The Phoenix and The Raven
2019 was a pinnacle year for me in the pen community for several reasons, one being that I managed to attend four pen shows and another that I commissioned a stunning 2-pen set from Ryan Kruzac that is truly a work of art. If you have ever wondered what is possible in creating custom pens, let me tell you that with a vision and the right kind of talent, anything is possible. In fact, I didn’t know just what was truly possible until I asked.
It all began at the Baltimore Pen Show in March 2019 over a glass of whiskey. Don’t all great stories begin just like that? I was hanging out with Ryan and a few other pen makers and calligraphers and general pen geeks doing the Pen Show After Dark thing chatting away about pens and whiskey. There was this idea kicking around in my brain for a commissioned pen for my best friend based upon a painting that she had gifted me a few years back. See the original picture of the Phoenix and the Raven.
I showed Ryan the picture on my phone knowing that he majored in Fine Arts in College. Like this was the guy that could actually paint the painting himself! I knew what he was doing in the world of Artisan Pen Making with his painted pens and his scrimshaw technique. In fact, I had already acquired an L14 Tasmanian Burl for myself and a Vikings Scrimshaw for my father, so I was quite familiar with Ryan’s level of talent and skill.
What followed were months of staying in touch through text, bouncing ideas back and forth. Ryan’s vision for these two pens was incredibly creative and thoughtful, so when he presented the Phoenix and the Raven pens to me at the San Francisco pen show in August 2019, I was stunned beyond belief and teary, for sure. One pen barrel is painted by hand and exactly matches the original painting and the other uses his scrimshaw technique in deer antler. The caps are both ebony wood etched with feathers. The nib on the painted pen is burnished to a slight bronze color to pull out the fire colors of the Phoenix, which I think is the perfect added element.
I keep my painted pen on my desk and often just stare at the beauty of it while my best friend keeps her scrimshaw version in her collection as a reminder to both of us of the steadfastness of our friendship. The pens are truly works of fine art that represent what is possible in this amazing community of pen lovers and pen makers who share a passion for the art of writing through fine writing instruments. I feel lucky and blessed to know Ryan and his family and I am so grateful for the beautiful friendships that are created in this pen world.
