Sand and Silver: Sculpture and Sand Casting in the SCA.

The following is from my documentation submitted at Northkeep's Winterkingdom A&S competition, 2026.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------- What tools and equipment did you use? & If you had to substitute a period material, was it a logical choice? Historically, Pissano was documented as using both blank ceramic disks, and blanks slate disks shaped to the thickness and diameter of his finished medallion. On this surface, he would then sculpt the raised details he wanted using bee’s wax. The final model would then be sand cast, where green sand (modern term) would be packed around the model in two halves, and then the model would be pulled out. The resulting impression would be used as a mold to cast bronze or brass. Low quality slate is easy to get, but also easily broken. I had several previous projects where I would spent 2 or 3 hours grinding and shaping a slate coaster, only to have a flaw in the slate catch and shatter the disk. Hi...

The following is the first part of my judging sheet submitted to the Northkeep Champion A&S competition, Winterkingdom, January of 2026.

Like I pointed out in another post , one of the things that surprised me the most about my medallions when I started entering them into competition was the question of 'but why did you make them this size?' I mean, seriously, where did that question come from?  It turns out that people put a lot of stock on how big Antonio's Pisano's medallions were historically. I would even argue that the interest is more than my own (and I'm a numbers guy, even on my laziest day). Its not that I don't care. I do. But there isn't some magic formula anyone used. These were not currency, and they did not use a precious metal that was regulated by the governments of the Italian peninsula (where Pisano lived and worked). There really were only three things that Pisano had to consider when selecting the size of his next project.  1. The wishes of his customer or patron. 2. The physical limitations of his shop. 3. Court Politics of the day (There were people you just did not wan...

One of the things that surprised me the most about my medallions when I started entering them into competition was the question of 'but why did you make them this size?' I mean, seriously, where did that question come from?  And, if people really want to know how I choose the size of my medallions, I'll lay out what I have for you.  For my first ever competition pieces, a made-on-site set of matching medallions for the Baronies of Bonwicke and Eldern Hills, the reason I chose the size I did was because I was a herald and I knew how to get people's attention. (Armory) heraldry = BIG , BOLD , and BUTCH .  I got the biggest blank I could pull out of my kit at the time and went to town on it. I wanted something that when I handed it to someone, their eyes went wide as saucers, and their jaws fell to the floor. No other reason. No subtlety. No deep psychological motive. My whole driving motivation behind that size of medallion was "mine is bigger", full stop.  The ...

 The following is a draft of one of my appetencies.  Pisano almost certainty knew about the technique of lost wax metal casting.  It is arguably the second oldest form of metal casting known to human kind, and is still used today in multiple industries and arts.  However, it is also an irrefutable fact that none of the metalwork that Pisano did as a famous and groundbreaking medalist had anything to do with lost-wax casting what so ever.  Why am talking about this?  Because the moment I say the words "Bees' Wax" in a class or presentation, someone jumps to 'oh, this must be lost wax casting then', and I then need to stop what I am doing and spend the next five minutes explaining that not only does this having nothing to do with lost wax casting, but that even mentioning lost wax casting only confuses people needlessly.  So for the sake of clarity, lets take a minute and set this misconception to rest.  Lost wax casting dates to some of the earlies...

So, a few weeks ago I was at Steppes Artisan, displaying my full medallion shop, answering questions, and even working on an upcoming piece. I had my complete shop  there, as well as all of the past medallion models I had cast from. The format of Artisan being what it is, the whole day is spent talking to people, some of whom are judges, and others are just interested bystanders.  One of the people who sat down to talk to be was Mistress Ælfwyn. We'd known each other from years before, though walked very different paths. She'd sat down at my shop and we'd spoken for just a few moments socially before she asked me a very interesting question.  Tell me, which one of these are you the most proud of? I sat there for a long moment, considering my answer. Honestly, it was probably longer than Ælfwyn has expected, too. Most artists probably have at least good idea of their best work, especially when they have all of their examples right there in front of them.  Then I ...