Ceramic Studio Progress

I feel like I am now entering the final portion of my current studio overhaul.

I have gotten to the point where my studio space is organized how I want it to be, I have purged the space of crap I don't use or need, and now I need to recycle: mix and pug all of the scrap clay sitting in buckets from the last 6 years of making pendants and beads.

Storage of dry ceramic clay scraps.

All of these buckets are filled with about 30 pounds of dry clay scrap.

And I have a de-airing Bailey Pugmill in my garage where I get to recycle all of that scrap into beautiful smooth usable clay (this was a huge investment purchase before the economy crashed).

Garage space for recycling clay.

With this much clay to recycle, it becomes a bit of a chore that lasts days on end.

I will not let it go this long again (famous last words).

So I've set up a comfy chair to be able to sit and rest a few moments in between the clay mixture moisture babysitting.

I've blogged about the details over on my Marsha Neal Studio Blog if you are interested in the step by step details.

Happy ceramic pugger.

This is definitely one of those tasks that are more fun with clay friends around since it takes hours to mix up so many batches.

My friend and fellow ceramic clay artist Jenny Davies-Reazor stopped by the other day for lunch and to bring me this fabulous piece below (I love giving her lots of parts to see what she comes up with!).

Jenny Davies-Reazor surprise for Marsha

And getting little bonus surprises like that makes me think about how much I cannot wait to get this part of the "studio work" done so I can get back into my creative mode.

Basement studio view at the mid-purge point.

I even have my kick wheel (it has a motor attachment) set up in my clay studio now - so that means even more potential is here for being creative and maybe making some garden planters, sculptures, and components.

This new furniture and storage arrangement is really going to work for my current body of work - not the production work I was set up for previously!

I have recycled clay that should be perfect for throwing or making beads all ready to go,

my glazes are stocked, and my three kilns are repaired.

Breaking out the Art Supplies

And I even have a kid creative nook set up.

I adore having my kids work with me as they are a constant reminder to go with feeling and try new things!

For the few minutes they have to stay in one place...

Now just to finish up some loose ends with the purging of not needed stuff in the studio.

Then it's time to jump in and get back to work!

It's like a huge weight being lifted off of me getting all of this done in a big way instead of just little steps. Although - going through all those little steps is really what made this big reorganization come into being. And with having young kids (3 & 5 years old) - you take whatever time you get and try to focus on what can be accomplished in little windows.

Have you done any studio purging and remodeling recently?

Post a link to your blog post in the comments below!