[Artemisia] Scroll Discussion(Long)

[Sean Oppenheimer]

It seems the time is more than due for us to add to this discussion.
 
For all those aspiring artist who wish to practice their hand in the arts of calligraphy and illumination, please be assured that we welcome your efforts.  There is plenty of room in our court for your best efforts regardless of your level of experience.
 
There is an assertion being made here that we will accept nothing less than A&S competition masterwork scrolls to be presented in our court.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We are well aware of the great labor and the emotional (perhaps even spiritual) commitment that an artist puts into whatever their chosen craft may be.  Those who make scrolls for our court do indeed hold a special place in our hearts for their efforts to make our dream of being King and Queen a reality.  Being able to recognize the populace for their works is one of the best perks of this job (perhaps some of our Royal Peers can attest to this).
 
In my reign as Prince of Artemisia we had some scroll templates made that were intended to be photocopied and painted.  At the time this had seemed a reasonable effort to make sure that each award we handed out had a scroll to go with it.  But, that time was A.S. XXXI.  We are no longer a Principality.  The arts and sciences across the board have advanced tremendously since we became a Kingdom.  Among many other things, we now have easy access to much better techniques and yes, more period materials.  Our Kingdom is blessed to have a vast army of scribes who take great delight in teaching others to do calligraphy and illumination.  With these advancements in the scribal arts we are now able to present original artwork when an award is given.
 
As Dame Thea mentioned earlier, over the past five years the Crowns of our Kingdom have all had a Royal Scribe.  Through the efforts of these scribes, the number of awards presented without an original scroll has been greatly minimized.  And a vast majority of those scrolls have been with materials that are consistent with our standards.
 
 
Challe Carter noted:
 
“I would imagine that if I saw the actual scrolls in question, I may feel differently on the subject. Where I on the throne, I may not want to hand them out either.”
 
This is an excellent point.  And we thank you for recognizing this.  We firmly believe that our Kingdom has moved beyond the need for photocopied scrolls that have been colored in with felt tip markers.  There were several scrolls in the royal scroll case that represent a standard that we wish to move past. 
 
The cost of proper illumination materials has received a great deal of emphasis in this discussion.  Crayons, magic markers and colored pencils are certainly cheaper to use than more period materials.  But, the suggestion that proper materials are beyond even the most basic means is simply not accurate.  And I think we can all agree that cheaper is rarely better.
 
 
And while it has already been addressed, we are compelled to remind everyone that these standards come from Ourselves, the Crown of Artemisia.  It seems that the Heirs to the Gryphon thrones wish to adhere to a similar standard, as is their right.  Our desire in this matter has been presented, on Our behalf by Our Royal Scribe, Duchess Caryn von Katzenberg, premier Laurel of Artemisia and a renown authority on Medieval calligraphy and illumination.  Her words on this subject should be given the same consideration as if those words came directly from Our hand.
 
 
For those who have provided scrolls for our reign thus far, and those who wish to contribute further to this cause, we extend to you our most heartfelt thanks.  We have yet to turn away an artist who has presented us with their best efforts.  And we have presented scrolls from novices and experts alike.
 
Should anyone have questions regarding the standards which we wish to promote, we would suggest to you that a message to our royal scribe, asking for clarification of these standards will be much more productive than posting to the list with broad assumptions of our desire to stifle the great artists of our Kingdom.
 
 
Best regards to all,
 
 
Sean                                                     Nisa
Rex Gryphus                                        Regina Artemisia 
 
 		 	   		  
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