Up until about 2 weeks ago, I had a 6' table set up outside for making my clay work. I could loosely cover the pieces with plastic at night and come back the next day and they would still be at that lovely leather hard stage. I could then re-work and refine the forms, and leave them completely uncovered for a few days and they would slowly dry out. All of this, thanks to the Florida humidity!
[Six of the Eight clay forms for The HandMade House.]Well... things are a bit different in my new studio. I'm finding that I'm stumbling a bit trying to learn the dry time for clay in there. There's no AC still (so I'm still sweating through the heat) but we've added a dehumidifier to help protect my equipment. There's a small fan I can keep going to help with air circulation too. So, the clay is drying out much, much quicker than I was used to!
Overall, I think this change will be a good thing once I've learned how to manage it. And it's a small price to pay to be able to work in such a beautiful studio.
What about you? Has a change of setting ever effected your work technique?
Still Learning,
Meagan
2 comments:
Meagan,
This might be an odd suggestion, but what about leaving a table outside the studio for drying? It seems to work for you.
I presently work in a community studio, and drying is always a challenge since the HVAC isn't under my control, nor whether kilns are firing. I can return to work anywhere from soft soft to bone dry.
Beautiful studio! I can't wait to have one of my own.
Thanks Brian! I hadn't even considered setting a table up outside. I'll have to give it some more thought and see if I could make that work.
I worked in a community studio for a couple years, so I understand those down sides! But enjoy the community! Sometimes I miss having other artists around to give feedback, bounce ideas off of, or just have lunch/tea with.
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