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South East Section BKKS have been running a series of show badges (pins) since
1998. Since that first badge the production of new ones has evolved into a bit
of an institution in itself. The original plan was to have a new pin every year depicting a variety from each of the show classes, which would
eventually make up a set of 13 pins.
We
also decided that we’d have a new pin design every year too. Somewhere along the way the specification for the designer got altered as well, in that the
designer had to be a ‘Chairman’ of some sort too. Subsequently we also
began to source our designers from abroad and having done
Then
fortune lent a hand. Mike Harvey, a South African informed us he was coming to
our show. A swift ‘security check’ revealed that he was the Chairman of a South
African Koi Keepers Society (SAKKS) Chapter and a pin collector to boot. That
was all we needed to know. Our designer for 2004 had been sourced, we would give him the good
news at the show.
Come
the show and come the moment when Mike was told of his selection we were taken aback by the reaction. The response was quite the opposite of what was anticipated. Instead of showing the
pride befitting this great honour, his response was one of abject terror. “I’m
not artistic” he said or should I say lied. “Lied’ is not a word you use
lightly when referring to a lawyer, but I shall prove my case beyond all
reasonable doubt in the next few paragraphs.
In
reality we didn’t need his drawing skills; we just wanted some fresh ideas and
above all his credibility in the world-wide Koi circles. Being a pin collector
Mike was familiar with pin sets and we made sure he had all the existing South
East ones before we sent him back home. Our final words were “By the way, next
years show class is Asagi/Shusui”
Over
the next few months or so, we got regular reports from Mike as he wriggled and
squirmed; still protesting that he wasn’t an artist. But eventually these
excuses gave way to ideas and talks of African sunsets and Cedar trees in
silhouette etc etc. Very ‘arty-farty’ language if you ask
me which he followed up with the odd picture to explain what he meant,
until finally he sent us the draft.
May
I present item number 1 “Draft of show pin” as evidence for the prosecution. I
submit that this design, incorporating as it does both South African sunsets
and South East showground; demonstrates beyond all possible doubt that Mr Harvey
has an artistic streak as wide as the Victoria Falls and that on the 26th
August 2003 when he uttered that deceitful phrase “I am not artistic” he was
guilty of telling the most shameful of porkies* to a
fellow koi keeper and pin collector.
Mike’s
design, drawn freehand using MS Powerpoint
would have been good enough to send to the manufacturers as it was. However, in
the mean time we had decided that at the 2004 show our selected variety would
be the Asagi and therefore we needed to change the design of the
fish.
Our section Chairman Dave Brown, already a pin designer of note and a
graphic artist was given the design to lay out
professionally and to change the fish. On production of the the professional design we contacted the manufacturer and now our 2004 Show pin, the eighth in the series, is in production and will be available for sale by the end of April.
*Porkies = cockney rhyming slang for lies. i.e. Porky pies – lies.
With the South East pin in the production line, the next BIG European PIN event will be the arrival of the Nishikigoi Vereniging Nederland 12th Show Pin. This has been designed by Toen Feyen who sent me a copy of his draft. (Right)
Now, if Toen tells me that he is not artistic, I won't be argueing with him.
I believe it...........