By Ashley Rivers
My Space
I consider myself a Mixed Media Sculpture artist because I love to experiment and work with many mediums. I use clay, metals, resins, woods, fire and even collage with paints and charcoals.
Because of this, I designed my studio to work more as a “workshop” instead of a space for showing and looking nice. There are constantly tools and projects across all the tabletops.
I thought I would take this moment to show my space and talk about how I got there.
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My studio has a nice open plan where there is enough space for 3 adjustable tables, a slab roller, 3 pottery wheels, shelves along almost all 4 sides – all with enough room to roam around. My dog, Oreo, pictured above, hangs out with me during the days while I work.
Having enough “space” was my largest obstacle when looking for studios. Because I work with so many tools and supplies, it was slowly taking over when I worked from home.
I decided to look into getting studio space to create some separation within my life. When I worked out of a home studio, I would often get distracted and either start cleaning the house when I should have been creating, or vise versa. Then, always being at home slowly drove me into continuous artist blocks!
Having a space that I could come and go as I pleased, no matter the time of day was important, and this space gave me just that! Also, having other artists in the studios around me, constantly gave me inspiration to create!
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My kilns became one of my biggest concerns. “Lil Blue” and “Big Purp” are their names, and they play a big role in what I do as an Artist. My studio allowed for proper hookup and venting, as well as the right amount of space to keep things safe.
I am very grateful to have a space like this to work in, as I know this is something out of reach for most Artists.
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You can explore the work of Ashley Rivers at thenatureoffire.com
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