The Book

During the lecture, I did this sketch.

In another life, I did “book arts” as a hobby.  I was a scribe in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) and produced award scrolls (documents) in the style of medieval books of hours.  I both calligraphed and painted these original works of art.

This past interest led me this afternoon to a presentation on the St. John’s Bible.     In 1998, Saint John’s Abbey (outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota) commissioned a world famous calligrapher and Scribe to Queen Elizabeth II of England, Donald Jackson, to produce a hand-written, hand illuminated Bible.  It was done in collaboration with a number of artists he gathered to his studio in Wales.  They used medieval techniques and materials.  It took 7 years to create 1156 pages on vellum.

Epiphany Episcopal Church in Seattle has 2 volumes of the “Heritage Edition” which is a facsimile reproduction.

This same program will be repeated monthly until August, when the volumes leave in August 2014.

There is an opportunity for an in depth discussion with a local artist who was one of the illuminators.  Suzanne Moore will present a program on 30 March.

Here is a taste of what it looks like: