Sunday, April 8, 2012

Busy but Fruitful Weekend


Sometimes it feels like a bit of a Circus around here and I am the juggler! :-)

This weekend a lot of things needed to be done.

Juggling ball 1. Our 2nd Annual OK Poly-Clay Twister Retreat is just nine days away and I am the steering committee chairman. We have a number of committees doing the jobs that must be completed to bring a full fledged, multi-day retreat to Oklahoma. Last year I held a one day retreat in our home. Everyone had a wonderful time and, when leaving, commented on how we need a longer one with lots more friends with which to play.

So far, so good but we need to take care that important details do not fall through the cracks and that everything comes together well enough that everyone can have a great time. We are a small group, only 17 members so everyone is wearing at least one hat and sometimes multiple hats. (Remember the circus?)

Juggling ball 2. The second day of our retreat, the 20th, the proposals for the Orlando Clay Fandango need to be submitted for 2013. I love Fandango and hope to be selected to teach there again. It is uniquely delightful and the folks are wonderful. I've developed an original Eagle feather cane and am fleshing out a number ideas using the feather. I'd like my proposal to not only teach the cane but to use it in a project or two. Every extra minute I have is in the studio either sketching or claying.

Juggling ball 3. We recently moved and the studio has been unfinished. My need for a specific material for the Eagle Feather Cane proposal meant digging through boxes in the garage to find a small box marked Viva Decor. The few unpacked boxes pointed out the need to finish the shelving in the studio so there would be somewhere to put it if and when I find it. (Haven't found it yet) :(

To make more space in there, DH assembled some some small, inexpensive shelves. under $20.00 at Walmart, and, after clearing out a messy un-packing table, we put them in front of one window. Instead of making the shelf tall, he made two short shelves with longish legs to accomodate a floor vent, drawer unit and a still unpacked box. The picture upper left is what you see when you come into the studio.

The studio looks so much bigger!! I love the extra floor space and the closet is now more accessible. Shown left is the view of the room from the opposite corner.

Speaking of the closet, we bought a bunch of 12 by 12 by 12 inch boxes in which to pack studio stuff. Right after moving I unpacked all of them, turned the flaps backwards on the outsides of the boxes and lined them up on the shelves after removing all of the hanging rods. Worked great! They hold all kinds of small boxes that are organized like books on a bookshelf.

This was finished right after we moved but access to the closet was not convenient due too much stuff in the middle of the room.

The studio is still a work in progress but at least there is more floor space and the closet supplies are easy to reach.
 
Left is the door work table.  The hole for the doorknob was perfect for threading wires through.

All of the shelves will be filled with everything from graphite paper, metal mesh rolls, to audio books on tape.

All of the lighting is either natural light Ott lights or daylight florescent bulbs. No standard bulbs.

The studio has two windows, the door table top fit between the wall and the window. There is a smoked, black glass work surface in the center of the table top.
 
Right is the left side of the room.  Joe built a desk of plywood. One end is affixed to the wall. The other end is fastened to the tall 12" shelf that is also secured to the wall. The desk has a laser printer key board and two monitors. The stuff in the lower right hand corner is the top of a stack of boxes with stuff waiting to be put away.



Left: some of the stuff waiting.....

Whew. Good thing it is bedtime. :-) More later.

Penni Jo
Creator, designer and sculptor of Best Flexible Molds.

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