My current studio is actually the third space in which I have worked. I started making my work at home, on the kitchen table. Later, I moved into a small studio approximately the size of a one-car garage.
After moving to another house, I was able to expand again. My current studio is still relatively small, but it occupies a two-car garage and is much better equipped for the kind of work I make today.
The studio is located directly in my home in Irvine, California, which I find incredibly convenient. Ceramic work often requires attention over long periods of time, and having the studio so close means that I can check on a piece, a drying process, or a firing whenever necessary.
I am a full-time artist, and I work in the studio every day. My working day has a fairly regular rhythm: after taking my kids to schools in the morning, I am usually back home by 8:30 and go straight to the studio. Having my workspace at home allows me to move easily between different stages of the process throughout the day, especially when several pieces are drying, being assembled, or fired at the same time.
The studio has evolved constantly along with my work. For a long time, I was searching for the visual language and processes that felt right for me.
Each new body of work brought different technical challenges, and quite often a new idea meant reorganizing or even partially rebuilding the studio around it.
I bought equipment as new processes required it, changed working areas, added storage, and gradually developed the space through use rather than according to a fixed plan.
Today, the studio is divided into several working zones. I have four worktables, and a dedicated table for rolling clay slabs. There is a clay-working area, a glazing area, a packing station, and a separate recycling area where I reclaim dry clay and return it to a plastic, workable state.
The studio sink is equipped with a clay trap system to prevent clay from entering and clogging the household plumbing. Storage is divided between closed cabinets and open shelving. I use the open shelves primarily for drying finished and in-progress ceramic pieces, where they can remain undisturbed while the clay dries gradually.
There are two electric Skutt kilns in the studio: a **Skutt KM-1018-3** and a **Skutt KMT-1427-3" PK**. I originally worked with the smaller kiln, but as I began making larger pieces, its dimensions became a limitation.
Rather than replacing it, I added the much larger KMT-1427-3" PK. That decision created another problem: how to safely load increasingly large and heavy pieces into a top-loading kiln.
My latest addition to the studio is therefore a portable gantry crane. It allows me to lift a heavy work, position it above the kiln, and carefully lower it inside. It is a good example of how the studio has developed over the years.
I have rarely bought equipment simply because I wanted new equipment. Usually, a new idea or a new body of work creates a technical problem, and solving that problem changes the studio itself. The studio also has a dedicated kiln ventilation system. Although the garage has two windows and receives plenty of natural light during the day, I installed additional lighting so that I have consistent working conditions regardless of the time of day.
Another convenience is being able to monitor my firings remotely. I use Skutt's mobile system to follow the firing process over Wi-Fi from my phone. Since the studio is part of my home, I am never very far from the kilns, but remote monitoring is especially useful during long firing cycles.
Most of the clay I use comes from Laguna Clay Company in California. Depending on the quantity I need and my schedule, I either order it for delivery or pick it up myself. Having two kilns of my own still does not mean that everything I make can be fired in my home studio. Some works require firing conditions that my electric kilns cannot provide. When I need a gas firing, particularly for some of my porcelain work, I use the firing services at the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) Ceramics Studio in Pomona. Their professional ceramic facility gives me access to gas kilns and firing possibilities beyond what I can accommodate at home. I bring my work to the studio, where the AMOCA team loads, fires, and unloads it for me.
The studio has grown in much the same way as my work has grown.It is still a relatively small studio, and it continues to change. Every new project seems to bring another technical challenge, another piece of equipment, or another reason to rearrange the space.
The studio is also occasionally a place for visitors. I welcome curators, collectors, fellow artists, and anyone interested in seeing the work in person and experiencing the environment in which it is made. Studio visits are available by appointment. If you would like to visit, simply contact me directly or submit the studio visit form through my website.
STUDIO VISIT REQUEST
