News!
July 15, 2010
It's been far too
long since I have had a chance to update this page! I've been really
busy. The big news is..., well, there're several bits of "big news" to
catch up on. The quick run-down is: We now have two large kilns for
firing ceramics, I am in a show called "Wordage" at the Detroit Artists'
Market Gallery, I'm ALSO the Featured Artist with a 25' long wall of
my Medieval Manuscript Style Illumination work at the DAM, I'll be teaching at the SCA Pennsic
event in early August, and I will have a booth at the Kerrytown
Bookfest on September 12, the special rare pigment plants for my
medieval color research are doing great, I am finally binding a printed
copy of my 8th c. style Ecclesiastes manuscript, and I just upgraded my
Jurassic computing system to a Linux platform with maxed-out RAM, a
really good graphics card, and a new Intuos4 6x8 graphics tablet!
Randy in Detroit:
So, first things first, you should look up the Wordage show at the Detroit Artists Market
website. The show runs until July 24, 2010. I am one of twentyfive
artists in the show of contemporary art dealing with words. But in
addition to that, I am also the Featured Artist in their adjacent space
with a 25 foot long wall space dedicated to my medieval manuscript art.
I gave a gallery talk for two hours the day after the show opened, and
did a really quick recap for video that was put on the DAM's Facebook
Page. You can find a link to the video on the DAM's Facebook page,
which is linked on the DAM main web page.
Ceramics Kilns!
Thanks to Greenhills school, who donated their two old kilns to me when
they were upgrading, Ann and I are about to branch into the ceramic
arts on a larger scale. I just have to get the garage wired for 220!
We're already making reproduction medieval pottery for my illumination
studio and for props for TV documentaries.
Color research:
There are now about 20 turnsoles, a fat rue, blue cornflowers
galore, weld, and a big batch of black nightshade that I'll get to
harvest later. Ann and I just went out and raided a wild field for red
cornflowers so if we can't get enough to harvest this year for making
the recipe for cornflower violet described in the Strasberg MS, we are at least covered for
next year.
Ecclesiastes Manuscript being bound:
At last I have a good supply of quarter sawn woods in wide enough sizes
to make book covers for larger books. They come 3/4" thick, so I have
to remove more than a cm, but they are great. I'm in the process of
planing down the wood for a Carolingian binding that I hope to have
done by early next week. Remaining panel sizes are being saved to be
gessoed down for panel painting.
Computer POWER!
Thanks to my dear friend Hugh Daniel, who put in far more effort than I
can adequately thank him for, I have replaced my really out-moded
computer set-up with a much more graphically powerful set of hardware and
software, and I have moved over to using Linux. I still keep the Mac
for email and little things, but now I can get back to serious digital
work. That means I'll be learning to push pixels again, but in a much
better way. Should make for some seriously better SF art, and I'm
looking forward to making new views of space and space hardware.
January 26, 2010
I am starting to add more of my news on
my Facebook pages. I'll still be updating this site once in a
while, but for the most up to date news you can check: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Randy-Asplund/97329371592
I am still doing Science Fiction and Fantasy
illustration, and that artwork is still found on this web site,
but in recent years I have been making medieval books on commission.
These books are completely authentic, being made using the same
materials and techniques as were used in the middle ages.
Secrets of Forgotten Masters:
The technological processes of making books from 700-1500 in Western
Europe.
I am writing a pretty heavy duty book on how the codex form of
the book was made in the middle ages in western Europe. I have
been researching all of the steps from making the parchment, the
tools, the inks, the paints, the gilding, and the binding. It
is quite a big job, and I am taking pains to work out the bugs
in the medieval recipes and techniques of application so they
work properly. There seems to be a lot of mis-information out
there, and I am doing my best to correct it. I am also illustrating
it with color photos of the entire processes. Its going to be
really amazing when it is done, and I will make announcements
when it is ready to distribute. At this point it looks like a
couple more years though, since I am working on some plants that
have been problematic. If you want to see some teaser pictures,
check out my Facebook pages at:
Facebook:
Randy Asplund
Appearances & Classes:
I am booked to teach medieval scribal arts at an SCA collegium
in Salt Lake City in April 2010. If you know what that means,
you know how to look it up.
I also will be doing a contemporary art
show and demonstrate medieval scribal arts at a show in Detroit
this summer (2010). More details to follow.
My Art on TV
Michael Hoff productions has hired me again
to make scribal arts props for another Ntional Geographic Channel
documentary. This one is on the Witch Hunter's Bible, to be aired
in the summer of 2010. I'll post more details closer to the time
when they know an air date. In the meantime, you can see a picture
album of it on my Facebook
page.
I Am Teaching Medieval
Illuminated Manuscript Technology!
I have been teaching lecture/demos
Power point Slide Shows, and workshops as a guest presenter. For
more information on my services please see my Teaching Page.
I am making reproduction
tools for sale!
I have a limited number of reproduction
tools that I have made. I wull put up a page on these soon.
Lead/tin styli -Made according to
late 14th century Italian directions. $7 each, plus sh&h.
1402 French Painter's Brush Trays
-These reproduction brush trays are the same shape as the ones
in the De Claris Mulierbus manuscript. They are even more useful
for today's acrylic user. They allow the painter to use several
different brushes without having to worry about the tips drying
out or bending them because they were set in a jar. Brushes lay
flat in water. $45 plus sh&h.
My Main Line Of
Art!
I am now back to creating a new line of
art based on Medieval Manuscript pages. I am really excited
about this. I have spent a great many years learning how book
pages were made in the middle ages, and now it is time to revive
a dying at. I am using real parchment made from the skins of sheep
and goats. I use real 23k gold leaf, and the paint and gold go
on with the same materials and techniques used in the middle ages
in Europe. This is truly a unique art form, and one that I am
proud to faithfully carry on. Look for items as they become available.
I am taking commissions, so book me early, book me often!
Well, that ought
to do it for now. I hope you enjoy the site!
Back to
RANDY ASPLUND.COM