Growing up, my parents always provided studio space,
usually a sturdy workbench in the garage, with access to all the tools.
That set the course of my life.
A private space, set aside for making what ever I want,
“Imagination’s Chamber“,
as one writer put it.
By the time I moved out, that workbench had expanded
to take up two spare rooms, the side yard and part of the garage – mostly devoted to glass working.
Wherever I’ve gone since, I always see things in those terms – as places to set up shop.
My first painting studio, in Santa Ana, CA, was an apartment garage, (with all our other storage).
A tiny space – about 8’x 5’ with a seven foot ceiling,
but I was painting, so my world was large!
After that, with a move to Laguna Beach, I spread out a bit –
this time into a 400 sq. ft. garage, with a beautiful window view through eucalyptus trees.
perfect for me at the time – very productive.
After buying a house, my space enlarged even more, but so did my artistic ambitions,
so it got very crowded very fast.
With lots of new projects all going on at once,
it seemed like half my time was spent just moving things around to make space.
I’ve invented studios for most of my life, so around 2006, when I got the chance to build one, I took it.
At that time, I was single so it was designed just for me – 4,000 square feet, 18’ ceilings, with loft areas,
a dream space.
What’s next?
All these studios have been in my home, the current one is my home.
That’s perfect for round-the-clock work,
but not so good for privacy – a necessity when pressing into new territory.
(And a great excuse for planning the next one!) – This time a good walk from where we sleep…
And those plans have begun! – we’re moving to the mountains of Utah next year.