Elmira Open Studio Tour

Despite not having a studio of my own yet, I made it my goal to participate in the Elmira Open Studio Tour this year. It was well worth it. I had about 100 visitors over the weekend. The weather was amazing so I was able to set up some works in progress on the front porch. I essentially brought all my work home, a couple thrown vases, leatherhard lucky dishes, mugs in need of handles, jars of underglazes, tools, brushes as well as a fish looking for a few scaly details. In the end I did a lot more talking than demonstrating. Bringing it all together in one place took a lot of effort. Normally, when I shuttle work between studios and home again it is over a month or two as I commute to teach at the arts center or take my daughter to dance class. Preparing for the tour gave me a glimpse of how luxurious it would be to set up shop in one location. Another outcome of the tour was meeting up with a handy (construction-wise) colleague. I was on the fence about converting the garage into a studio especially with energy costs on the rise. We both agreed the basement was my best bet in the short term. I've got a year to level the floor, lay down linoleum, put up a few walls,replace the windows, install a dust barrier and wire a kiln in. My goal for the 2009 open studio tour is to have an actual studio to tour!