Outer Sunset resident Asima Arif has debuted Earthfire Arts Studio, a "drop-in" ceramics studio and event space at the corner of Judah and 10th Avenue that will eventually offer classes and art exhibitions.The storefront had its soft opening last week, but an official event is scheduled for January 17th to mark the grand opening. "We're going to have some celebrations, some food, and you can paint a tile on the house," she said.
"By schooling, I'm a chemical engineer," said Arif. "Art has always been a passion, and I paint, but I wanted to do a small business for a long time." After a friend opened a ceramics studio in Burlingame in the 1990s, Arif said she discovered her affinity for the medium. "When I was thinking about what to do, it made sense to do something I really love."
Besides Noe Valley's Terra Mia, Arif said hers is the only ceramics studio in the city. "I don't understand why a place like this would only have one, so that's what led me to pursue this," she said. "I've been looking for a space in the city for almost two years, and it just felt right. The layout was good, and it's a neighborhood that I think could use a space like this. And it was close to home."
Until May, the space was home to a discount tobacco store; so far, Arif said the N-Judah stop outside her front door has brought in early customers, along with curiosity from her new neighbors.
Today, customers can purchase a range of clay forms called bisque ware. "You can come here and paint it however you like, then we fire it here," said Arif, gesturing to stacks of bone white plates, mugs, figurines and other items that line her new shelves. "We also have clay if you wanted to mold it, but we don't have pottery wheels because that's a different kind of studio, very messy. I didn't see that as a good fit here."
After a customer paints and decorates bisque ware items to their liking, Arif fires them in a brand-new kiln tucked into a rear corner. The oven takes up to six hours to reach its highest temperature. "It can go up to 2,300 [degrees Fahrenheit], but the firings I'm doing go up to about 1,800," said Arif. "I am going to bring glass fusing soon. You take a flat piece of glass, and then you can add little bits of colored glass, put it in some kind of mold, and it slumps and fuses."
"Once you leave it here, we glaze it with a transparent glaze that makes it glossy and seals it in. If it's a mug or a plate that you're going to use, you should definitely use that, but it's food safe anyway," she said, noting that a final glaze preserves vibrant colors and protects items from wear. "You can pick them up a week later."
In coming months, Arif said she'll expand to offer jewelry-making and plans to eventually include drawing and painting classes. Arif, who recently completed a teacher training program from the Iyengar Yoga Institute, also wants to offer yoga classes, part of an overall effort to create a new community space. Earthfire Arts Studio is also available for adult and children's parties, private rentals and corporate events. "It's always been popular with kids, but it's really fun for adults," said Arif.
When we spoke, Arif's kiln was cooling down after her last firing before Christmas. Giving customers their completed pieces is one of her favorite parts of her new business, said Arif. "It's just a delight to see the whole creative process and then when people come back and get their pieces and are like 'Oh, wow; this is really nice!'"
If you'd like to stop by today for some holiday cheer, Santa Claus will be making a stop at the studio from 3:30-6:30pm:
Earthfire Arts Studio is located at 438 Judah Street and is open from noon to 9pm, Tuesday through Sunday.
