Bran Mydwynter

Introduction

Hlāford Bran Mydwynter is…

…a woad-covered Romano-British artist from a Welsh family, living in Londinium and trying to make sense of the shifting nature of his 1st century world.

…a ink-stained Migration Period scribe and illuminator, who travels as much as he can both for work and for inspiration.

…a grease-painted Welshman living in 1560s Britain who, much to his troupe's annoyance, frequently disappears from his acting gig to do science and solve crimes.

He is an art historian, a polymath, and an iconoclast.

He has a lot of clothes.

Most have holes in them.

(He ain't fancy.)

Websites

Personal SCA site, portfolio etc: mydwynterstudios.com

Art history specific: applied-art-history.com

What's Applied Art History?

In the SCA, he feels very strongly that it’s important to be aware of the context and character of the art we’re striving to emulate. Understanding the greater context of our references will allow us to make intelligent, consistent, and appropriate choices. This is vital in several ways.

You can find an exploration of these ways at https://mydwynterstudios.com/about/why-applied-art-history/

Why Hlāford?

Before officially receiving arms, someone erroneously called him “Lord Bran”. It sounded and felt so viscerally discordant that he immediately went looking for something better, and found “Hlāford” (pronounced HLAH-ford; the H is a puff of air before _lah_). It was perfect. Early period, Old English, with an implication of service that really resonated. He'd found his title.

For more, see mydwynterstudios.com.

Abbreviated Scadian History

His first event was the East Kingdom's Simple Faire in 1994. From then he attended as many events as possible for a teenager who had to score rides with friends, and he never met a feast he didn't help to produce. He sang, he fenced, he learned dead languages, he swam in the ocean wearing garb.

But little did he know that once he was allowed to attend Pennsic in 1998, his entire life would change.

While he could no longer attend most events once he graduated from college, Pennsic was an everyyear constant (until plague intervened). He moved to Atlantia. He sauntered vaguely downward to the Pennsic Bog. He became a core member of the Iron Age Celtic group Dalhaidia. He worked for merchants. He studied Insular art. He became a professional historical and folk musician. Onto Pennsic he also layered on Gulf Wars and Estrella War, whenever he could.

He was liminal to the Society, and that was enough.

In 2020, however, his life changed again. With the proliferation of the Online SCA and the resolution of some longstanding personal complications, he can now engage with the Society Proper in a way that was never possible before. He has also begun to integrate the academic study of art history (itself also facilitated by the internet) into scholarship within the SCA, with the hope of enriching his community's A&S endeavors.

There are all sorts of ways to make art and to serve. Bran likes to do both at once.

Arms Blazoned

Per pale argent and sable, a tree blasted and eradicated and in chief two ravens respectant all counterchanged.
Bran Mydwynter: OP A more appropriate (read: earlier period) image of his arms is forthcoming.

Awards Received

• Order of The Coral Branch (June 2021)
• Order of The Sable Mountain (July 2021)
• Order of the Opal (April 2022)
• Order of the Pearl (August 2022)
• Golden Lamp of Atlantia (October 2023)

Service

• Chronicler, Barony of Hidden Mountain (January 2021–2023)
• Court Secretary's Scroll Photograph Fixer (reign of King Ragnarr and Queen Mary Isobel)
• Frequent Scroll Doctor and Researcher, for scribes who need help
• And constant teaching; see next section.

Teaching

Bran teaches online frequently and consistently, and is happy to teach for your group. Please feel free to ask him.

Classes include:

design based

"Scribe Like a Graphic Designer"

""Building Scrolls""

"Beyond Kells"

art history based

"Beyond Kells"

"“Anglo-Saxon” Melting Pot"

"Elements of Byzantium"

"The Broad Silk Roads"

"The Art of Woad"

"Centering Ethiopian Art"

Class details, as well as a link to sign up for notifications when he's next teaching, are here.

Affiliations

• Dalhraidia
• Concusare
• Casa Bellini
• Cousin of the Shire of Roxbury Mill and the Barony of Highland Foorde
• Resides in the Canton of Tear-Sea's Shore, in the Barony of Hidden Mountain

Particular Specialties, Foci, and Fixations

• woad
• spirals
• Insular art
• art history
• Old English poetry
• weaving narrowware
• leatherworking
• beading
• crows
• amber
• copper
• bronze

For details, see mydwynterstudios.com

In Case of Awards

His preferred style is firmly early period (100 BCE-10 CE).
He is not courtly in the slightest, and will not swear fealty to people. Institutions yes, people no.
He is very uncomfortable with traditions derived from Christianity, such as vigils.
He generally doesn't love having his picture taken, unless explicitly asked.