Studio Update
I’ve been at Shed 2 Studios fifteen years this October!
When I first moved in, I shared my space with my lovely friend Nic, who I met at university.
It was really more a place to keep all my glass, tools and equipment. This was ever growing, and taking over the house. But I quickly loved to be in the space, and started to make more use of it. I got asked to run workshops, so I would do these on weekends when Nic wasn’t in her side, to give students a bit of room.
It was a fairy natural progression when Nic decided to move on, that I would take over the whole space. Loadsa room, right? Wrong!
More room meant I could buy more tools, equipment and of course glass (being able to buy bigger sheets, saving money). It also meant I could run classes more often. It didn’t take long before I was making full use of it all, and a few years ago, began to spill out in to the communal areas – much to the chagrin of other studio members, sorry guys! So when a space came up, I decided to take a leap of faith and jump in. It’s right next to my own studio, but on the other side of a stud wall. Whether I will eventually take that wall down, I don’t know yet.
The plan for now, is to get a roof on as soon as possible. Shed 2 Studios is an old Victorian factory building. It has an open, high apex roof; a lot of heat goes up! And sharing with three woodworkers, a lot of dust comes down, too!
The new area is going to be the main teaching space for taster and shorter workshops. It is going to have large storeroom/cupboard. As it’s more out of the way of the communal area, I am going to use it as a consulting space. When someone wants to discuss a commission, for example.
The bit I am most excited about though, is that it is also going to be used a mini gallery space. I finally will have the chance to put my work on display, rather than hiding in boxes. This will inspire students, and give them lots of ideas.
I also plan to open the studio as a pop up shop once or twice a month, so that people can come along and see my glass art ‘in the flesh’. It also affords me the opportunity to design new and experimental pieces; having this creative freedom fills me with joy!
But first, operation tidy up, paint, put up shelves, and the small matter of a roof…. wish me luck!
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