Award Winner - National Contest!

Tonight I found out that I won first-place in Polymer Cafe Magazine's texture contest (a.k.a. the "touchy feely texture challenge.") My Leafy Leah (a.k.a. Autumn Annie) entry merited a full-page photo (page 20) in the August 2009 issue. I went to my local Barnes & Noble bookstore tonight to buy up all 7 copies of the magazine. I plan to go to Michael's and Joann craft stores to buy up any copies they have. It'll be awesome to have this on display in my booth at upcoming shows. The editors quoted the description I submitted word-for-word (misspellings and typos are theirs, not mine); the wording is very silly, but good "catchy" alliteration.

Click the scanned image to see larger size.

However, I went to the Cedarburg Strawberry Festival today and discovered I did not win the T-shirt design contest. (The winner was a Cedarburg high school student.) Below was my entry for that, as well as a photo of the winning one.

Commission - Botanical Hearts

I was recently asked to create framed art as a retirement gift for a manager/director who has been at the company for 35 years. We wanted the piece to match her home decor and a mix of florals and "hearts" in honor of her last name (Hart). I made 2 versions with different coloring. Here's what I came up with. (Click images for more detail.) A 'Congratulations' and the 20+ names of her co-workers have been etched on the backside.

Irony of "Hand-Carved"

In preparing to put up my display at the "Crafter's Den" of the Antique Mall, I want to communicate to customers that my stuff is brand new -- not used, not "pre-owned," not an antique. I also wanted to communicate that that each-and-every piece is "hand-crafted" -- not mechanically reproduced by the hundreds or thousands. (Yes, I use my laser to help with mold-making/templates, but truly the design concepts are mine, I lovingly "shape" the clay original with my own 2 hands, paint every nook-and-cranny, and frame it myself.)

My husband pointed out the irony in the above wood "tag" sign -- that I used Adobe Illustrator to design and my laser to carve the lettering even though I'm saying "hand-crafted" for the rest of my stuff. Well, technically it's true.

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The Eagle Has Landed....

I finished framing my most "masculine" Harley-Davidson-esque design to date. Red, blue, silver, and gold. (I know, I know... I mixed silver and gold...a decorator's no-no). Anywhoo, I learned the hard way that I need to take photos without the glass, before sealing up the frame, to avoid glare. This was my first time using my new V-groover to cut a white line in the matte board. I had no idea what to call this piece... I ended up with "The Likes of Liberty -- Forget Not Freedom." I had wanted to include a quote by Abraham Lincoln ("If you deny freedom to others, you don't deserve it for yourself") but, in the end, just want the detail of the design to speak for itself.

Grand Opening (Virtually and Physically)

Not only does this week mark the debut of this blog, but this week marks the Grand Opening of my first retail gallery space! A dream come true. I will finally have a permanent location where I can showcase my handcrafted "carvings, castings, and cuttings" for display/purchase by the general public. The Fox Riverwalk Crafter's Den is a retail shop on Main Street in downtown Waukesha and my "space" will be on both floors -- in the stairwell and both 8-foot landing pads on each end, and next to the register on the lower level. All visitors will have to stroll by my artwork to get downstairs to see the other 50 artists/crafters.

The Crafter's Den is the lower level of the Fox Riverwalk Antique Mall, which has been in business for 7 years. Downtown Waukesha has experienced quite a "renaissance" in the arts since the revitalization project by the Business Improvement District. I'm very excited that my hometown is now considered an art destination (in addition to being the home of gold medal gymnast Paul Hamm, guitar legend Les Paul, and the BoDeans). The Antique Mall/Crafter's Den is centrally located next to the Waukesha Civic Theater (they share a wall). The place is huge (22,000 sq. feet) and has storefronts, entrances, parking, and registers in both the front and back of the store. The great thing is that it's open 7 days a week and I don't need to be there, except to update and maintain my display. The employees handle all the transactions and I just go online to check which items of mine have sold and replace them. (I'm trying to keep my expectations realistic, but I will be bouncing off the walls after my first items sells!)

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Logo Design

I've been working with the shop owner over the past few weeks to come up with a suitable logo for his new enterprise (the crafter's den). We bargained that I would help him with graphic design and signs, and he would give me a reduced rental rate on my space. Deal! The only "logo" he used for the Antique Mall portion of his business was the head of a fox. So I took that concept (since it's called the Fox Riverwalk Crafter's Den) and came up with a fox next to a flowing river. The owner loved the swirly effect of the water and the circular design that looks like an official seal.

The first item on the marketing agenda was to come up with this large banner (2.5 ft. x 4 ft.), which is being printed and should be up by next Monday, June 15 for the official opening. Do you like the cool summer colors? I'm not normally a fan of blue, green, and brown -- but somehow the design seemed to fit the purpose and the owner's tastes.

I had come up with a few other possibilities for flyers and other advertising, which I've posted below.