A new found Artist

I have had several renderings of my Armorial Bearings over the years, and each of these images brings its own take on the Blazon and artistic flair to the imagery.  Many of these have been commissioned for a particular reason of its necessity, but in some cases, it’s because I very much like the style of the particular artist’s work, and wish to have my own complete in their style.  This has also given me a chance to meet many heraldic artists around the world, as we work through either Zoom calls or email to come up with the general concept before they take flight and make it their own creation.  These are friendships which is come cases have lasted years, and we regularly chat and correspond about heraldry to this day.

But it is always nice to find someone who is starting out in the profession of heraldic art design or makes this their secondary profession to their own career, especially when their work is so beautiful. Such is the case in this rendering of art which was just completed by Drew Howe. 

I reached out to Drew via social media after seeing him post an image of an Armorial Bearing, he had just completed. I explained to him who I was, and my connection to the heraldry community at large and asked if he would be interested in completing a design of my arms.   He was delighted that I liked his work and agreed to complete a digital rendering of my arms.  In many cases such as this, I then only provide the Blazon (description of the Arms), and any aspect of some of their other work that I would like to see incorporated into my design.

In this particular design, I very much liked the diapering, which can be seen in the background of the 4 quarters on the shield and add a bit of an artistic texture to the field. As well as the rich deep colour pallet and shading that he does. Additionally, I asked that three honours which I have achieved be pendent from the shield. That of the Order of St. John and my Canadian Forces Decoration, which have been seen on a number of renderings in recent years.  But what made this one unique is the addition of the Fellowship badge of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada, for which I was elected a Fellow earlier this year.   This rendering is the first that showcases my appointment as a Fellow of the Society. Now one might say why the fellowship badge is holding the most senior position among the pendant honours, and that is because the plan of this rendering is to use it in official business for the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada going forward.

My most humble thanks to Drew Howe for lending his talent to this Armorial Bearing, it is beautiful in its design and will be used for years to come.

Editors Note: It is common practice within the English College of Arms to only permit a maximum of three honours to be pendent from one’s arms, and they must be within the category of Orders, Decorations or Honours.