I do SCA A&S: within that, my areas of interest are medieval lighting, medieval scroll painting, gilding (illumination), caligraphy, blacksmithing, knife/weapon smithing, jewelry (mainly chains), casting, some carving, and a little wood carving…and maybe a little of this and that. I also enjoy many other non-SCA things, so I feel I need to include them in my blog. So, going forward, I will be posting things other than SCA “stuff” since, to be honest, I am burned out on the SCA and have yet to find something to really inspire me to jump back into it. For now, it is a major effort to do any type of craft.
I have always enjoyed gardening, flowers, trees, and anything that requires a green thumb. With that said, I have a love for Orchids that has been suppressed for many years, and am now finally getting into it with more frequency and enjoyment. You will see more pictures of my orchids and any tips and tricks I may have for growing them. I am also going to use this space to keep my notes on the various orchids I own, since each one has its own lighting, feeding, temperature/moisture, and planting media requirements, and I may need to alter the things I do to my plants to keep them happy and healthy.
I also love all things whiskey, so I will be posting more on that as well.
Not much has been going on in my little corner of the world since I last updated my page…other than being elevated to Laurel almost two weeks ago; doing a Knighting scroll in under two weeks; a scroll or two; and some cut work scrolls for HRM Elizabeth. Oh, and I stepped down as the Baron of Twin Moons Signet (didn’t even know I was as the Signet, did you?).
So, to put things in order…
I briefly stepped up as the Signet for the Barony of Twin Moons. The old Signet had some health issues, and there were no other available volunteers, so I took the job. I cannot say it was fun while it lasted, since it did add unnecessary stress to my life. There was a lot of calligraphy and a few scrolls to do, and it just made my personal life a bit overwhelming, so I decided it was time to step down.
Just when life was slowing down again, my wife and I were requested to do a Knighting scroll. Originally, it was just going to be me, but with a short deadline and a lot of things to do, my wife stepped in on the creative side and designed most of the scroll and helped with some of the painting. It was a collaborative effort that kept us up past midnight for two weeks; painting was finished with just 2 days to spare. The calligraphy, in its entirety, was finished the night before the elevation (about 5 hours from start to finish).
Sir Atzlers Knighting Scroll
I also had a scroll that I had sitting around for someone with a specific persona in mind. That opportunity presented itself, and I was able to find a Cyrillic-to-English font approximation that was exactly what I was looking for.
And then there were the Queen’s Cyphers that I was tasked to do. Given that my preferred style of scrolls is cutwork, and I had recently found evidence of 14th-century cutwork scrolls, I had the perfect opportunity to do a little paper cutting (19 scrolls in total, including calligraphy).
And finally, I was recognized as a Laurel at the Kingdom of Atenveldt’s Meet the Masters A&S event on Saturday, April 19, 2025. TRM Morgan and Elizabeth asked the question, and since I had previously indicated that any more peerage offerings did not require a vigil, I was given a shotgun ceremony. It is a good feeling when they call for the Laurels, and everyone cheers with excitement. What amazes me more is that I always figured my wife, Tinka, would be aware of my elevation; she was not until a slip of the tongue about a week out from my elevation. By then, it was too late, and my friends had come together to make sure I had the accoutrements of the rank (cowl, medallion, and Laurel wreath). It makes me a little teary when I think about my friends coming together to do this for me.
So all in all, despite all the crap going on in the world, in my little corner I am having a pretty good time. I have achieved the 2 things I have set out to do in the SCA; anything else will be icing on the cake. I will not become a dissa-“peer”…I have too much artwork to create and too many memorable battles to be won.
Wow! It has been almost a year and a half since I last posted. In my defense, I have added a few additional scrolls to my list of artwork. I have projects that I have started and have put on idle; projects that I want to start, but lack the motivation to do so; and then I have some projects that I am working on so slowly that you could almost say they are on idle as well. I need to find motivation to get these things done so I can move forward with other projects. Maybe I am just bored with life? Maybe this or maybe that; I just need to get off my butt. I need to start working on things again. Only time will tell. I do have some important dates coming up where I must complete some projects, so maybe soon I will have something to show.
Until then, as always, thank you for looking at my site
Thank you to everyone who attended my Birka Chain, Type 6 class; I hope you enjoyed it (Atenvelt A&S Collegium, 14OCT23). I will have a multi-part video of how to create the chain from start to finish posted in a few weeks (I am planning on ordering an overhead USB video camera shortly so I can do demo videos of some of the artwork I do). I am also planning to post a living document of my class handout (here) (it needs more refinement and further documentation…as of late, I have been successful in finding documentable sources for this type of jewelry).
I also would like to reference Mistress Fiona and Master Balderich Balderbane. Mistress Fiona, I learned over this past weekend earned her Laurel in doing this type of chain work. She is using much smaller links, works mainly in solid silver, and her art is leaning more towards the Greek side of things. Master Balderich makes the traditional Viking wire-weave necklaces as well as the terminals (finials). He occasionally teaches classes in both subjects.
Sterling Silver, 31″ in length, wolf-head terminals. 20g wire and 11.5mm diameter ring size
Copper, 29″ in length, spiral terminals. 20g wire and 11.5mm diameter ring size
Sir Seved Ribbing, SCA 