Hi all,
I am looking for suggestions on types of stands and distributors for displaying my work at my upcoming shows. The platters and design pieces range from 6" to 14 1/2"
I am leaning towards acrylic but concerned about the strength for the larger pieces.
Any lighting suggestions as well would be much appreciated. all my shows will be indoors- I'm too much of a shorty to get those tents up
Hope all of you are having as sunny a day there as here. Hooray for the end of a loooong winter
Jeri ,no longer needing the kiln to stay warm
Seattle Pottery carries a nice assortment of plate and bowl stands... and many are inexpensive. Call and request their catalog. http://www.seattlepotterysupply.com/
Tony
The tightrope between being strange and being creative is too narrow to walk without occasionally landing on both sides..." Scott Berkun
They carry an assortment of sizes for acrylic easels. I use the larger V back ones for pieces up to 22" and they are very stable. I like the acrylic because they virtually disappear. If you want something that is a complement to the work...I would have those made up to fit the aesthetic of your work.
Halogen lighting and lots of it. I used track lighting you can get at home depot or the like. Four spots per track and four tracks mounted across the top on the pipes that form your booth (tape up with electrical tape or zip ties). If you don't have a frame around your booth I know you can find lightling that clamps to things. Kind of pricey, but attractive and versitile. With those you can spot each piece to it's advantage. Check out the distributors listed at the Crafts Report website. http://www.craftsreport.com
I buy my stands from Aftosa. They are acrylic and the largest will safely hold an 18" plate in moderate wind. I've never had one tip. Aftosa.com or 800-231-0397.
I bought my track lighting from Home Depot. Worth the money... your glass will look like a million dollars. Wish I could use them outdoors. Marc
I buy my plates tands from Aftosa. They are pricey for plastic, but work well. I HAVE had pieces blow over in fairly strong winds when in these stands. I put large plexi risers behind my work to cut down on winds and haven't had anything blow over outdoors when it was protected by the risers.
As for lights, I bought some halogen light from Home Depot. They work very well. Whatever you get, be sure they're halogen. They are closest to natural daylight.
Here's a few hints that I've learned about lighting at shows...buy the smallest fixtures possible. I bought big ones and they take up WAY too much room in my van. When I replace them, it will be with the small size ones.
Always carry extra bulbs in different wattages with you. Some shows have limits on the wattage you can use without paying extra...at one show I do, you pay like $50 for the first 500 Watts and it's like $70 for an additional 500 Watts. Yikes!
At one show I do, there is this guy we refer to as "the light police" who actually checks every booth to make sure we don't exceed our wattage. People who do must pay fines. I got myself into a bit of a hassel with him once because I use different wattage bulbs in my fixtures. He looked at the wattage of the bulb with the most wattage (90) that I use and multiplied that by the number of lights I had and decided I was way over my limit.
In fact, I wasn't because I use different wattages between 45 and 90 and had added up my wattage very carefully when installing the lights, but I had to prove to him I wasn't going over the limit.
As for being to short to put up a canopy, supposedly Light Dome canopies were designed for women to install. I have one and at 5'6" I can easily put it up by myself. I take a step stool with me to shows in the event I have to reach higher than I am tall. LOL.
Light Dome canopies are spendy...mine was over $1000 with all the options I wanted, but I've had it 3 or 4 years now and it's so much easier to put up than my old one. I couldn't put up my old one alone.
I've been seeing alot of people using their Light Domes at indoor shows over the last couple of years. They use them without the top to hang their lights and side drapes.
Thank you for the tip of Iron Wood Display. My husband has been making my stands, and they are beautiful, but they take 7 months to complete. I have marked their website in my "favorites", and will be calling them. That way we can keep the peace in our family.
Thanks all, I know I can always depend on this board for help! thanks again Brad