Summer Studio Plans

Well it has been a year since my last post and I do have lots to tell, so let us focus only on the good stuff. Since moving my lovely wife, Shand, to Paducah with me, we both now have full time positions educating the impressionable youth about art in Kentucky. This has been the first time in our lives together that we feel "financially secure". So, now since that life goal is checked, move onto another life goal: build a studio! STUDIO O O! (like Phil Collins)

Paducah is a place like no other. Only in Paducah will the city sell you a lot for a dollar! After cruising around the neighborhood and exploring lots, cool old buildings with potential, nooks and crannies, we have selected the perfect lot for the pottery studio. This lot is nestled next to a foreclosed home (more to come about that situation later) with lots of trees for a country feel in an urban local.
Shand and I have been working with an architect to help with the designing of the studio and it has been great. Louis Lovera has great insight into building artist friendly studios/workshops and he is also considered a "green" designer. We have meet twice and Louis has drawn up two very cool layouts for us to choose from. Option A has a small loft and two smaller studios, while Option B has two larger studios and is all on one floor. Shand and I both think Option B is more ideal mainly for being on one level, but both layouts are possible. So we will see. There are just a few modifications to the plans and we will be off to the bank for a construction loan!

If anyone out there has some helpful tips about their pottery layout, please let me know. I have consulted the "Designing a Pottery Studio" book and have looked at several other potteries from sweet North Carolina to the sweaty Mississippi. Hopefully everything will fall into place. Well, until next week keep turnin and burnin!