Why I Continue to Dive into 15th-Century Art and Culture?
Every now and then, someone asks me: “With everything happening in the world, why are you so focused on the details of 15th-century Bruges?”
Fair question. The short answer? Because I have to.
The longer answer? Well, I think about that all the time. It’s exhausting, overwhelming, and frankly, not something I can personally fix by sheer willpower. But I can immerse myself in something fascinating that stretches my mind and doesn’t set my soul on fire.
So, here I am—exploring the lives of medieval artists. I dig into the way they worked and what they ate. I uncover who they gossiped about and how they navigated their world. Here, I get to research and build Jehanne Bening’s story, breathing life into my persona and her journey. Best of all, I get to share it with you. This includes fellow history nerds, curious readers, and people who just enjoy a good story.
This is my happy place. I hope it can be a little bit of yours, too.
The other day while looking for something else, I stumbled upon this lovely site and your charming line work! It’s so interesting that I found you because I have developed a recent interest in illumination and wanted a way to interact with the history, shapes, and colors. When I saw your bookmarks, I felt like the muses led me here.
I printed them and spent a joyful, relaxing couple of evenings putting my spin on them. Now, all the books I’m reading have one. I so enjoy opening to where I left off to find them inside. (I will be making more as Valentine’s Day gifts!) I plan to print off and play with all the designs you’ve shared. I’d be racing off to buy some gouache if I hadn’t just invested in learning watercolors. For now, I will surround myself with my many markers, and I plan to also try some illumination-style watercolor work as well. I’m thinking the first will be Acanthus leaves using your handout.
Thank you for being you in these times we are living in and for sharing your happy place of fascination. You have created such a cozy, welcoming, and creative corner of the internet that reaches back into history and brings some of its magic into the present. I look forward to exploring your writing and research and finding more intrigue and inspiration.
(P.S. Love your thoughts on and use of artificial intelligence.)
Thank you so very much. It is so nice to know I helped someone find a new interest.