I'm Baaaaaaccckkkk!!

Many of you have asked...what happened? Where have you been? Why haven't you updated your blog? I guess I must have experienced "blog burnout" or something of the like. I can't explain it other than to say that the last year, and yes, it's been over a year since I last updated...has been a full one for me and for my family! Too many things have happened to give a quick update about, but the biggest one was that we moved, and after being in our last house for over 8 years, that was really an undertaking for us. After we finally got the last load brought over to the new house, I vowed to stop being a pack rat, and have come to live by the mantra "clean and clutter-free"! Of course one place that is very difficult for me to follow those words is in my studio....where I spend the most time of course. Which brings me to why I am finally posting after a so long....

I am a member of a wonderful group of very talented artists called The Aspiring Metalsmiths. This month the topic for us to write about on our blogs was to "Show us your Work Space" and I thought, what a fabulous way to kick start myself into keeping my blog updated and to jump in and get writing again! So without further ado, here are pictures of my studio in the new house.

So this first picture is a shot of part of my bookcase which is on the left wall as you come into the room. I didn't show the lower shelves, because there really wasn't much interesting on those.

Then on the wall opposite from the doorway, is my large painting table, where I create mixed media designs. I love this huge table and drawers that I got at Ikea this year!!!

And this shot shows the other side of my painting table..

And as we continue around the room, we get to my other Ikea table which is where I do my wire wrapping and jewelry assembly at. This is where I spend a lot of time at, and so it's a bit messier. And next to my jewelry table is my workbench, where I solder and finish all of my jewelry at. My workbench is the dirtiest place in my studio due to the nature of metalsmithing work. The soldering process is very messy, and polishing is even worse. That's why my bench is in front of my only window, so that I can get plenty of ventilation while working! I always wear a particle mask while working as well as safety goggles...because you never know when a piece of metal might take flight, not to mention the toxic fumes and dust that happens while working with metal and compounds.

On my bench above, you can see that I use firebrick to protect my bench, plus my flex shaft which I would be lost without, and several tools and supplies that I use daily. My tanks are secured below, and I protect the carpet using a heavy plastic chair mat that I got from an office supply store. Here is a close up picture of my soldering station....

You can really see how dirty soldering can get! The black things are pieces of my charcoal block which have disintegrated. They are still usable though, and I will continue using the bits and pieces until they are much smaller. The dust around is from polishing and finishing work.

The last picture is of my desk and computer, which is to the right of my bench. I spend far too much time here! :)

Thank you for taking a tour of my studio. If you enjoy seeing where artists create, I encourage you to take a peek my teammates blogs, where they are also sharing their work spaces this month. :)

All Wired Up Jewelry Designs – http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Brandy, The Frogs Pond – http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com/
Carole Axium – http://www.caroleaxiumdesigns.com/journal/
Clarity, Scrollwork Designs – http://www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com
Esmeralda, SilverBlueberry – http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
Golden Water Creations – http://www.goldenwatercreations.blogspot.com
Heather, Misty Ridge Designs – http://mistyridgedesigns.blogspot.com/
Jessica Lopour – http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Joy – http://joypeckjoy.blogspot.com/
Nancy Creations – http://nancysjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Stacy (Form and Funktion) – http://formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/

Lisa, Sandy Toes Jewelry - http://sandytoesjewelry.blogspot.com/

Gloria, Hemlock Hollow - http://gloria-hemlockhollow.blogspot.com/

Julie A. Mauerer, JAMauerer - http://jamauerer.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-just-remembered-i-have-blog.html