Open and shut

Dennis Lack was an inspiration, Art master to the school he had knowledge that inspired me. He taught me some of the secrets of the ancient masons and architects, also the simpler things such as how to accurately depict the growth of a tree. Both of us recognised that I was not a skilled artist but I had discovered a pleasure in creating manuscript documents. 

Dennis showed me different papers, new inks and the use of gold paint with both brushes and nibs. Then one day he explained how a quill pen was cut. As my new quills are still in the hands of Andrew our Hermes driver that will keep for tomorrow. 

This little tin box went everywhere with me, it was always in my satchel, along with a small pad and bottle of ink. How old is it? Well the tin became mine in the third form, so that would be about 1966, when I started developing my writing and decided that the nibs I used needed care and protection from the paws of my brothers and sisters plus the marauding bunch of yoblets known as the rest of the school. The Garden Fairy was surprised when I showed her the contents; I knew what was there and it was akin to meeting very old friends when opened. The razor blades were used to form quills. The sixpence is just a token, but was used to draw circles or arcs, there is also an ancient friend, an ink rubber for those occasions I made errors. Most of the larger nibs have brass reservoirs fitted, when using smaller nibs I would dunk a small brush in my ink, rub it on the nib and write with what was on there.

This love of calligraphy stayed with me and gave me hours of solitude and concentration which opposed my youthful exuberance and desire to be outside fishing or playing rugby. It was like the saying on Snoopy’s bookmark, “Books are my Balloons, they take me out of one world into another.” In my case, although I was an avid reader, it was the focus required to complete a letter or paragraph that required all my effort. 

For my A level I selected, “Create a recipe,” and knew immediately what I would do. The paper was treated with black tea, ageing it to simulate ancient paper, it also made the paper slightly less absorbent. The A3 sheet was divided into two pieces, but not cut, just folded and rubbed until it looked older. On the left page I wrote a recipe for Roast Duck, on the right, poached fruit as a dessert. Neither of which I had seen or eaten. As a background I worked so carefully on creating images of a cooked duck with vegetables and on the right, fruit in watercolours. That earned me a top mark pass. Not a lot of use to a young Marine. 

Extra, my secrets.