About Us
The Cunning Artificer began as one middle-aged engineering nerd's hobby, and somewhat escalated. Barry bought a second-hand 3d printer from a mate and had a bash at creating his own works of art. Naturally, this did not go to plan as the printer was clunky and unreliable, and so a bigger, better and faster printer was sought. Over time, the printers began multiplying (allegedly via parthenogenesis) and eventually they were taking over the house, alongside the massive array of weird and wonderful creations that Barry was now fabricating.
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He had never previously considered starting a business, but he needed to do something to prevent the tide of mini-figures and dice towers from engulfing the living room. His partner Lindsay took the reins in creating a brand for the venture and developing the unmistakeable vibe of The Cunning Artificer, and they began by finding local craft shops to stock their oddities, as well as local events.​​​​
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They run the business from their home near Guildford, which they share with their four fierce daughters, two idiot Spaniels and a ridiculous gecko.
Barry
Rocket Scientist
Barry spent 26 years as an engineer in the RAF, serving his country, mastering rocket science and learning how to iron his clothing really, really well. Having retired from duty in 2022, he now works as an aeronautical engineering instructor for a world-leading airline.
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He decided to buy a printer from a mate, as he wanted to make his own Mandalorian and Stormtrooper helmets*. Somewhere along the way, he accidentally started a business and the rest is history.
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He does not have any spare time, as every available moment is taken up with side-quests, extra jobs and elaborate and potentially dangerous projects. He is a part time spinning instructor, a drone pilot and an evil genius.
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*he still hasn't actually made the helmets...
Lindsay
Sidekick/Minion/Admin
Lindsay spent almost 20 years dealing with 999 calls for the local police, giving her excellent capabilities during emergencies, a low tolerance of people wasting her time and an incredibly dark sense of humour. She now works in safeguarding and compliance for a local non-profit supporting girls and young women with autism, which has somewhat restored her faith in humanity.
She has no prior experience in web design, sales or marketing, but she lives in the same house as Barry, thus making her the ideal candidate to look after the Cunning Artificer website, socials and branding.
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Lindsay enjoys photography, baking, audiobooks (particularly Terry Pratchett and Bill Bryson), live music (as long as it's Muse), being chauffeured around in Delilah and sneaky naps when she thinks nobody will notice. She rarely does all of these at once.
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Delilah
You cannot have a business without a company car. So we have Delilah, a 1943 Dodge Weapons Carrier. Easy on the tax, not so easy on the fuel, Delilah joins us at shows whenever we can feasibly cram her into our stall.
She is beautiful, stately and magesterial and we love her. If you see her at a show, pop over and ask us to sit in her!
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Underlings
We cannot forget or understate the assistance and support that we have received from our girls in launching The Cunning Artificer. Admittedly this has mostly involved them nicking stock before we get a chance to see it, but this has led to some robust product testing and ideas, so we can't complain too much. You may be even be unfortunate enough to be on the recieving end of a teenage glare from one of them if they are helping out at shows. We can only apologise.
Thanks, Witches. X​​​​
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