Catrin ferch Gwillym o Gonway

Catrin ferch Gwillym o Gonway
Photo by Marc Carlson

Known As:	Catrin ferch Gwillym o Gonway
Registered Name:	Catrin ferch Gwilym
Current Group:	Northkeep
Past Groups:
Joined SCA:	Prior to 1981
Current Status:	Active
Last Seen:
Rank/Title:	Mistress of the Laurel, Court Baroness
Device Registered?	Yes: File:Catrin-device.gif
Offices Held:	Former Northkeep Seneshal (x2) Former Northkeep Herald
OP Listing:	Catrin ferch Gwilym

Interests:

Bardcraft

Populace Provided Information:

I would speak of the first time I met Catrin ferch Gwillim O Gonway. (This photo shows her as an iconic image in a dress that surprisingly can still be seen today. The notes on that image say it was possibly from the Spring 1983 Norman Medieval Faire. That dress was one that Catrin gifted to my wife in 1994, when we returned to Tulsa, and it still looked brand new then. Later, in 1999, it was passed on to Lady Faolan McFarland, and today is one of her favorite possessions with in the SCA...such is the skill and art of Mistress Catrin's craft in clothes: she build them to last.) Many people know that William Blackfox and Catrin were dear friends. They - and all those first members of Northkeep so long ago - were all close. I first met them at the home of Lord Anton Thoth Rukhkh and his lady wife at the time, Patricia Fionna McGregor (now known as Mercedes Lackey). This small local gathering was being held for the needle workers. I was so shy and quiet barely a teenager visiting my cousins in Tulsa for the summer.

At the time, I spent most of my time drawing anything and everything fantasy and science-fiction. My pencil and sketch pad went everywhere with me along with a pile of art. At this first meeting of mine with this crowd of people whom I was awed to be in the presence of, they appeared dressed in tunics and gowns adorned with hand-sewn trim and cloaks with fancy clasps. They were walking, talking examples of the stuff of my imagination. It was Keigan who introduced me to everyone - a proper introduction with bows and all that. They made me blush at the time, but in my mind I was standing before truly noble folk. It was Kevin who convinced me to pass around my art.

So there is William Blackfox, a renowned cartoonist, looking at my art and when everyone has taken a turn looking over the fantastical works of the imagination of a teen scribbled in pencil on paper, it was Catrin who first told me that she liked my work. The care she took in giving me positive feedback was really amazing. It was William Blackfox who told me that he saw in my art real talent and he wished that he had real talent like mine. These people - who I had made into legends with in my mind - were so accepting, kind, and warm. They even addressed me as Milord...a fact that tickled me to no end. These people took the time to make me feel relaxed and comfortable among them. These great people made me feel like I belonged and for awkward farm boy from Missouri who liked sci-fi and fantasy, making him an outcast among his peers (who were at the time only into sports,cars, and farming), that was a big deal. Kevin and Keigan led me to the SCA, but it was people like Catrin, Anton, Alanna, and William who showed me all that it could be...they were living examples of all my imagination had created. Their skill and their art in living this dream were the masterful works of a craft that is still visible to day.
- Ian Dun Gillan

Notable Contributions / Accomplishments:

• Premier Bard of Ansteorra
• Former Principal Bard of Ansteorra.

Affiliations:

• The Great Dark Horde
• House Caer du Pard
• Clan Cadal