Thread: thoughts
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Old 04-29-2008, 01:18 PM
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Roger Bleile Roger Bleile is offline
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Default Re: thoughts

Quote:
Originally Posted by puffer
Wrapping up my thoughts...
So were does that leave the engraver of today
I. He/She can do the painstaking research & produce an AUTHENTIC HIGHLAND work
II. He/She can sucome to the MYTH & produce a "ROMANTICIZED" version
Puffer
To paraphrase a quote from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance "When the legend becomes fact engrave the legend."

Most customers prefer romanticized versions of historic things and if that is your customer you give it to them if you want to stay in business. On the other hand, if your customers are mainly "stitch Counter" reinactors you go authentic. In my experience the latter group is a relatively low dollar clientele. The other problem with reproducing crudely engraved arms is that I can't bring myself to engrave that way. Most experienced engravers today have struggled to cut scrollwork with smooth, concentric spirals not ones with elbows and flat spots. They cut leaves that look like styalized leaves, not a bunch of lumps. Once an engraver reaches this level he/she can't easily go back. Also the engraver has his/her reputation to consider. If a skilled engraver were to reproduce the naive work shown on many of these examples it would not in any way enhance his/her reputation. Quite the contrary! On the other hand, take a beginner engraver who's work is at the level of this historic work. The beginner would not have the skill to styalistically reproduce correctly. So there's the rub.
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