fly me to the Moon...

Saturday I was floored. I stood before my Baron and Baroness and was asked a question that I knew my partner would be asked but never dreamed that I would have to answer as well.

I was asked to join our Baronial Arts and Sciences Order, the Order of the Moon. It is the first time I was recognized for my arts in the Society. Twice I have been awarded for my service, but never for my Arts. I do think I cried a little.

Thank you, to the Order, to my Baronage, and to the Barony as a whole. Thank you a thousand times over. I shall endeavor to deserve the accolades I have received.

Thoughts on War

Now that I'm home, all the laundry is done, and the scriptorium is set back up, I can sit back and think about Pennsic. (with coffee. always with coffee.)

First, I want to thank everyone who came to my classes. It was fantastic to see so many faces! Thank you all! I also want to thank the AEthelmearc Royal Encampment for hosting the scribal track. It was a beautiful space and very, very useful.

I was fortunate enough to make it to the Scribal Tea this year and I'd like to thank my fellow scribes for their encouragement and critiques. No one improves by only ever hearing about the good, and I truly appreciate that those who offered suggestions did so politely and helpfully. I was even more inspired by the works that were brought to show off! The SCA truly has an amazing group of artists in their ranks.

As I have in years past, I come home to my desk with a renewed creativity and drive toward accuracy.

To brushes!

A Viking AoA for an Embroiderer

gouache on pergamenata

This went out at  Great Northeastern War, and is one of the smallest I've done in a while. It's 5x7 total with a 1/2 inch framing border.

It's the most gold I've done on a scroll, and it's all gouache. It's not my best calligraphy but I'm happy that I found a documentable embroidery pattern to use for her scroll.

A Deed of Arms

Great Northeastern War, held in Malagentia every year, sees the field won by a fighter at a Deed of Arms. I was asked this past year to created the scroll - what I painted outlined the battles fought, the prize at each, and the victory at the end for the fighters.

When the Deed was won, each fighter and lady signed the scroll, and the victor's Arms were painted into the flag at the center bottom as his name was entered at the text at the top.

 

July Cover for the Pikestaff

German, 1468

Published!

I am grateful that the staff of the Pikestaff chose my art for the July cover, as July is my birthday month. It is a special present to see my work sent throughout the Kingdom.

He reminded me of a professor riding off to Pennsic, book in hand and ready to teach all within earshot.

It appears in the Pikestaff in black and white.

Flemish for a Silver Wheel

My latest scroll, influenced by the Spinola Hours:
gouache on perg

I took some liberties with color choices, mostly because I chose not to paint in the background on the panes. In the original the branches are much lighter in color - I tried this on a test piece of perg and decided that a deeper color would give the border effect I was going for. I found reference images in the Master of Mary of Burgundy Hours that supported deeper color branches and pulled inspiration from there for some of the bugs as well.

While the style of the branches and flowers are similar to the original, I also took artistic license and did not copy all the elements exactly.

The panes with thread and bowls of food are reflective of the recipients likes. Additionally, all the plants represented on the scroll, as well as all the bugs, can be found on the Scottish island of Rona.

Finding a passion

I've painted a fair number of styles of scrolls, mostly because I wanted to know what I really loved painting and what I really didn't love painting.

I've found a style that I completely enjoyed and it's glorious. Flemish, in the style of the Master of Mary of Burgundy Book of Hours, or the Spinola Hours (also affectionately called "squashed bug" in the scribal community) was the inspiration for my most recent scroll...

I didn't know I'd have so much fun painting this scroll. It was amazing! I loved the detail, I loved the style, I loved the colors, it was all so fun! Each little pane was a new challenge, a new little story to paint and moving around like that, from detail to detail, was the sort of creation I want out of scroll making.

Additionally, a HUGE thank you to the calligraphers in my life- I am for once really happy with how the calligraphy on this scroll looks and it's all because of you guys and your excellent instruction. seriously - thank you!!

One for a fencer

I know many fencers, and I've painted scrolls for people who do fencing, but until this one I hadn't painted a scroll for a fencer.

Check!

This was a fun one - simple but nice.  I've done elaborate and I wanted to know that I could do something with very little paint.  Turns out, yes. I look at this one and I know what I could change - what I'll do better next time. Mostly I think the font size is too big, but I'm a novice calligrapher and I'm chalking that up to rookie mistakes.  Really, I wanted to paint a rapier, and I'm happy with how that came out.

I left a lot more margin this time, so matting should be pretty easy for the recipient. This is almost square too, which is an odd format for me, but again - pretty ok with that since I wasn't using a predefined layout.

Some of my scrolls are definitely "copies" of period works - it's easy to look at the folio and say "yes, she used this one."  I find though that I like to change it up as well, to go a non-traditional route and steer away from the Books of Hours for a while and see what my mind comes up with.  I know the rules of layout, and with those in your arsenal it's easier to create instead of copy.

I love both methods of scroll creation, it's really just whatever I'm in the mood to do when I sit at my desk.

Byzantine scroll for a Silver Wheel

Byzantine is not my chosen time period, and not something that I have delved into painting from before - but I love a challenge so when I was asked to take on this assignment I jumped at it.

And then I went and talked to the only expert I know on this period, and Baroness Anna helped me tremendously! It would have taken a lot longer and I would have been a lot less sure of myself without her aid. (thank you!!)


The text is based on Kontakion One and Oikos One, and Kontakion Thirteen of the Akathist to the Theotokos, the illumination is 13th century Armenian

gouache and shell gold on pergamenata