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The Æthelmearc Gazette

~ Covering the Kingdom of Æthelmearc of the SCA

The Æthelmearc Gazette

Tag Archives: Artisan profile

Artisan Profile: Robert l’Etourdi

19 Thursday May 2016

Posted by aethgazette in Arts & Sciences, Interviews

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Artisan profile, Robert l'Etourdi

The next in our series of Æthelmearc Artisan Profiles, from Meesteres Odriana vander Brugghe: Robert l’Etourdi.


Robert l EtourdiLike most long-time SCAdians, Robert l’Etourdi has dabbled in quite a number of things over the years: Quill pens, iron gall ink, ink research, fencing, working with period pigments, making English long bows, making arrows, teaching, learning how to make/shoot flat bows, learning how to make/shoot laminated recurve bows, making mead and ale, research of Asian calligraphic brushes, and making clothing. What he loves best, though, is making bows and arrows and brewing mead and ale.

“Since I started making meads it became recently very popular and is currently the fastest growing segment of the alcohol market” Robert informed me. “A good mead can take on the same complexity as wine”. When asked what his preferred mead to brew, he said that he prefers strong meads and mellomels (fruit flavored meads). The popularity of meads has made the general population more open to trying them when, in the past, mead was considered to be “strange” or reserved for, well, people who do medieval reproduction or attend Renaissance Faires.

The thing that Robert likes most about his work is starting with a bunch of materials and at the end of the project, having a real, working thing. “There’s a feeling of accomplishment that comes with building something that you don’t get with other things.” Robert also shared that he keeps his work fresh by choosing to not engage in activities that he doesn’t enjoy. It focuses his work and makes his hobby enjoyable over the long term.

The person who has most inspired Robert along his path as an artisan was the late Edward the Gray, who he calls a “major inspiration” and someone who he seeks to emulate in all that he does. The most fitting description of the kind of person Edward was is contained in Robert’s announcement of Edward’s passing, “[He] shared his knowledge of bow building, fletching and knife making with anyone who wished to learn. His spirit, even in his declining health never faltered. His joy when seeing a student successfully shoot a new bow that he taught him to make never dimmed.”

While Robert’s focus has been on brewing and archery, what he is best known for is his research into and teaching how to make quill pens. When I asked him how he got his start, he said “When [Mistress] Gillian was the head of the scribal guild in the Rydderich Hael she saw what I was doing and began to describe the scroll that I was going to be working on. It became my first assignment and the beginning of my scribal career.” It took two years to perfect the process that he uses for making quill pens, this is the process that he teaches to others. After teaching his quill class one Pennsic, a Sofer (a Jewish scribe who can transcribe religious writings) approached Robert afterwards to inform him that the process that he teaches is the process that the Sofer learned when he was learning to cut quills.

Robert’s dream project is to make a functional composite bow using all period materials. This is the kind of project that takes years and draws upon essentially all of Robert’s experience and skill. It’s the kind of project that takes a great deal of skill and passion, two things that Robert has in abundance. At this time, Robert does not have a website detailing his work, but he frequently teaches at Æcademy and Pennsic, depending on his availability.

 

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Artisan Profile: Angellino the Bookmaker

10 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by aethgazette in Arts & Sciences, Interviews

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Angellino the Bookmaker, Artisan profile

The next in our series of Æthelmearc Artisan Profiles, from Meesteres Odriana vander Brugghe: Lord Angellino the Bookmaker.


Angellino the BookmakerFor this month’s Artisan Profile, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lord Angellino the Bookmaker. During his years in the SCA, Angellino has done a little bit of everything: Fighting, marshaling, archery, thrown weapons, shopping, dancing (at least once), bardic arts, and the scribal arts. Despite his diverse experiences, his focus is on the scribal arts and running the Inter-Kingdom Scribal Guild (INKS Guild) with Lady Ylaire Sainte Claire and THL Ursula of Rouen.

What is your background? Specifically, did you attend school to learn your art or did you come to your art through the SCA or some combination of the two?

I mostly scribbled with pen and pencil back in high school in favor of actually applying myself. (don’t just stay in school kids but pay attention, it’s worth it). I had all but left art that behind in my adult life prior to joining the SCA. I had gone to a couple of scriptorium events in the Shire of Sylvan Glen when Marija Kotok mentioned that AE was always looking for new blank templates and I thought “I can do that”. I owe being a scribe entirely to her because she was the person who set me on the path. My first tentative steps were quaint, looking back. Each time I’d finish a template, like it or not, I’d paint it anyway (just to prove it could be turned into a scroll) then think “I can do better than that.”  The process still holds to this day.

Can you tell me a little bit about the INKS Guild?

This is a group that I had the idea of creating and my wife, Lady Ylaire, supported me in creating. THL Ursula is the administrator for the guild and is an essential part in its success. It’s a collective of scribes from 3+ Kingdoms that do scroll blanks for whatever Kingdom needs them. We use a facebook group to coordinate with each other.

Currently we’re finishing up a package for Atlantia but instead of blanks we’re doing 10 backlogs for Atlantian kids.

What inspires you?

All kinds of stuff. I comb through art both modern and historic. It’s surprising sometimes what I pick up and think “I can use that.”  Sometimes it’s just the way they turned a small line, added a brush stroke, two colors sitting next to each other or even how they went from nose curvature to eyebrow on a face. It’s all about breaking down what I’m looking at, how they layered the paint, spatial relations, shading or not, blending, any and all combinations of everything on the canvas. Taking it as a whole then drilling down and examining the pieces.

What work do you most enjoy doing?

All of it. Creating something from nothing scratches a very special itch for me that nothing else can compare. I know we’re a historical re-creation based society but I’m in it for the art part WAY more than I’m in it for the historical part.

What memorable responses have you had to your work?

For the most part, I don’t get a lot of feedback/responses to my work and I kind of like it that way. I like my art to speak for itself and I’m not doing this for recognition. All I ever want to hear about a scroll going out is if the recipient liked it and I can usually get that from a friend who was in court when it was given out.

I will say though, as part of the INKS guild, I had a scroll end up being awarded to a lady in The East Kingdom (Connecticut). I’d never had a scroll go so far before and she sought me out (with no real connection between us) through the web to ask if I would blazon her AoA and paint her device on it. She’d been in the SCA for quite some time and had never gotten her AoA [scroll]. She was excited and pleased with my work and wanted me to complete the scroll so she sent it back to me to put her device on it. It was like having a pen pal in another country! (which I guess it was when you think about it)

What research do you do?

I’m more obsessed with the art part than the historical part. I comb over picture after picture looking for new and unusual things to make something different for the recipient. Rarely a day goes by that I don’t squirrel something away in a folder on my computer with a thought of “I think I can take that style and make something new out of it”.

 How have your work practices changed over time?

I’m a structured planner sort of person. So, when I first started, I sat down and logically thought out how best to take something digital and move it to a finished state on paper. My general process has changed little since I’ve started; mostly what I change is style, pushing myself to draw stuff I’m not good at drawing (people and animals!) and try to put something new into every piece I do.

Who inspires you (either inside or outside of the SCA)?

Everything and everyone. I’m always looking through what other people are doing (both in and out of the SCA scribal circles). Deconstructing, trying to see what someone did to create an end piece. Everyone comes at scribal differently, everyone has something to bring to the table.

What is your dream project?

My next project, definitely. Have I shown you pictures? I’ve got this crazy idea and I’ll get it done in two weeks!!! Honestly, I drive everyone around me nuts talking about “my next big thing” that will never live up to the expectations in my head but darnit, in my head at least, it’s gonna be the freakin’ Mona Lisa! Only to mope at every errant brush stroke or every paint mix that didn’t dry to the color I wanted or didn’t have the right shading but that’s ok cause have I told you about my next project? It’s going to be 3-D and have unicorns and one hundred and seventy different colors.

If you would like to see Lord Angellino’s work, please visit his Deviant Art page.

If you would like to participate with the INKS Guild or learn more about it, please visit their Facebook page.

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New Gazette Series: Artisan Profiles!

22 Tuesday Dec 2015

Posted by aethgazette in Arts & Sciences, Cooking, Feast, Food, Interviews

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Artisan profile, Artisan Profiles

The Gazette is starting a new monthly series profiling artisans throughout the Sylvan Kingdom. Meesteres Odriana vander Brugghe has kindly offered to take the helm with the interviews; the Gazette is happy to introduce our new columnist! We encourage everyone to nominate artisans for the column; contact information can be found at the end of the article.


JennWhat is your SCA name and persona?
Meesteres Odriana vander Brugghe is a resident of Bruges in the year 1593. She has spent her entire life in Bruges, even living in The Princely Béguinage Ten Wijngaerde for a few years in her teens and early twenties. She chose to leave the grounds of the Béguinage when she married and now resides near the center of town where her husband teaches music. They have a daughter.

How long have you been in the SCA and what was your first event?
I have been in the SCA 27 years. I don’t remember the name of my first event and spent all but a few minutes in the kitchen. I do remember that my boyfriend at the time (Lord Raphael Anton de la Talbot) got his AoA at that event. I spent the first few years in the SCA hanging out with Lady Adriana Ramstar and a chunk of people from CMU.

What is your main area of study or focus in the SCA?
Food History.

You’ve been involved with A&S on an official level – what did you do and what did you like about it?
I have been privileged to serve as a Baronial A&S Minister in the BMDL, as Deputy Kingdom A&S Minister, and as the Chancellor of the Æcademy. I always saw my role as being one of creating a space or environment where people could then grow, and change that environment as they needed for them to be successful and to grow. I wanted to be sure that artisans had the opportunities that they needed because my jobs as Deputy KMoAS and Chancellor of the Æcademy were about supporting and nurturing A&S in the Kingdom.

My favorite part of all of those jobs was the opportunity to interact with more people than I ever would have if I had not served in those offices. Seeing the extent of how talented and creative people are in Æthelmearc solidified my belief that what we have in our Kingdom is matchless in its quality. I started doing Artisan of the Month when I was Deputy KMoAS because I wanted to share as much of the talent I was seeing as I could.

How has research changed since you joined the SCA?
I can really only speak to my specialty. I joined in 1988 so there wasn’t nearly the amount of historical food information available that we have now. Primary resources were something that you only got to see if you were traveling to Europe and made contact with a museum or were fortunate enough to already be in an academic or professional field that allowed access to those kinds of documents. Now, since there are so many primary sources available, the base knowledge of your average medievally inclined SCA cook is much broader and deeper than it was 25 years ago.

Because there is so much information available, it allows the SCA cook the ability to delve into different aspects of medieval cooking and feasting, including the medieval palate and how it differed from modern palates. Being able to focus on execution of recipes and broaden our areas of research changes how we as cooks perceive medieval food and we can then share that with others. Sharing these insights into the medieval palate forges a stronger relationship with the cuisine and, in my opinion, strengthens our understanding of medieval life in a way that would have been harder to do 20 to 25 years ago because we were just struggling with getting basic information and incorporating that into what we do as cooks.

A lot of people are scared off by the term “documentation.” What advice would you give to take away the fear?
Documentation is my favorite thing in the world. I love research and I love putting together all of the pieces of information in written form. Documentation is merely putting together all of your research in a logical fashion to demonstrate what you know about medieval process and explaining your own process in a logical way. If you have taken one university-level course, you already know the basics of academic writing, which is about half of what you need to know to write solid documentation.

There shouldn’t be fear because you’re relaying information you already know and sharing conclusions you’ve already drawn. It’s like showing your work in math class, you’re just walking someone else through the steps so that they can understand what you did and glean what you learned and know about the particular item or art. Think about it as writing down what you say when you’re all excited about something and sharing the cool thing that you learned while you were reading something. Clearly, there is a bit more to it, but at its core, that’s exactly what documentation is – you being excited and knowing stuff.

What are some things people can do to encourage the arts in our Kingdom?
Filmmaker and writer Kevin Smith made an important point about encouragement in the arts that resonates with me and certainly applies to what we do in the SCA, “It costs nothing to encourage an artist and the potential benefits are astounding. A pat on the back to an artist now could one day result in your favorite film…or the song that saves your life. Discourage an artist and you get absolutely nothing in return, ever.”

To encourage an artist, it can take as little as leaving a personal token with their A&S entry to let them know that you were there and you saw their stuff or taking a moment to find someone whose work particularly reached you to let them know what they did made a difference to another person. What it takes on your part is showing up – taking a moment out of your event to look at the entries in the A&S display and then follow up on that however you’re comfortable (not everyone is comfortable with face-to-face contact).

If you want to take things to another level, offer to coordinate an A&S display at a local event – create the space for artisans to show off how cool their stuff is. Attend your next local schola or Æcademy – knowing that someone is interested in what you do or what you have to say about your art can make a huge difference for someone. If you’re feeling ambitious, put in a bid for an A&S event (either Kingdom or local) in order to showcase the artisans in your area – if you are interested in ideas for A&S events, please contact me, I have a handout that I can send you, or if you prefer a conversation, let me know that and we can speak by phone or in person (depending on your location).

The most important step is to show up and take a moment to acknowledge what you’ve seen. It costs nothing to show appreciation and you never know when even the smallest gesture will make a massive difference to someone else.

Anything else?
I’m so excited to be doing profiles on the artisans in Æthelmearc again. I’ve said it before and will say it again (and again, and again): I believe that the artisans and scientists in Æthelmearc are the best in the Known World. I am continually inspired and thrilled by what I see in A&S displays, at Pennsic, and at Ice Dragon – at every level. I’ve seen work done by someone who bught something to their first event that inspired me just as much as work done by someone who has been working in their art for decades. We just seem to attract talented people.

How can people contact you to be part of the Artisan Profiles?
I prefer email (jenn.strobel@gmail.com). I encourage recommendations. I travel more than I used to, but can’t be everywhere and know everyone. Also, do not assume that you have to have an A&S award to be profiled. Passionate beginners are just as interesting and worthy of writing about as experienced artisans.

 

 

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