GORE BAY—Gore Bay chainmail artist Dylon Whyte has been featured on the cover, and in an article titled ‘The Power of Weaving the Chain,’ in the April issue of Talent North magazine.
“Talent North magazine is based out of Sudbury,” Mr. Whyte told the Recorder. “The publication is monthly and there is a print as well as an online edition of the magazine.
“The most exciting part of being on the cover of the magazine is that the original photograph was one my wife Ashley took of me in a very dramatic pose reaching out my hand in the chain gauntlet; and the sun over her shoulder reflected neatly in my sunglasses.”
As for how he became the magazine cover feature subject, Mr. Whyte explained, “this all goes back to last fall when we were looking to produce and sell our book, ‘Scrapbook,’ on my dad (Jack Whyte). We talked to a lot of a lot of people in the writing and publishing industry. Blake Priddle (a writer for Talent North), a relative of mine, asked if my dad would like to do an interview and we also got talking about other things and he was asking questions about chainmail.”
“Then lo and behold, in mid-March, I got a call from a graphic designer in Sudbury who asked me if I had any material images-photos of my chainmail that she could work with,” said Mr. Whyte. “I had no idea they were going to put me on the cover of the magazine, but I guess it was a good April Fool’s on me,” he quipped.
The article written by Blake Priddle notes that Dylon has devoted most of his life to chainmail. He got hooked on chainmail in his teen years, after seeing the 1989 film Cyborg, where the main villain, played by Jean-Claude Van Damme, wore a chainmail shirt.
It was from there that Mr. Whyte decided he wanted to make his own chainmail shirt; a project that took three months and more than 30,000 lock washers to complete.
Chainmail was originally created in the middle ages as armour that used small metal rings joined together to create protective clothing for use in battle. Chainmail can be used to make other items, such as jewellery or other clothing items, and is something that Mr. Whyte is very proficient at.
Mr. Whyte explained in the article that chainmail art has become a therapeutic hobby for him, and something he recommends for anyone who has difficulties sitting still for a long period of time. He described weaving the chain in the article as a relaxing experience that borders on Zen meditation and aspects of soothing pattern recognition. “You tend to pick up a great deal of discipline and patience along the way.”
Mr. Whyte’s artistic talents are not just in chainmail art. He is an accomplished actor having appeared several times on stage with the Gore Bay Theatre; had an acting role in the 2009 documentary Island of Great Spirit-The Legacy of Manitoulin Island. He is also an author and applied artist.
Mr. Whyte has published books on how to make your own chainmail jewellery or armour instructional books: ‘The Art of Chainmail,’ ‘Beaded Chainmail Jewelry-Timeless Techniques with a Twist,’ and ‘Chainmail Jewelry-Contemporary Designs’ from classic techniques. These are available at www.whytesonline.com
Mr. Whyte said he has already received added exposure having been featured in the magazine. “I have already received a call from the Talk Nerdy show out of Sudbury, and I will be on a show they will be filming on the Eastlink Cable channel on April 27. I was also contacted by the local Sparks group to do a demonstration of chainmail on April 26.”
