There is great joy in small things.
For one Guelph artist, joy comes from painting small images adapted from medieval illuminations using real gold leaf, watercolour and ink.
For the past eight years, Debbie Thompson Wilson has exhibited miniature manuscript illuminations at her home for the annual Guelph Studio Tour, where visitors can discover what an old art form, based on on original 10th to 16th century manuscripts, is all about.
"Taking part in the Guelph Studio Tour, is a great way to showcase local artists, old and new," Thompson Wilson said.
"People drove, walked and biked. One couple came to my house on bikes and I said, 'Well, that's a first.' They bought one of my pieces and said, it's small, so it will fit in our saddle bag. I thought that was very cute."
Thompson Wilson has used her creativity as an artist in many ways as a graphic artist, cartographer, cartoonist, illustrator, calligrapher and, for the past 20 years, an illuminator.
“As my graphic business grew, I didn’t have time to do the big paintings anymore," Thompson Wilson said.
"I bought a golden leaf manuscript and I thought, 'I'd love to collect these' because I'm also a calligrapher. Then, when I saw the price of them, that's when I realized I can learn to do them myself."
Delving into the historic art form, Thompson Wilson enjoys the challenge and learning process of creating miniatures based on historical manuscripts.
"I don't do exact copies. Rather, I adapt the designs while still retaining the medieval flavour," she said.
"I also study the iconography and the legends of the subject matter of the paintings. I love the stories behind the images."
Thompson Wilson has spent numerous hours in the manuscript rooms from the British library in London, to the Morgan Library in New York City as well as online at various museum and library websites.
"Research, for me, is part of the fun. What draws me to this is the historical aspect and working in the same methods as they were all the way back to (the year) 800," she said.
"I'm always studying. I don't think I'll ever give up studying. I don't think anyone should."
In March, Thompson Wilson ventured off to London, England to complete a course in medieval manuscript illumination.
"I'm notorious for going to see medieval manuscripts and banging my head against the glass. I just can't get close enough. It was a wonderful course to experience over seas. It was worth it because I actually got to see the real thing, real pieces, right up close and not under glass," she said.
"The stories fascinate me. I take them and make them my own. I don't do exact copies. For me, that's the whole idea."
The word 'manuscript' from the Latin words manus (hand) and scriptus (writing) means 'written by hand.' Before the invention of printing, copies of books had to be handwritten by a scribe who would write out every word in ink with a quill pen.
The word 'illuminated' from the Latin illuminare, means “lighted up.” For a book to be illuminated, it had to be decorated with gold, usually applied to thin pages called gold leaf.
Medieval manuscript decoration included small painted scenes called miniatures, that included intricate borders, ornate chapter letters and elaborate paintings.
The pictures were particularly important during medieval times to help explain text at a time when most people were illiterate.
"I work using the same historical methods. I use 22 carat gold leaf, and vellum which is calf, goat or sheep skin. And that's what makes it unique. I use modern water colours that sit on the surface of the vellum. It doesn't sink in and get absorbed as it does on paper," Thompson Wilson said.
"It pops. The colours are richer and brighter. You can achieve a lot of really intricate detail on vellum that you can't get on paper. Once you try it, you don't want to go back to paper."
Born in Listowel, Thompson Wilson has a BA in Fine Art from the University of Guelph and has been teaching the methods of medieval manuscript illumination for over 20 years.
An exhibiting artist since early 1980s, she has become a recognized authority on the subject and has taught many workshops throughout BC, Alberta and Ontario.
In 2012, Thompson Wilson was named the Joseph Schneider Haus museum’s Folk Artist in Residence and has been a member of the Royal City Calligraphy Guild for over 20 years.
Her miniatures are on display across the world including Canada, the U.S., England, Ireland, Australia and Zimbabwe.
Thompson Wilson teaches watercolour painting on Monday nights at the Evergreen Centre, and in December, she will offer a course in illumination at the Guelph Civic Museum.
Her one show a year, the Guelph Studio Tour, is an event Thompson Wilson looks forward to for visitors, old and new.
"This year, I started with 70 pieces, and now I have only a few left. I have dedicated customers and collectors who come to see me once a year," she said.
"When it comes to art, I've done so many things in my life. But artists don't do it for the money. They do it because they love it."
