Although its a generous space, storage has proven to be limited as I have begun to actively use the studio. I decided to create a room in a space left along the side of the building next to my office. This almost 120 square foot room will house display items; the pots, and stands for bonsai and suiban and sand for suiseki.
The original space.
Ready to raise.
Raised into place.
I was privileged to have my friend and master woodworker Sean Smith come to help with the project.
Here Sean is anchoring the new wall.
Sheetrock almost done.
The wall is done. It's officially a room.
Having given up looking for an authentic barn door, we decided to build our own to get the right size and shape.
That's me sanding the back of the new door.
We designed and built the door and I used some creative finishing techniques to give the appearance of a door with some history. Here Sean is beating it with a heavy chain.
The final finish. We distressed the door with a sander and various manual methods. Then I painted the door with two colors and stained over the top.
The finished door handle. Collected from a beach in Biddeford, Maine on a visit to bonsai artist Colin Lewis, I spent the better part of a day sanding the wood smooth. Then I stained it and lacquered it for a protective finish.
The finished door. Mounted on a sliding barn door track, the door allows easy access with an 84" high by 42" wide opening.
Come see the finished room and new "old" door at the studio this Spring.