Bighinatti Studios
​
Fine art photography, portraits, bringing history to life
Reviving and Preserving Dying Arts
That pretty much sums up what gets me most excited in the world - uncovering, learning, and helping
to preserve historic "arts and crafts" (in the master level sense of the phrase).
Case in point: Medieval Rosaries. Read on...
Paternoster Guild
"Reviving the Original Rosary"
​
​​
Exploring the daily life of prayer ​in
the Middle Ages and the industry and ministry of Medieval Craft Guilds.
A collaborative venture with fellow Seattle artist & historian Megan Lorance, the Paternoster Guild is dedicated to re-creating gorgeous medieval rosaries and showing people the history
of medieval life and piety.​​
​
​
There's more? Oh, yes, this history nerd is
just getting started...
other
Medieval crafts
Other medieval crafts I am drawn to
include illumination, calligraphy, ​woodworking & leatherwork (that picture? those are my 14th century shoes I made myself!). I am also fascinated with historic garment construction and the entire textile industry - from wool to linen to silk - and covering weaving, dyeing, fashion, tools and trade.
​
Living History Museums
​​I have volunteered at a living history museum for several years and find it to be an exceptionally powerful and intimate way of communicating history. The method of people re-creating an entire community in a specific time period, from their clothes to how they cooked to their hopes and dreams amid daily life, is a new concept in the realm of museums, only about 100 years old...
​