Calligraphy for the Holidays

Here I am, demonstrating my calligraphy, with watercolor, at the Sedona Arts Center  yesterday. 

Nearing all the holidays, that was my theme for my demo in their front lobby yesterday. I sell my calligraphy cards and prints there, so it is relevant to what our visitors are seeing me creating . Thanks to Taylor also.                                                   Each card I make is decorated by hand, with watercolor or gouache, a non transparent color. This is what I usually write with,  although a new stash of colored inks are working well on envelopes Those inks  are almost permanent , lately leaving a nice red  stain on my fingers. I was told by staff member Debra Shinn, that  I should consider this my badge of honor.  Cate , the high school artist working there, made a lovely video of my hand actually painting, which is on Facebook  also. It was kind of exciting to see the actual sequence of brush strokes. Check it out.                                                           My technique here, is to write out  my original, then print on card stock, so it will not bleed when I add wet paint. I can do many alphabets, but people seem to like the Italic style . I like using  Uncial also, which is on my sign . Each card  is a one of a kind. Watercolor is tricky. Once you make your "mark" it stays. Corrections usually make it worse, so there is always an element of surprise, even for me!                                                                                           I don't know if people are aware, but I taught Calligraphy at SAC for fourteen years, and then went on to teach at NAU for five years as adjunct faculty. I see my demos as a way to educate the public  about the beautiful art I love . 

 

A Last Holiday Greeting for 2016

It is the last day of 2016 here in Sedona, AZ. and I am still in the holiday spirit. So here is another sample of my Calligraphy in a 4 by 5" card. My message  includes "to  you and those you love". 
Isn't all this gift giving and card sending simply a way to reach out and tell someone you care? It is for me. As I decorate each card, or pick out a gift,  it is my way to make a connection. We don't seem to have so many " personal touches" these days. Calligraphy had its resurgence in the late 19th century because people were tired of living in " the machine age". I think I know that feeling.
 People seem to enjoy the fact that each and every card is hand water colored , right down to the little red berries. I wrote out the original in black ink, then had it printed on card stock. After that, I go back with my brushes and palette, and add the festive touches in color. Since I use water based paint, I had to make the lettering impervious to moisture. This is my technique on all my cards of this size. I have other messages, but this works for today. 
So how to keep our happy outlook? All I know is how I feel right now.
 

Calligraphy for the Holidays

Here it is that time of year again and I am in Sedona,  making my holiday cards, by hand, in calligraphy , with a watercolor background.  
It is a labor of love, but none the less, it is work. 
I exchange cards with fellow calligraphers, so naturally, everyone wants to put out a little more  effort to create something unique.
I don't know what my exact inspiration was. I have this blue ink and I love to do watercolor washes, so I thought, why not try to combine these two?  I knew I wanted to overlap some of the letters, to make the viewer really look for the message. There is a quality with water and paint which we cannot control. Thus I could abstract the whole image. Therein is some  magic.
What is  one word that best describes our feelings at this time of year? I picked Rejoice. I do love the holidays. No matter what your religion, there is a reason to celebrate at this time. 
Using a whole sheet of card stock, for which I had matching envelopes, I folded it in half, and then cut to size. It is an approximate five by seven inch" canvas". I decided to cut a scalloped edge, to make it a little more festive. ( They make scissors for this!) 
Since each card is made by hand, no two are alike. However, the vision is similar. Then when you open the card inside you see, another side of my calligraphy... 

Custom Calligraphy

Custom Calligraphy. What fun . What a process. Recently, a very  nice client  hired me to write out her own poem  in  calligraphy. She had seen  and purchased my calligraphy before, so she knew my capabilities.  I was only given final  dimensions for the finished work, which came to me  via the computer. There was quite a bit of writing.
 There is always that element of surprise in custom work. What is told about the job and what it actually entails are often somewhat different.  Once I saw the poetry,  my mind started imagining  about how best to go about this. Which alphabet would work the best?  Not a lot of room for flourishes. The Uncial style is a good alphabet for a lot of words in a small space, with all the letters in one line.  I had been given free reign on what to do, so that gives excitement, but also a sense of responsibility. Of course I want the client to be happy.
We had originally talked about black and white, but I was thinking  color. Black and white often looks like merely a copy, and I wanted to show off the originality of this work. Being  asked to do reproductions of this work, matted as above,  I liked the idea of color to add depth to the work. Dark blue or green was her request.
I chose a very dark blue watercolor to write out the letters. Due to the very nature of watercolor, there are hues within each stroke. When I first dip my pen, it comes out dark and opaque. As I write on, the color gets  lighter, then dark again as I dip my pen into my palette. I always like to leave plenty of space, so that the words stand out.
I would like to say I nailed it on the first try, but that would be a lie. I had  trial and errors; changes while visualizing and actually writing; and  lot of breaths before this calligrapher  could lay down her pen and say. " It is complete. I am satisfied."

Giving Thanks in Calligraphy, and Life

I have been busy in my studio creating calligraphy cards.This message seems appropriate, since we just completed celebrating  Thanksgiving here in my town of Sedona, Arizona. 
This is a holiday that is celebrated in the US and Canada. A poorly documented history credits its start to a celebration  by the pilgrims in Massachusetts in 1621. However a celebration of the harvest is an old custom in the old world, thus a natural way to give thanks in our country. Remember, we were an agricultural nation for a very long time. In 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a joint resolution with Congress, setting aside the fourth Thursday of November as the holiday of Thanksgiving.
I was raised to write a note of thanks after receiving a gift, or a kindness from someone. Looking back I want to thank my mother for creating this habit.Now I am lucky enough to make my card from start to finish. 
When I have completed my original artwork, I print them onto card stock. I add the watercolors to enhance my message. There is always a very serendipitous quality to my designs. I have learned that less is more.Watercolor is tricky. Once you make the mark, it is there to stay. As I paint each card, I do think of how grateful I am for all the good things  and people in my life. We live in a complicated world. It is nice to stop and give thanks occasionally.

Paste Paper Creation.

                              

I spent the weekend in the wonderful world of decorating my own paper. Paste paper to be specific. My transformed pages became the basis of a book, filled  with my own poetry. I was inspired by both where I was, and what I was doing. My verse was all done in calligraphy.  
I  started out  with  lovely blank sheets of good quality paper, Arches text wove was the choice. Next comes the fun of choosing colors. Liquid acrylic paint works the  best. Three or four colors are enough to make a finished book. I chose a blue, green, and magenta red.  Plus a  purple evolves when the red and blue overlap. I found a glitter white I added to the mix. Always good to soften the colors,and what joy to have a hint of sparkle.
Using  good quality paint is worth it for blending and consistency. You do get what you pay for. The liquid form is easiest to mix. Next comes the mixing of the paint and the paste. Formerly I have used a home made paste of  flour blended with the paint in a certain ratio. Nowadays, there is a prepared mixture to blend. It saves on  the fuss and mess, but I kind of miss the purity of starting from scratch.
Then the fun begins. The paper gets moistened, and  the paint applied. Paint brushes are good tools, so are cut up sponges. There are those that liken it to finger painting.It is good to loosen up. I found it fun to use like watercolor. As I manipulated  the paper, paint would run and give a dripped quality that appealed to me at that moment. It is also intriguing  to use stencils, or draw designs in the wet paint.
 I did four sheets. Keeping them all in the same hues created  an automatic harmony and cohesiveness from page to page.Very important for the next step. Stay tuned....

Some Thoughts on Growing Old

This is a piece I created for a show on aging  a few years back.The title is the first line,

" Some Thoughts on Growing Old". I like to use photo images with my calligraphy, not necessarily in a neat, linear mode. I enjoy some twists and turns, some  ups and downs,  as in life. This was one in a series of this style of calligraphic imagery I continue to enjoy using. It is a fairly large piece. I like working large, plus how do you shrink someone's life to something petite?  I asked my subject to tell me his thoughts on what is felt to grow older. I used his own words, except when I chose  to edit for profanity and artistic placement.

Today the process of life seems to be much on my mind. Why is that? Perhaps because there are birthdays floating around this January of  people that matter to me. That seems to be  a time for celebration of the true start of a person's real new year. Also, it can be a time to look back at what the last year did or did not accomplish for them. Possibly my friend's sorrow at the death of an older friend makes me remember how fragile life really is. All we have to do is look at our own photos to see the passage of our  life's journey. First our youth. Then the young adult, followed by middle age leading to the finale. This piece has outlived its subject.

So I am guessing it is a reminder to me about really listening to what I know. That is to appreciate and value what I do have right now, and never wait to express this to those I care about. 

More on my website at www.claywrite.com

Congratulations Lucky Thirteen

Here it is the 13th of November. I know two great people with birthdays today, and I was born on the 13th of another month. So I say to us all, Congratulations! A lucky number, in my opinion. A prime number, I was told, which is a mathematical term , but also a compliment in our local vernacular. Yet there are so many superstitions about this particular number.Hotels often leave off this floor.Observe  next time you are in an elevator. Here's a fact I just read while perusing the dictionary.  It was the thirteenth amendment to the US Constitution that  outlawed slavery, ratified in 1865.  So lots of reason to celebrate the number thirteen, and I bet my readers know even more facts to share. 
 Being a calligrapher, I had to make a card to celebrate this occasion, and here it is. I like to give a little information about the  image you see. I wrote out this word in the Italic style of calligraphy, adding a flourish, of course.This was then printed twice  onto an 8 1/2 by 11" inch parchment paper. When cut in half, voila, there are two cards per sheet. With greeting cards, we often have to work backwards from the size of  envelopes available.
I like to  play with  watercolor on each image. Here I used  purple with gold  paint. It is truly a one of a kind card, because even  I am not entirely sure what it will  look like until it drys! Enjoy your 13th!

A Friend

This  piece of calligraphy I printed and then added the original water color background. It is titled " A Friend", and the words speak   to me. What a wonderful feeling to have  someone with  whom we can share our feelings and ideas and feel heard. As the poem by this  unknown author writes,"knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away." 
I so like that image. How nice not have to be so careful about our words because we feel we are accepted.That is such a basic need. We all like to hang out with those who like us, don't we?  In the art world there is an expression " a friend of the arts",i. e. a supporter or patron. I certainly like those who enjoy and buy my work. It is a positive affirmation of myself and what I create.My observation is that someone who gets to meet or know an artist does feel a closer connection to what they buy. Often they choose to take that feeling, as well as the creation, home with them.So the term friend has a lot of meanings. These are my thoughts for today. 

Art is Like Love

This is an original  calligraphy piece entitled "Art is Like Love". Then you read the next line. You have to be willing  to make a fool  of yourself. Therein is the challenge. It is all about taking a risk, facing the possibility that you will fall flat on your face, either with the person you care for  or the creation you are working on. 

Some of the risks  you can  calculate. On the art side it would be  what colors  I choose to use; what is my background going to look like;  my  letter and linear spacing. Going off the edge of the paper onto the mat with watercolor was a bit of a risk.This  is not the way one "usually" presents a finished piece.The  norm is to have the picture neatly inside the mat and frame. I wanted to get out of the box here to make my point, to push past the boundaries and take my viewer with me, even though it did not have  to be obvious to them why I took that approach. By taking the  risk of looking foolish, we often can create  our heart, or art's desire.

Patience

This is a calligraphy card I created  entitled "Patience". It is another of my "ripped torn" collage series, with handmade papers,gold  watercolor, and ink on a white background. 
These aren't my words, but they could be. It makes me smile becasue of the inherent irony in the choice of the words. Patience is a hard one for me.The dictionary defines patient as meaning "capable of tranquilly awaiting results or outcomes". I think it is the tranquil part that often eludes me. I suspect  I go into my head, or into my story, if I do not get a response, engage with the other person, or get my outcome soon. Maybe that is why the wonderful world of texting has become  so popular. We get our answer Now.   
 Art can be  an excellent teacher of patience. It does no good to try and rush the time it takes the ink to dry. If I don't wait, it will smudge, and so I have to put it aside until it is the correct time to continue. I think artists become very good muti taskers, because we learn to do different things while we are waiting for the glue or the paint to dry. Sometimes we can even work on more than one piece at its various stages, really because the materials dictate proceeding to our next step. 
So am  I able to take these lessons and put them into my every day life? I am trying.
 Any helpful hints from my readers?

Rainbows

Rainbows. What images they bring to our minds. There is the coolness of the rain, which is really appealing now that it is summer here in the desert. The dictionary defines a rainbow as " The arch of prismatic color formed in the sky opposite the sun and caused by refraction, reflection, and the dispersion of light in raindrops falling through the sky." The red rocks of Sedona appear different in this magical light.
Sun, sky, rain...what a series of images they evoke in our minds and souls. 
The  use of color is something we always think about as artists. I use watercolor, or the opaque form called gouache, in my calligraphy. Even one color in all its tones and hues and density can create a  rainbow effect. The  sheer power of which colors we choose to place  near, next to, or touching each other, can evoke a whole other mood or impression. We have to plan these effects. Mother Nature seems to just get it. And in this picture she did it twice!
 I look forward to that  summer rain and the magical first glimpse of those gently rounded shapes of color that peek out from the clouds, just  before it  come out in full rainbow glory. 
  Any thoughts about your personal rainbows?