decisions took me down that different road.
Wonder what my life will look like?
Will I still be working in clay (I sure hope so - but beads only? Probably not).

Hop back over to the Beads-of-Clay Blog to check out the other live posts and I'll see you back here for the 2nd giveaway post in a bit...