Welcome to my studio!

Here is a quick pictorial tour of my workspace, starting with the view from road.  The building sits on an arroyo that can run like a river when the monsoons hit.  It was sighted near an ancient Ironwood tree so that no major plants had to be removed and the builders hollered like hell when I wouldn’t let them take out or drastically trim back the thorny bushes from the site.  But it was worth it to preserve the trees and bushes.

On the far left is a 2-element fountain displayed in one of the reflecting ponds around the property.  The front of the building is curved and the doors are hammered copper and curve around the building and are notched to close around the beam.  The studio was designed to utilize the natural elements.  There are skylights that flood the interior with soft light and open to let heat out.  The doors are on a North-South axis so sunlight floods the outside work area in the back.  During the winter, the rear copper door acts like a solar heater reflecting warmth into the workspace.  With all of the doors open in summer there is always a breeze and although the temperature can reach 110 or more, I can almost work there.

The turquoise beam supports a 1-1/2 ton hoist and passes through the building to the work area in back.  I don’t actually work in the building since working makes too much dust and mud – drilling and polishing are done with water.  So, I store my tools and equipment there and also finished pieces waiting to be shipped out – you can see the pieces of a 5-element fountain that’s ready to be picked up.

Inside you can see my workbench on the left and part of the rear copper accordion door.  The white tabletop piece in the black basin is my lucky fountain.

A number of lifting straps are hanging on the wall. In front of them is my drill rig and the long “pipes” next to the straps are drill bits - the longest is 100” – and more tools.  The wood box in the upper right is a stereo speaker – you got to have tunes!

The covered back area is where the work is really done.  You can see the overhead beam cranes, worktables, and some works-in-progress.

The back beam is 50’ long and extends over the stockpile of stone that followed my home from various quarries.  You can  see a radial crane towards the center of the picture and a manual and an electric hoist hanging from the beam.  Believe it or not, I like the electric one better than raising a 2000 lb stone by hand!

More later ....