J. Stolarz;87600 wrote:
Not a bad point actually
I think your existing design is still my favorite as well.
I did it! Not a bad Point! I’m excited! I don’t make them often! :aiee:
Kathy McClurg;87592 wrote:
I like the existing arms better than any of the alternatives I’ve seen so far… If the "problem" is people mistaking the argent bear for a polar bear… That may be a good thing - great way to open up a conversation about the arms and/or heraldry.
I often get a question about "Where did you get two ravens impaled?"
Comments like,"I like the polar bear!" or "Why a Polar bear and a black bear?" doesn’t detract from recognition of the arms as yours AND allows for some impromptu discussion… All that counts is what they mean to you and why you made the decisions….
You’re right Kathy. I hadn’t really thought about it from this perspective. It could be a nice way to introduce others to heraldry.
I think I’m going to run the options by the rest of the family to see what they think and then go from there. Who knows, maybe I can educate my family as well and try to get them to be excited or, at the very least, interested in heraldry.
Have you considered changing the crest to match the shield? Demi-bear argent, holding between its paws a compass rose vert?
I did consider it. I decided to go with the Or because it is the common color of the two universities i got my degrees from. And I wanted a little punch of color in the crest. I thought the white would just blend in with everything else.
I just tried it, and the vert does get lost in the bear…and the white gets lost in the background (If you use a white background).
Sometime in this or some other thread, I think I mentioned a recent national Geographic article on the white "spirit" bears in remote areas of western British Columbia—genetically brown bears but thru some genetic jumble that population has a recessive gene for white fur - so some small % of the otherwise brown (or black?) bear population are white. The local Indians apparently call these "spirit bears" and hold them in high regard.
Of course that’s not California & I’ve never heard of white or albino bears here—though I haven’t Googled to see what might be there!—but if you can’t make an interesting few minutes of conversation on the topic of white-but-not-polar bears, you ain’t half trying!
Michael F. McCartney;87612 wrote:
Sometime in this or some other thread, I think I mentioned a recent national Geographic article on the white "spirit" bears in remote areas of western British Columbia—genetically brown bears but thru some genetic jumble that population has a recessive gene for white fur - so some small % of the otherwise brown (or black?) bear population are white. The local Indians apparently call these "spirit bears" and hold them in high regard.
Of course that’s not California & I’ve never heard of white or albino bears here—though I haven’t Googled to see what might be there!—but if you can’t make an interesting few minutes of conversation on the topic of white-but-not-polar bears, you ain’t half trying!
The arms of the former premier of British Columbia (and current Canadian High Commissioner to the UK), Gordon Campbell, use kermode/spirit bears as supporters:
http://archive.gg.ca/heraldry/pub-reg/ProjectPics/v136_20060020_arms_campbell.jpg
Michael F. McCartney;87612 wrote:
Sometime in this or some other thread, I think I mentioned a recent national Geographic article on the white "spirit" bears in remote areas of western British Columbia—genetically brown bears but thru some genetic jumble that population has a recessive gene for white fur - so some small % of the otherwise brown (or black?) bear population are white. The local Indians apparently call these "spirit bears" and hold them in high regard.
Of course that’s not California & I’ve never heard of white or albino bears here—though I haven’t Googled to see what might be there!—but if you can’t make an interesting few minutes of conversation on the topic of white-but-not-polar bears, you ain’t half trying!
Genetically they’re black bears, not brown bears. I’ve spoken with a gentlemen who was actually able to hire a guide, and go to photograph them in the wild. He has some amazing pictures, along with some interesting stories. It is a strange genetic mutation that makes them common in the western British Columbia area. There are also several cases in parts of Wisconsin as well, so the genetic mutation (Or a whole new one) must also exist in that region, to a lesser extent. Either way, if you symbolize the bear like that…then you really have an interesting story behind your arms haha.
J. Stolarz;87619 wrote:
Genetically they’re black bears, not brown bears. I’ve spoken with a gentlemen who was actually able to hire a guide, and go to photograph them in the wild. He has some amazing pictures, along with some interesting stories. It is a strange genetic mutation that makes them common in the western British Columbia area. There are also several cases in parts of Wisconsin as well, so the genetic mutation (Or a whole new one) must also exist in that region, to a lesser extent. Either way, if you symbolize the bear like that…then you really have an interesting story behind your arms haha.
So my family is a bunch of mutants? :D
Hey, it’s a cool mutation to say the least
If it weren’t for mutations, we’d all still be monkeys, or salamanders, or sea creatures, or single cells, or maybe just random proteins…depending on how far back you push it.
If we even want to go there *hint hint to drop it*
Michael F. McCartney;87641 wrote:
If it weren’t for mutations, we’d all still be monkeys, or salamanders, or sea creatures, or single cells, or maybe just random proteins…depending on how far back you push it.
If a thousand monkeys painted a thousand arms a day, how many million years would it take for one of them to break the tincture rule? :-O
Charles E. Drake;87644 wrote:
If a thousand monkeys painted a thousand arms a day, how many million years would it take for one of them to break the tincture rule? :-O
Somehow I think that could be measured in hours…
Kathy McClurg;87647 wrote:
Somehow I think that could be measured in hours…
I was thinking seconds, but then again it might be years