In July, we made a trip to Chariton, Iowa, for the 4th and to spend time with Deb's family. This building was up for sale, so we took a look at it and fell in love with it.
The main floor is 18 feet wide by 100 feet long. The front will be The Gallery of Arts — featuring not only our artwork but also other local artists, including local students. The ceilings are 14 feet high with the original tin tiles; the plan is to open that up in the gallery portion.
The wall that separates the gallery from my studio will have a large picture window in it that will allow people to come into the gallery and watch me turn. The next 56 feet will be my studio, where I'll work and teach classes. I'm working on how I'll incorporate Veterans Day in the Shop, bringing veterans together to work on community projects.
The next 20 feet will be Deb's studio, where she'll do her work and teach classes to the local community. There's a space remaining at the back that will be a finishing room — where I can do epoxy pours — and a photo area for finished work.
Upstairs is our 3-room home that overlooks the town square. One is our bedroom; the middle one will be my office, where I'll keep up my remote work with McFeely's, post pieces on Etsy, and keep this website updated. There's a spacious kitchen in the back.
The basement is unique in that it's a drive-in feature from the back. Back in the day it was a Speakeasy. There is a room all the way in the front that must have been the Speakeasy itself, and the cars were in the back. I plan on using this for storage of wood I rescue from the local Burn Lot — where people bring brush and trees that have been removed for burning.
Being a 131-year-old building, there is a lot of work to be done, and we plan on working on it over time.
We will be moving to Chariton in mid-January. Yes, mid-January is a crazy time to move. Our lease is up on our apartment here in Albuquerque, my time at Yucca Art Gallery wraps up at year-end, and it's a good time to move. We'll miss our friends here in Albuquerque, and we plan on making return trips for visits.
Chariton is located just east of I-35, just north of the Iowa/Missouri border. If you're ever passing through, stop in and say hi.
Don