studio renovations & In Her Studio Magazine
Wanted to apologize for things being quiet around here! Have been focused on a huge undertaking, renovating the little outbuilding studio where I am doing the metalsmithing and stained glass part of Amulet Making.
I had received a capacity-building grant from Assets for Artists after taking their wonderful program ~ and with thanks to my very handy husband I have a more open ceiling (that isn't falling down!!), a new venting system and tools to help me along the way through this journey. (Oh, and heat! Yay!)
ceiling removal
Hated the white popcorn ceilings, thought painting them green would help. Nope! Only made it worse and somehow more oppressive hanging over my head. Time to go.
workbench building
Needed a sturdy workspace to hammer, drill and carve metal so David built a workbench out of a beautiful slab of local maple live-edge wood and simple black metal pipe legs. (I swear this guy can do anything! I swear I helped!)
Attaching an old found copper pipe as a slider for my Fordham flex shaft tool to hang from...
venting system installation
(using hole already there from previous owners heating system!) Of course I had to try to make the part that sits on my workbench more aesthetically pleasing so added a vintage frame stand. (You can laugh at me, it's ok.) Still looking for the perfect tiny hood or funnel opening for better collection of fumes/particles but this works for now.
So cozy in here now with the pellet stove installed!
As with all my decorating/nesting projects, nearly everything was repurposed, thrifted or found at tag sales. One of the few new purchases was a section of Victorian Gothic reproduction tin tile from WF Norman to go behind my soldering station for an extra bit of flame protection (and symbolic strength!). I am overly cautious/nervous about working with fire, but better to overdo it and be safe out here. I have been daydreaming over their catalog for years and am excited to work by this inspiring panel. (And it serves dual purpose hiding/protecting the ugly venting system!)
With part of my grant funds I purchased a GRS benchmate vise holder to make things more steady and much easier to work on small pieces...it is an amazing tool! My last Snow Farm teacher highly recommended them, so it seemed like a good investment.
soldering station
The venting pipe can be moved to this area for soldering fumes, hoping to get comfortable with my little "crème brûlée torch" before moving on to a more powerful system. Eek, fire! At 50+ I am determined to not let fears keep me from doing what I love, what I need to learn. Grateful for my teachers at Snow Farm and Heather Beck that helped me get this far.
Found some William Morris Washi Tape to decorate my ugly but useful bit-holder, organized a small flat file cabinet with tools needed at hand on a shelf under the table.
Can't wait to get to work out here!
If you haven't already seen it, my beadwork & finishing studio is in the current issue (Winter 2021) of In Her Studio Magazine. It is a beautiful and inspiring issue so please seek it out it at Michaels, Barnes & Noble or online if you can!
