New Signage

Hey, nice banner! Well, after trying to find inexpensive and waterproof letters to create my own signage (and totally failing), it was easier AND cheaper to have my design made into a banner. I'm very happy with the results,( except the Velcro isn't holding well), but I'm working on that!

Ancient Chinese Secret...

Here's a story: about 4 years ago, I had just started leaf casting, and was deciding to actually make a small business out of it, when I went to a local arts and crafts festival. One craftsperson really impressed me- she made ornamental - gosh, I don't know what to call them- towers created by gluing old crystal bowls, platters, candy dishes, etc. into sculptures as tall as I am! The glue/adhesive she used was extremely strong plus was crystal clear- I could not tell they were glued at all! I asked the artisan what kind of glue that was. She answered," Oh, we had to research for a long time and had to try many different ones until we found this one. This will not yellow and is very permanent."

Hmmm, notice something? She never DID actually tell me what it was! Then it hit me (slowly, being new as I was to the art business) that of course, she would be stupid to tell me what she used - if I liked her product so much I may purchase one, but if she tells me what she glued them with, I would just leave and make my own! As I was in the process of doing the same thing, researching and testing different products (and already my work was

looking more refined than the usual leaf castings I had seen), I decided that was

going to be my policy - I was not training others to be my competitors! Of course, any one could do what I did and discover the same recipes and supplies I use, it's just that they have to put in the same effort I did! No one helped or trained me at all.

Certainly, that's not all there is to it - an old saying is you should welcome competition in your field - if you are really good at what you do, others will not be able to match the quality.

My casting...

...NOT mine! :o)

I do feel that way, but i also realize that while most of my customers understand and recognize the quality of my work, some do not! I have heard people tell me a dozen times, "Oh you must be the one whose work is in (store name), they look exactly the same!" When I check out the leaves they're referring to, I'm always shocked! They are either unpainted, rough cement, or colored with a quick wash of paint or stain! While they are kind of cool in their own way, they are NOT even CLOSE to what I do. so if someone can't tell the difference, they may buy someone else's leaf castings in place of mine.I guess that's the point of this post - I have been contacted by many people lately about my giving them tips on how to do their own leaf castings, and, although I feel bad, it ain't gonna happen! But this post is, I hope, a good explanation of WHY...

Things I Have Learned (About Working With Cement/Concrete)

First of all, I'm surprised that no one has yet told me "You do not work with CEMENT - Portland cement is just one ingredient in CONCRETE, which is cement with additives in it (sand, aggregate, latex, fortifier, etc.)". ....And they would be correct! - technically, my work is with concrete; I just decided that "cement" sounds better. Hey, a little artistic latitude, plus most people don't know the difference anyway, but I wanted to put that out there, to clarify the correct term and to prove that I actually know the correct term!

So, with that out of the way, I have to start right at the beginning, when I used my bare hands in the cement, no dust mask, etcetera! Oy. Finally started to research this material I was playing with, and discovered that it is definitely a little more involved than "mud". First, apparently cement can BURN skin on sensitive individuals (evidently I'm not one of those), and even if it does not, repeated exposure could result in the development of contact dermatitis, and that would NOT be good!

Repeated inhalation of the dust can also eventually cause Silicosis, and that is , well, here's what I found online -

"Silicosis is a disabling, nonreversible and sometimes fatal lung disease caused by overexposure to respirable crystalline silica. Silica is the second most common mineral in the earth's crust and is a major component of sand, rock, and mineral ores. Overexposure to dust that contains microscopic particles of crystalline silica can cause scar tissue to form in the lungs, which reduces the lungs' ability to extract oxygen from the air we breathe. Typical sand found at the beach does not pose a silicosis threat.
More than 1 million U.S. workers are exposed to crystalline silica. Each year, more than 250 American workers die with silicosis. There is no cure for the disease, but it is 100 percent preventable if employers, workers, and health professionals work together to reduce exposures.
In addition to silicosis, inhalation of crystalline silica particles has been associated with other diseases, such as bronchitis and tuberculosis. Some studies also indicate an association with lung cancer"

- Hmmm, looks like something I may want to avoid, eh?

.

Materials that contain crystalline silica:

Brick
Blasting abrasives
Concrete
Cement mortar
Granite
Sandstone
Slate
Mineral deposits
Rock and stone
Sand
Topsoil
Asphalt

Occupations that put workers at an increased risk of silica exposure include:
Construction
Demolition
Mining
Sandblasting
Stone masonry
Abrasives manufacturing
Agriculture (dusty conditions from disturbing the soil, such as plowing or harvesting)

(Oh, great; I'm a gardener, too!)

Glass manufacturing
Ceramics, Clay, Pottery (Pottery?!)
Railroad track setting, laying, and repair
Painting
Plumbing

Leaf Sandcasting

.

Okay, so I added that last one! But I'm pretty sure it belongs there!

Woo-hoo! Sorry, boys, I'm taken - hold yourselves back

Now, I'm quite certain that if you make 3 cast leaves for your garden, you do not need all that protection. But I'm going on 4 years now of working with that stuff almost daily, so I figure I'd better be safe than sorry. Still, everytime I develop any kind of cough, I start to think, "Oh, no! Silicosis!" (did I mention I'm sort of a hypochondriac?).

New Stuff!

One of the few larger Gunnera leaves I have, painted in more Autumn -like colors. Turned out very well!
...And since the summer is staying very cool this year, and my Lotus hasn't thrown very large leaves yet, I wanted something to substitute for now. I came up with multiple waterlily leaves, which is still an aquatic theme, but larger (and more awesome) than a single leaf! This is the only one I had so far, it sold within an hour at the last show, so I will be working on others, along with the Lotus.

Break Time (?)

For my second year there, Art On The Mall was consistently busy, with nice weather (too windy, but dry) and the event people and volunteers were exceptionally considerate and accessible. On the survey they gave me, I told them there was nothing I could see that they could have done better (...except maybe provided free ice cream? - hey, it's worth a shot! ). If I am still doing this next year, I am certainly planning to be back!

Sold all of my Lotus birdbaths- fortunately, looks like one of mine is finally starting to throw big leaves! I know what I'll be doing the next few weeks!

Nobody Warned Me This Would Happen

I really enjoy participating in art and craft fairs- of course, or I wouldn't do it! BUT, it never occured to me that, in order to be ready to go at 7:30 or 8:00 or 9:00 AM, you have to be starting at 5:30 AM or so! Not being any kind of an early bird (all they get are worms), I really dread climbing out of bed in the middle of the night. Coffee is my drug of choice on THOSE mornings!

THEN, half asleep and irritable, we get the dumb questions all day ( all artists/crafters get dumb questions, I'm sure they're different depending on what their art is)- "So, you make molds from leaves?" "No." "So you cast a leaf and make a mold from it?" "No." "So you Plaster of Paris a leaf and THEN make molds from it?" "NO! NO MOLDS!"

"So, is dese things ashtrays?" "No." (Does anyone even USE ashtrays anymore?)

" What are these made out of?" "They're cement." "Oh, so at what temperature do you fire these?" "They're not fired -they're CEMENT." "Are they dishwasher safe?" ... "Hey, my sister does pottery, too".etc...Sigh.

Actually, I don't normally get irritated, it's sort of humorous ( "let's count how many times we get THAT question"), and the people who end up becoming my customers rarely ask stuff like that, I've noticed. Come to think of it, though, I don't remember getting as many dumb questions when I was making jewelry...

Art On The Mall

...For the first time, I am now a "returning" artist! This will be the second year I will be set up here, it is a really nice, uncrowded show on the campus of the University of Toledo. Primarily, the artists are alumni of the University - I am not one of those, but they have accepted me there anyway! So I am a little proud of that fact! I just tell everyone I'm a "pretend" alumni! ;o)