Extruder die storage and Kiln posts storage

I have a pretty small studio space as some of you who visited my studio must have noticed. I try to make the most of every inch of space I have.
Early this year I visited Barbara Dunshee's studio who is just great at managing here studio space for teaching pottery in her basement studio. What she shared with me were here IKEA CD shelves used as storage for kiln posts. I loved the idea and was on Craigslist hunting for them right away. Found two of them for $30.
With adjustable shelves these are perfect for arranging kiln posts by height and they work great for storing all my extruder dies as well. Make sure to attach them to the wall so they don't fall over. And they have such a small foot print fitting perfectly in the dead corner behind the kiln.

What are your favorite storage solutions in your studio? Comment away.

Pantry Storage

I am thrilled that we finally have pantry storage in our kitchen!!
Ever since we moved into our house (few years back), we have been struggling with storage. The kitchen is big, but the cabinets dated pre-Costco, so all shelves are fixed and nothing fit in. So we were storing stuff in our garage. Have gone back and forth several times thinking about remodeling the kitchen, but the expense always is a shock!
I found this pinkish brown corner armoire on craiglist and which would need some work but would be a perfect addition to our kitchen. It is all solid wood and was in excellent condition. And for $40, a steal!
It had some missing hardware and the color was weird. Instead of repainting it another shade of brown to match our existing boring cabinets, I wanted to go wild on this one. Went with a soft lime green with chocolate brown accents which goes very well with the backyard and brings the outside colors in.
What do you think?

Added new hardware and shelves and finally have storage in the kitchen!!

Studio space

I have met very few artists who would claim that they have more studio space than they need. We are always struggling for more room and the space keeps shrinking.
Of course it is not possible for us to move to bigger space every time we run out of room, ….though that would be awesome! Like many other artists I try my best to get the maximum utilization of space that I have. Very often I convert a part of my space for another stage of the process as well.

Here is a glimpse in my studio
Using dead space under by slab roller table to store my glazes and having everything on wheels to make moving things easy.

Tools arranged on a pegboard with hooks for easy access when I am throwing on the wheel.
Stackable large storage bins to store glaze chemicals.
Clearly labeled chemicals in clear containers.
This is how my regular work space transforms in a photo studio.
Do comment with your secrets to make the most of your space.

Final stages of decorating jars

A few weeks back I had blogged about the process of decorating my jars.

That was one of the earlier stages after which the pieces get bisqued. After getting bisque fired they look colorful.

But to have the colors pop out more, I go through the process of painting the groove lines that were carved with a contrasting color. It is a time consuming process but makes all the difference.These are then glazed over and fired again with the following results.

You can find these jars for purchase on my etsy shop.