Thursday, April 22, 2010

Lady Artisan Flask Funnels

Today I worked on a silicone mold that needed to be repaired for the third time! I now know why the mold is tearing so this time the repair should last.






Lady Artisan Flask Funnels are quite popular. They are a visually pleasing way to be certain not to lose your good spirits as you fill your flask. These Flask Funnels are designed so that you can hold the flask and funnel in one hand as you pour with the other.

The Dragon Flask Funnel has an imperfection in the narrow tube section of the funnel that rips the mold as the cast metal is removed from the mold. This happens after about 20 castings. To fix this permanently took several steps.
  1. I worked on a cast Dragon Funnel, not the original sculpture, using wax to fill in a tiny hole that catches on the silicone when the sculpture is removed from the mold.
  2. I put the cast Dragon Funnel back into the mold.
  3. New silicon was poured into the damaged area of the mold.

If this repair works the mold will provide castings for years to come. If it does not prove resilient then I plan to replace the problematic part of the silicone mold with steel.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Lady Artisan Preparing For New Shows.

Today I spent most of the day preparing to apply to several excellent Renaissance Festivals.
  • The paperwork is filled out.
  • The photographs are developed.
  • Hard bound presentation binders are purchased.
Now I have to put the presentations together.

Lady Artisan may join:

The process to join a Renaissance Festival can take years.

  1. The festival must determine that your work is a good fit for this venue.
  2. A need for your media is essential. Too many artists of any one media are not allowed.
  3. Someone needs to leave the festival so there is room for a new artist.
  4. The location that is available needs to be the right one for your shop. Festivals do not put artists of similar media, style, or product close to one another.

I will keep you informed as I find out which shows have a place for Lady Artisan Sculpture.

May the pursuit of your dreams be all that you wish it to be!

With Love,

Lady Artisan

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Lady Artisan Travels

It has been a few months since I have posted a blog. Major changes in the life of this artist have been in process. Many of you are aware of how I have been altering my life to that of a full time traveling artist.

Currently I am in Texas, at Scarborough Faire. It is a lovely faire and I hope that all of my Texas Patrons will stop by and say hello, and those from other states are able to travel down to this festival. It has been a delight to visit with you who have already stopped by! Remember that I keep ice on hand for your bodice cooler and flask. They really are heaven in a bottle!

Traveling across the country, living away from home, and learning to work on the road is a huge transition. I am still adjusting but love the change of lifestyle. As I have always said, the Festival is a fantastic venue because I am able to meet you my patrons and spend time with you. Now I will be able to do that year round.

From Scarborough expect to see Lady Artisan in Colorado. A place in Colorado is pending. After Colorado I will be back in Minnesota for the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Then the plan is to return to Texas for TRF. A place at TRF is pending. Hopefully this year Arizona can find a place for my booth. Other state festivals are in the plans and I will let you know where I will be as contracts are finalized.

Today I prepared photographs and applications to new shows across the country. One of the adjustments to being on the road is that the vendor I need may not be in the area. Many photographs of my art are not cropped to standard dimensions. They are cropped to display the art at its best. Many photo finishing outlets cannot print a photograph that is not a standard size without cropping out vital parts of the photograph. Tomorrow I will resume my search for a lab that can do the job. A trip to Dallas may be required.

May all of your dreams be just what you wished for!

With Love,

Lady Artisan