Most recent piece and scribal kitten

I recently finished a new scroll for kingdom use based on the Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry - it's a horoscope page with some modifications for scroll use. There's about fifteen hours of work in this one, give or take. The most interesting part was those itty bitty horoscope signs in the border.

This was an interesting shape to work in for the calligraphy and required a bit of planning to get the text in properly and to fit. There's also a rather crazy amount of gilding involved, though that was, ironically, one of the easier steps. I modified the background of the border a bit as it was originally gilded, however I wanted more contrast and to cut back on the amount of gold leaf required and so I filled in the "background" of the border with gold gouache.

This one will be submitted to kingdom for use for a Triskele as a GoA level award.

In other news, scribal cat is scribal. This is one of my kittens, Shakespeare, who has decided to become involved in the scribal arts.

Here, he oversees Sarah looking through my new book. "I can has scribal nowz?"

And here: "Go call your laurel. Now." Apprentice kitten?

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Why we serve

Since becoming a peer, and particularly since becoming a landed baroness, there's often this moment where I go to take action and three or more people leap to stop me. Now, I have accepted that I will often not carry my own things - though this is sometimes difficult. I have accepted that I will often delegate a problem solved that I would have often taken care of myself - though this too is difficult. But there's a reason that sometimes at the end of feast James and I stealth off to the kitchen to grab pots and towels and dirty dishes. There's a reason sometimes we are found with coronets safely tucked aside as we move tent poles or hold stakes or wield a hammer, or why sometimes we even unload our own thrones from the car when there are hands nearby to help. There is a reason when people say "I want you happy at the event" that my response is always "I want the populace happy. We are here for you." Understand that it is not because we do not wish a...

The peer like quality of helping others be better

I was actually all set to write this before this weekend and had been pondering it since several moments and discussions at the Bay Area demo. Then my entire weekend rather stood on its head by my elevation being announced at court and its taken me a few more days to really be able to articulate this concept. The peer like quality of helping others be better people. Not many people really mention this as a peer like quality. I suppose it might fall under courtesy or chivalry or grace but I prefer to think of it in more in this mundane phrasing because it is, to me, the main purpose of peers. Yes there is advisement to the crown and teaching and service and inspiration and leadership and a bunch of organizational fu but it really struck me that all of that lends back to the purpose of helping people be better. Maybe it's the teacher in me but this concept is pretty darn important to me. Sometimes it happens by simple leadership by example - providing a good model for behavio...

And some art updates

This lovely lady is my newest sculpture piece and I'm very proud of her. She's been percolating in the back of my brain for some years now but I didn't feel comfortable attempting her until recently. I've been using paper clay a lot and I'm finding it was a real break through in my abilities, possibly because it forces me to slow down and really consider what I'm doing, pause, and rework as needed in stages. It's not a sort of "control factor" that polymer allowed and given my tendancy to rush and push, I think this really helped overall. I've been using paperclay for my masks for years - but the shift to art dolls and sculpts was a new one. I'm exploring some different themes lately in my dolls - lots of seasonal thoughts, but this is the first time I've ever created a pregnant figure as well. I'm, ironically, not pregnant in the least and my husband and I are waiting until we feel ready for that. However, several friends ...

Phoenix Feathers

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