The D. King Studio News - Fall 2008

Fall 2008

A GIFT THAT LASTS A LIFETIME The holidays are coming upon us quickly, and many of us will be searching for an out-of-the-ordinary gift for someone special – something that not only says “I love you a lot”, but one that will continue to say it for many, many Christmases to come. Here’s a suggestion ... Heraldry, the tradition of creating and illustrating coats of arms, family crests, personal logos and identification devices, is an ancient and highly specialized art form, and one in which Don is trained and certified.* Over the past seventeen years, he has created and/or illustrated unique devices of all kinds for discriminating clients who are seeking to begin or perpetuate a heraldic tradition in their families.

that everyone whose name is Smith, for example, is entitled to claim the Smith coat of arms for his or her very own. In fact, when one orders a coat from one of these entities, an actual coat design of some sort, which was at some time in the past actually granted to someone named Smith (or something similar, Smythe, for instance) is provided. However, the likelihood that the original recipient was an actual forbear of the purchaser is practically nil. Don’s approach in designing an original coat for you and your family is based upon a personal knowledge of who you are – your profession or avocation, your interests and recreational pursuits, your family genealogy, roots and peculiarities. Your favorite colors, ambitions and passions can also provide insights. Only after acquiring an understanding of who you are will Don proceed to create a coat of arms that represents a sort of personal portrait of you and your family. This way you will have a genuine family coat of arms that will be treasured by you and yours for succeeding generations. If you’re interested in the idea, but are after something a little less elaborate, perhaps a family crest would be appropriate. The crest is that portion of a coat of arms that sits on top of the shield, usually but not always perched upon a helmet of some sort. The crest usually relates in some way to a particular event in the life of the bearer or his/her family, and so can represent you in a very unique way without the more elaborate full coat.

There are a number of mail-order companies from which a “coat of arms for your family name” may be obtained. These companies profit from the mistaken popular assumption (reinforced in their advertising)

If you are one who already has a coat of arms, however obtained, Don can provide a hand-painted, archivallyframed illustration, complete with real gold or silver if appropriate, of the device, thus elevating it from just another graphic-on-the-wall to a valued piece of original and unique art. * The Heraldry Society of England, 6 December 1991

CHRISTMAS IS COMING - THE GOOSE … … is getting fat, and Don's calendar is filling up! Whether it be a unique, hand-designed holiday card or a oneof-a-kind personal gift, Don is ready and willing to put his calligraphic and illustrative skills to work to make the coming season brighter for you and yours. It may be a sort of revelation to many, but it's a practical fact that an appropriate Christmas gift probably shouldn't be centered around the holiday season. A gift with a Christmas or Hanukkah or New Year theme is likely to not be displayed except during that time of the year, so the theme of your gift should probably be based upon something that will be applicable the year around – a favorite verse, a treasured poem or bit of wisdom for example. It seems that everyone has, in their jewelry box, their wallet or a corner of their purse, a clipping

or scrawl on a piece of paper, some words that have at some time in the past touched their hearts. At the time, the thought in your mind was that, "this is important, heart-stirring or poignant enough that it needs to be presented in some special way for others to benefit from." Well, now is the time to dig it out and give Don a call. One-of-a-kind framed calligraphic art is his forte'. Whether small and personal, large and ostentatious, or somewhere in between – for a bedroom or a living room, for a home, an office, or a corporate lobby, Don has been creating heart-stirring and tear-generating things for his clients for over twenty-six years. He can do the same for you. Call or e-mail right away, and get on his calendar while there's still time.

THE SCRIBAL ARTS OF THE MIDDLE AGES The period called “The Dark Ages” of what is now Western Europe were anything but dark. I suspect that the term grew out of a perceptual comparison with the period of the Renaissance, when “the light of learning returned to the continent.” Actually, the story of the period and the area, from Roman dominance in the time of Christ to the advent of movable type in the fifteenth century, is a colorful tapestry of warring traditions, cultures, languages, ideas, survival, politics, learning and, most important to me, the creation of many wonderful manuscripts. As all-consuming as the Roman Empire was, its influence stopped at the Irish Sea in the west and at the walls of the papal enclave in Rome. Within the relatively safe environs of Ireland and the Pope’s pre-Vatican offices the books and manuscripts which recorded the history and culture of western civilization were preserved and reproduced. About fifty years before the “official” end of the western Roman Empire in 476, St. Patrick was dispatched by the Pope to bring Christianity to Ireland, and about the same time, St. Benedict began establishing monasteries all over Europe. Among the primitive Germanic tribes – Gauls, Celts, Picts, Franks, Goths, Vandals and many others – they laid the groundwork for the building of places like Monte Casino, Luxuiel, Iona, Kells, Lindisfarne, Chartres, Tours, Durrow, Cluny, and Corbie. In the scriptoria of these centers of learning, using uncial, the “official hand” of the Roman Catholic church, were reproduced the documents of poetry and prose, Gospels and songs and histories that had been preserved from the violence of centuries of tribal warfare and Roman invasion. Limited communications resulted, over many scores of years, in many unique interpretations of the classic Uncial, and so were born such variants as Merovingian (after the mythological founder of the Frankish Empire), Visigothic (Aquataine and Spain), Beneventan (from Monte Casino), Luxuiel Script (Burgundy), Insular (from Ireland) and many more. Most of these are longextinct, many forced into obscurity by Charlemagne’s standardization efforts during his reign from 768 to 814. In addition to his Carolingian script, there are three which have survived to be included in the essential repertoire of the contemporary scribe – Uncial, Half-Uncial and Insular Versals. In the Spring, at Meredith College, I will be offering a ten-week, one-evening-a-week course with the above title. We will take a historic and calligraphic look at this fascinating period, and will achieve, with some effort, a basic knowledge of how to write these alphabets. Details to follow. I hope you’ll join me! — Don King