I do love an Open Studio. When I have visitors to my studio I like to make sure everything is totally neat and organized, and nothing makes me happy like walking into a beautifully clean studio. I'm always striving to make the time and practice the discipline to keep it looking neat every day, but like many things in life, the effort is sporadic. I also like meeting people while I'm completely in my element. Being crammed into a 10' x 10' booth at a show can be awkward and it's hard not to feel like I'm on display along with my work. Not to mention the hours of small talk you have to make with anyone who wanders in. And the occasional feeling that I'm just a salesgirl.People who make the effort to visit my studio almost always walk out with something, which is gratifying. They can also get a sense of how the work is made-- there is the wheel, there is the kiln, there is the half-done work, all of it done right here with my hands... and my assistant's hands.
I have been in this studio since 1998. It is a 30-second walk from
my front door so I have an ideal situation-- close enough to monitor late-night firings but I don't have to actually live in my work space as many artists do. The studio is part of a row of old commercial storefronts that used to actually serve our residential community back in a different era. I'm told that my space used to be a hair salon. The only trace of the old salon I can find now is an inordinate number of electrical plugs about every 7 feet lining the left side of my studio.The best thing about and Open Studio? No booth fees!
