Jennifer Boyer on wed 11 nov 98
After years of working in various nooks and crannies of my basememt I'm
eyeing my barn with an idea of converting it into a studio. The
question is: if you're a full time production potter making functional
work(buying clay premade) and don't have employees, how big is your
studio in square feet and are you happy with the size? This should
include all the space for kilns, cold storage, clay reclaiming space,
etc.. I put my dream studio on paper and found I could easily fill the
896 square foot barn. This would allow me the elbow room that seems to
be lacking now, but I'm feeling VERY greedy when I see that huge barn
and imagine having the whole thing being a studio!.
Just wondering
Jennifer
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Jennifer Boyer jboyer@plainfield.bypass.com
Thistle Hill Pottery
Vermont USA
http://www.vermontcrafts.com/members/JenniBoy892.html
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Brad Sondahl on thu 12 nov 98
-The question is: if
-you're a full time production potter making functional
-is your studio in square feet and are you happy with the
size?
Size of studio should be linked to size of kiln. If you
have a 100 foot flattop, you need a lot more room to store
pots to fill it, than if you have a 7 ft. electric. I've
always been on the small side, mostly by choice-- 10 by 12'
studio, ditto kiln room, double the size for sales space.
The limit to how fast I can produce is usually the kiln.
With two 7 cu. ft. kilns I can go pretty steadily, but need
storage space for the finished pots.
Since you live in Vermont, you will want to think about how
much heated space you need, since heating a barn is
prohibitively expensive.
Another factor is whether you mix your own clay (there are
dust benefits to having an isolated location).
--
Brad Sondahl
Sondahl homepage http://www.camasnet.com/~asondahl/
Brad's Index
http://www.camasnet.com/~asondahl/bradindex.html
Contributing to the potluck of the WWW
Kathi LeSueur on thu 12 nov 98
In a message dated 11/11/98 9:18:25 AM, you wrote:
>The
>question is: if you're a full time production potter making functional
>work(buying clay premade) and don't have employees, how big is your
>studio in square feet and are you happy with the size?
When I lived in Texas my studio was in a warehouse that was 5000 square feet.
I found myself using only about 700 square feet of that total. I just couldn't
feel comfortable with things spread out. My current studio is 1000 square
feet. It has two parts. A 24x24 area in which I do all throwing, trimming, and
waxing. It has my slab roller, a work table, ware carts, pugmill, and usually
at least 5000 of boxed clay. The other attached area is 20x24. It holds two
electric kilns, my gas kiln, all chemicals for glazes, glaze containers and
ware carts. This room is well-ventilated and is lined with fire code drywall.
I never work in there when kilns are firing.
The only thing I don't have is a storage area for finished work and a packing
area. So if you have the space I'd add room for that also.
Kathi LeSueur
June Perry on fri 13 nov 98
I am currently using the lower half of a small, finished barn. My space is
around 400 sq. ft with a large outdoor kiln pad. It's not enough space, at
least with two wheels, large slab roller, pugmill, claymixer,etc.etc. I can
work in there alone but get a lot of black and blue marks from bumping into
stuff. I wish I had more aisle space.
We are moving into town in Janaury and my new studio will be two attached
garage, plus a separate room on that level where I will put the desk and file
cabinet. I've already done the plan on graph paper and I am going to be as
tight in aisle space as I am here. My wood kiln has to go.:-( The town has
very strict clean air regulations and there's no way to hide the thing on a
1/3 acre lot! I will be down to one kiln instead of three, not counting a
little electric test test. In fact I have to face the town today and hope
they'll give me a permit for my twenty year old 17cu.ft Geil gas kiln.
These days I work more as a hobby potter, teaching friends and family, and the
town does allow for that. In fact, they allow you have a up to a 20cubic foot
kiln in a residential zone! If you are producing commercially, then you have
to live in the area zoned R2 which allows you to do the same thing as I will
be doing, except producing a great deal more. It doesn't allow selling though,
except for one person per hour and no more than 8 in a day. That is basically
to accomodate body workers, architects, etc.
The town is pretty enlightened and recognizes that some craftsmen as well as
other occupations would not be able to financially survive if they had to pay
for commercial space. So they have created a zoning that accomodates these
people.
I think I am well armed today with professional drawings, a letter from Paul
Geil about kiln specifications, clearances, scaled plot plans, etc. Wish me
luck! :-)
Warm regards,
June (not looking forward to packing and moving in January!)
Ric Swenson on fri 13 nov 98
June,
I have been off this list for a while, but back now at a new address for
email.
Maybe you have gone down this road, but my offer to send a copy of my
CERAMICS MONTHLY article on "Selecting and Designing a Studio" to
anyone who wants it...still holds.....just send me your snail-mail
address and I will copy and mail it to you or anyone else on the list
that wants a copy.....(US and Canada only please...I can't afford the
postage abroad....and do not have access to a fax right now....)
Regards,
Ric Swenson
RR 1 Box 2222A, Pleasant Valley Road, Bennington, VT 05201-9703
(802) 447-4744 hm. or (802) 442-5723 @Bennington Area Arts
Council email: artsovt@sover.net
June Perry wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I am currently using the lower half of a small, finished barn. My space is
> around 400 sq. ft with a large outdoor kiln pad. It's not enough space, at
> least with two wheels, large slab roller, pugmill, claymixer,etc.etc. ....
.....snip.....
> Warm regards,
> June (not looking forward to packing and moving in January!)
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