CALLIGRAPHY AND FINE WRITING

The Imagined Word

Whether the words are by Shakespeare, Rilke or your great aunt, presenting them
in calligraphic form extends the meaning to the visual.
Fine writing, whether framed or in hand-made book form,
preserves the text for generations to come.
I am often asked to do pieces like ones you see here as memorials or gifts.
I use quality 100% rag paper, fine artists' pigments, gold leaf, and quality binding materials.

Please let me imagine your words!

  

Much of my work involves celebrating the lives of exemplary people.
Bring the setting into the image—here the mountains around Swannanoa,
North Carolina—makes it a more personal piece. 

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A personal commission for a good friend. This went through
a few revisions before we settled on this simple design.

 

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I live with two cats.There is often one on my lap, letting me know
who is the true creative inspiration for my work. This piece with its awkward forms,
implies the interaction of the pen and the cat.

 

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A conservative piece of writing, this quotation by Paul Klee is from his journals.
It was published in the Calligraphers Engagement Calendar a number of years ago,
and is still one of my favorite pieces.

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The artwork you see here is a one-off poster designed
for an exhibit at the Folk Art Center in Asheville, NC,
and the original work is still hanging in the offices there.
In this piece, and in the small pieces you see in the borders on this website,
I have used sumi ink with multiple washes to achieve the infinite variety of greys.
It's much better in the original!

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The Swannanoa Gathering has presented Music Maker Awards to a number of artists over the last few years. On each, I paint a small portrait of the musician, letter the poem, and add the text of the certificate. It's always an honor to be asked to do these awards.

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No, I didn't design my own surprise birthday invitations!
I changed the name to preserve the anonymity of my client; besides my birthday is in September.
This invitation was wrapped in red rice paper with heart adornments;
after all, the party was just two days after Valentine's Day.

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This began as my Christmas card one year. I scanned some of my lettering into Photoshop, scaled and skewed it, duped and rotated it, resulting in this snowflake. The text was lettered by hand and added to the image.
This version will appear in the 2002 Calligraphers Engagement Calendar,
published by John Neal Bookseller,
and the snowflake itself appeared on the cover of Paper & Ink Arts 2002 catalog.

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