In this Open Studio Tour series, we'll be snooping around artists' creative spaces, how they set them up, when, why…even how often they clean them! We really want to know all about our artists, and maybe get a bit of inspiration!

It's Father's Day time so I had to knock at workathomedad's studio door…a glass studio under the sign of eco friendly and fire!

What's your name and what kind of craft do you do?
My name is Matt Carrigan aka workathomedad. I am 35 years old. I have been a full time glassblower for 9 years now.

Where do you make your items?
When I started glassblowing because there were no open-to-public studios anywhere Los Angeles. Glassblowing is one craft that requires a studio right from the start. The necessary ventilation and the use of large amounts of oxygen and propane make it very difficult to set up in a temporary location like a spare bedroom or kitchen.

As soon as I purchased my equipment, I rented an old store front in the Silverlake district in Los Angeles. The storefront also gave me a retail outlet to sell my work. My wife and I ran our studio/ gallery in Los Angeles for 7 years before relocating to a small town in the Pacific Northwest.

Did the studio set up impact your crafter budget?
Opening our studio/gallery in Los Angeles took a small investment. Luckily, we are skilled DIY'ers and were able to do all the construction of the studio and gallery ourselves. Living in a large city like Los Angeles allowed us to find retail and office equipment at exceptional prices. I was also able to buy used welding equipment that is used in a glassblowing studio.

How did you set up your studio in an eco-friendly way?
It has been a slow progression making the studio more and more eco friendly. I think it started from the very beginning, when we would go to local businesses and get their old packaging materials and office supplies to reuse them in our shipping. We started using renewable energy as soon as it was available to us. It only costs a couple of cents more a kilowatt hour —not bad for knowing your power is from the wind and not a nuclear plant or from coal. We are careful to use minimal packaging for our products. Reuse, reduce, recycle is the motto in our studio.

I make a great line of wine bottle stoppers that reuse my glass scraps that would normally be sent to the landfill. These recycled wine bottle stoppers are currently my best sellers. They are bright and colorful. People love the fact that they are eco-friendly.

Which is your favorite tool?
First place has to go to my GTT Mirage glassblowing torch. My Jim Moore diamond sheers take second place.

Do you want to share with us one secret of your studio?
My studio is over 107 years old and I think it may be haunted.

How big is your studio?
My new studio is about 350 square feet. It houses 2 glassblowing work stations, a sandblasting cabinet, a photo booth, warehouse style racks for storing all of our show equipment, and raw glass materials and a kiln. We use our spare bedroom as the office for the computer, fax, copier, and file cabinets. We also use a larger enclosed back porch for our shipping department. We store all of our shipping materials there. If I had any more space here I am sure I would use it for something, too!

Is there anything you would add to your working space to make it more eco-friendly?
In the near future I would like to add skylights to my roof. That would eliminate the need for lighting my studio during the day. In Oregon it also stays light out in the summer until 9:30 or 10pm, so skylights would be very beneficial. Solar panels for electric and water heating are also on my list. I am very excited to install radiant floor heating in the studio as well. Radiant floor heating is a form of central heating which utilizes heat conduction and radiant heat for indoor climate control, rather than forced air heating which relies on convection. Heat can be provided by circulating heated water through pipes installed in the floor.

If you had to choose one synonym for your studio which one would you pick: atelier, family room, lair, lodge, nest, playroom, retreat, sanctuary, shelter, darkroom, or showroom and why?
It is definitely an atelier. It is set up as a studio and not much else. I have no chairs or couches in it. It is a place for creating art.

How much time do you spend in your studio?
A normal week finds me in the studio about 40 hours, with an additional 15-20 hours spent photographing, updating my Etsy store and website and talking to clients on the phone. My wife spends 15-20 hours a week doing marketing and sales. In the summer we spend at least every other week out of town at art festivals selling our work.

Do you share your studio with anyone?
I currently have an apprentice who works with me part time. She also helps with our booth at art festivals. She often brings Yerba Mate to the studio for me (my favorite).

And last but not least, how often do you clean it?
I clean my work area every week or so. The entire studio gets cleaned and organized once a month. Packing and unpacking for art shows is what makes my shop the messiest. I need a way that makes less of a mess when I get ready for a show — either that or a housekeeper lol.

Thank you Matt, until next studio snooping, ciao!

If you have an interesting studio or workspace and some tips to share, comment below and you may be next in our  Open Studio Tour series!