Donwenna2

Sharing my Art

I started in the SCA in 1983. As everyone knows, all good artisans should share their knowledge. My primary art without a doubt is Equestrian Art in all of its manifestations.

I hosted and taught my first Equestrian Arts event in 1985. Over the next 25 years, I taught Ithras, workshops, seminars and mentored Equestrian Marshals in Training.

I have taught Kingdoms how to host an Emprise. In the past few years, I have had Kingdoms from across the Known World pay for me to come to their events to teach various aspects of Equestrian Arts.

Click here for the complete list of classes taught, pictures,

and class handouts.

Besides teaching in person, I have also been able to teach through my writings.

I have been published three times in

Tournaments Illuminated

SCA Magazine articles published by Donwenna:

Safety Tips for SCA Riders on Rental Horses --Issue #140 Autumn 2002-

(mislabelled --actually Issue #144)

Equestrian Autocrat Checklist (with Agelos Evienece)-Issue#160, Fall 2006

Forging a Prick Spur --Issue #168, Fall 2008

First Place Equestrian Championships in AN TIR

(1996-current)

Master Ed Tourney 1997--Most Chivalrous Rider

Dragon's Laire Champion Tourney 1999-- 1 st Place Adv. Rider (tied with Agelos)

Dragon's Laire Crown 2000 ---IKEQC 1st Place

Honey War 2000---Advanced Rider & Overall EQ Champion

Black Lion Emprise 2001---1st Place Lance (St Anne Or)

Gulf Wars Emprise de la Trois Roses 2001 ---1st Place Lance (St Anne)

East Meets West Challenge Course 2001 --1st Place

Shittimwoode Shire A & S Champion-Functional Sciences: The Trained Warhorse-2004

Dragon's Laire Baronial Equestrian Champion--1st Place 2005

Earnrokke Shire Equestrian Champion-1st Place 2006

Shittimwoode Shire A & S Champion-Performance 2008-Presentation of Three Hunting Calls from Gaston Phoebus' Le Livre de Chase (The Book of Hunting) c.1387-98

More artistic venues

Like many SCA folks, I pursue other arts to some small degree

and occasionally, I do enter these and win competitions.

Silverwork fabrication

Dreiburgen Baronial Summer Arts 1995--1st Place with entry of Jewelry

Ursulmas Baronial 2000 A & S Novice--1st Place with entry of Jewelry

Ursulmas Baronial 2002 A & S Overall Champion. For the article and pictures go to "Make a Gem Encrusted Bridle"

Costuming/Embellishment

I make most of the Norman garb for my family and all of the caparisons for our horses. The following are contests I've won:

Shittimwoode Coronation 2000-- 1 st Place Costumer's Guild Contest-(Field garb)

Emprise of the Black Lion III (2003)- Best Heraldic Display (Giraldus/Valerius-heraldic tunic,caparison and banner)

Emprise of the Black Lion IV (2004)- Best Heraldic Display (Evienece Family, 3 horses & attendants, banners, & Herald

Emprise of the Black Lion V (2005)- Best Heraldic Display (Evienece Family, 3 horses & attendants, banners & Herald

Period music

I favor ballads and play a lute strung like a guitar

I am learning to play my Irish drum.

Calligraphy and Illumination

My style is Celtic illumination and calligraphy. I do not claim to be an expert. I merely document my small contributions in this venue to my shire and work on friends' scrolls .

AN TIR DOMESDAY BOKE-Shire of Earnrokke quire. I did all the calligraphy and some of the illumination 2004. You can see a progression of my work below on friends scrolls over the course of 1995-2005.

TRAINING WAR HORSES

click here for pictures

I typically spend approximately 3 tourney seasons (3 years) working on a horse before it really performs at a level that we have a chance at winning. So there are gaps of a couple of years at a time when I don't win anything for a while. Some horses never work out--like some people they are not suited to war. Currently we have 3 horses in training here at Hunt Haven.

Persona Development

Mounted Warrior

In 1996, when I attended my first Gulf Wars, I also rode in my first Emprise which was autocratted by Baron Sir Manfred in Meridies. He was mentored by Master Johannes the Black, who did the definitive SCA Equestrian research on how to run a medieval Emprise. In order to get ready for that Emprise I put together my first mounted warrior kit so that I could compete in persona as a mounted warrior. I was one of the few women to ever ride in armour or to even have a period saddle let alone a jousting saddle. I won best heraldic display for livery and caparison at that event. I am now at the third incaration of my Norman warrior kit and it has been very well-received in every Kingdom I have competed in for the mounted military tournaments. Of course, as a woman protraying a mounted warrior, in the SCA, it is difficult for people to reconcile the idea. They seem to accept the idea of a Norman Huntress persona more readily and to give credence to all my work on that aspect of my persona.

Golden Swan Persona Assistant

2004-Erdene Naranaimorijin (Donwenna) as Mongol; For more Mongols at Golden Swan 2004 go to Golden Swan

2005-Roman Lady, Domnina, with Agelos (Lucius Valerius Sempronia) helped Julilla Sempronia-2005 newest Swan.

Hunt Guild Persona Challenge

When I took over as the Hunt Guild Administrator, I added the Hunter/Huntress Persona Challenge. This was patterned after the Golden Swan contest, but less intensive. The idea is to promote research into period hunting practices and what is more fun then to learn how your persona would have hunted? Currently I am Hunt Guild Chronicler.