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The Artists’ Unexpected Saviour: Storage in Hampshire
Tina Easton, glass artist, creates the most beautiful glass creations in fabulous colour, from small corporate gifts to massive, bespoke splashbacks for kitchen and bathroom.
She grew up in Sweden, but moved to the UK in 1995: she had fallen in love with John, an Englishman. Today they live in Hampshire with their two teenage sons.
What started as a try out during pregnancy, with a little starter kiln, just 12x12cm, lead to a thriving creative business, drawing not only on her own inspirations from Sweden (the sea and the stunning countryside and colours) but on customers’ own visions and needs.
That small kiln has now been joined by two bigger ones reflecting Tina’s success and the move to those amazing bespoke pieces, coveted worldwide. The largest of the kilns is 1.5 metres in all directions, and it weighs a quarter of a ton.
With three kilns in a garage and a house full of creative tools, Tina and John have made the decision to convert part of the house into a creative space for Tina’s work – a new studio. In this new space, she will have all of her work in one area, have a sales and exhibition space, and be able to deliver workshops to the many people who want to learn about glass and glass fusing.
It’s not just Tina’s creative life and business that will be improved by the new studio. Husband John laughs that they will get four rooms back in the house.
At easyStorage we are well aware that for artists, particularly those doing anything sculptural, this ‘artistic overspill’ is a common problem. But what has easyStorage got to do with an artist’s studio? (Apart from offering sound advice to artists from our easyStorage expert.)
While the structural work is being done, Jamie Domican, owner of easyStorage Hampshire, has taken the large kiln into storage for them, allowing the structural work to happen unimpeded by a large, heavy kiln in the way.
It was a case of three small, local businesses pulling together to support each other: Tina knew local farmer. His tractor was a lifesaver in terms of moving the heavy kiln from one spot to the next.
The kiln itself only just fitted into the easyStorage pod. Jamie had ensured that they only had one pod on the truck in case it had to load it loose – but it fitted perfectly, and according to plan.
As he says, at easyStorage we always find away!
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