ART + LIFE: RACHAEL KESLER PALM

ART+LIFE

Joie de Vivre Calligrapher: Rachael Kesler Palm

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Rachael Kesler Palm has been creating art and writing since childhood; words and written communication have always been a passion of hers. In 2012, she started practicing calligraphy to parlay that love of writing into another creative venture.

Today she specializes in creating custom, hand-lettered works of art for weddings, showers, anniversaries, and more. Using ink and nibs in the traditional pointed pen style of calligraphy, as well as graphic design, her creations are unique and memorable paper goods to complement all of life‘s special occasions. For Rachael it brings great joy to be part of a bride‘s vision for their wedding, or to capture words of love and reverence for a special anniversary gift between loved ones.

Rachael‘s work can be found in print and digital publications including Wedding Wire‘s Summer Book 2014, Weddings Unveiled and The Wedding Planner magazine, Style Me Pretty, Burnett‘s Boards, and more. She lives in Charlottesville with her husband Kevin and dog Harry.

WERE YOU SURROUNDED BY AN ARTISTIC INFLUENCE GROWING UP? I grew up in a fairly artistic family.

My great aunt Kat was an well-established painter in Southwest Va. and her paintings hung throughout our family‘s houses. My grandfather was a prolific writer and poet. He often wrote self-deprecating poems about himself, esp. as he got older and his various senses started to face, but his sense of humor did not. (He lived to be 102.) My dad was also a painter, though his „real“ job was being a banker. (My dad died in 2002.) One of my earliest memories is of my dad sitting my twin sister Christine and me down in front of a canvas with his nice oil paints, drawing a thick line down the middle to denote our halves, and letting us go crazy with paint. We were probably 3 or 4 years old. I think I painted a house, and the smoke coming out of the chimney crossed over on to my sister‘s half, no doubt causing a fight to ensue (this is my memory anyway)...

My sister went on to study art and photography, starting really young and immediately showing great talent.

Even in middle and early high school, she would give these amazingly realistic drawings of people, musicians, celebrities, as gifts for Christmas.

My dad loved Janis Joplin so she did this beautiful charcoal drawing of Janis for him one Christmas. I think she did it on, like, Christmas eve and completed it in a matter of a couple of hours. That drawing is still in my family. After my dad died, it went to my grandfather, and it hung in his room until he died. My sister now, like my dad, works in finance, but has her Master‘s degree in drawing and studied art undergrad. She‘s an amazing photographer, painter... she can do anything.

Art has always been a big part of my life because it‘s always surrounded me, through my family, through our interest in having great art around us, on the walls, in books, in our travels.

Our travels in the U.S. and around the world (including my travels with

family when I was young and later my travels solo and now with my husband) always involve seeing art.

In my world, a trip is not a trip unless it includes multiple visits to galleries and museums--that‘s a prerequisite.

I have always been a writer, expressing myself through words. I studied English and Spanish, and have always loved to write. I started my career in journalism and now have a marketing communications focus (in my other part-time work). It seems only fitting that now my artistic and creative expression is in the form of writing and words, through the practice of calligraphy.

WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO START JOIE DE VIVRE? It started pretty small and modestly -- just offering my services to friends -- and it was a way for me to do something creative that was enjoyable and relaxing in my free time. That was summer of 2012, right before my own wedding. (I did all of the hand-lettering work for my own wedding, too, which was fun!) A year later, I was working a soul-crushing, super-stressful job and knew I wanted to eventually leave. I finally made the decision to leave that job in early summer of 2013, and to put as much time and energy as I could into getting Joie de Vivre more established, making contacts, improving and expanding that business and the people I work with and for. So, it really was something I started as a hobby and something to satisfy my desire to do something creative, fun, and enjoyable in my personal time. Over the last two years, it‘s grown into a full-fledged business, one that keeps me very busy!

HOW DO YOU START THE DESIGN PROCESS? I get inspired all the time - by life around me, business logos, artists I follow on Instagram. I‘m constantly snapping photos of inspiring work and images that I come back to when

''I find it meditative to sit down at my desk and let the letters flow off my pen.“

I‘m ready to start sketching an idea. I usually start sketching in pencil on grid paper to help make sure my proportions are correct. I am one of those rare people that always needs pencils and erasers in my daily life -- they are necessary to my revision process! After my sketch is finalized and/or approved, I usually put ink to paper. From there, I might digitize the file and take it into Illustrator or PhotoShop to do further edits, or the paper and ink product might be the final version. Every project varies, which is the fun part of what I do. No two days and no two projects are alike!

BESIDES YOUR GORGEOUS PAPER SETS FOR WEDDINGS WHAT OTHER COMMISSIONED WORK DO CREATE? Lots of wedding vows and first songs for anniversaries. Holiday cards were big last year. Greeting cards and commissioned quotes make great gifts. I also do A LOT of wedding signage -- big works on chalkboards are hugely popular right now, for programs, menus, seating charts, etc. I recently completed lettering all of the signage for BBQ Exchange‘s new Cafe at Montpelier. That was something like 17

different chalk boards with different menus for their cafe. It was really, really fun to see that big project from start to finish. The most unique project I‘ve done for a bride was a seating chart that I hand-lettered on a huge piece of artwork the bride had purchased for the occasion. That was sort of terrifying -- there was no room for error!

trips coming up - mostly for weddings, going to New Orleans next spring for one wedding and we will turn that trip into a mini-vacay. My dream relaxing vacation is to either Turks and Caicos, the Azores, or the Seychelles (ideally in the dead of winter, when I need some tropical time in my life!)

HAVE YOU TRAVELLED ANYWHERE RECENTLY? ANY DREAM TRAVELS?

DO YOU HAVE A NIB PREFERENCE?

Last trip I made was to Houston for a family commitment. Prior to that, my husband and I went to Vermont to meet my new nephews in May, to the beach for a short vacation a few months ago, and to Asheville last October for our one-year anniversary. We have lots of fun

I use just one nib, my Hunt 56, almost exclusively in my calligraphy work. I need to branch out, but it‘s really my go-to!

HOW DOES YOUR WORK RELATE TO YOUR LIFESTYLE? I find it meditative to sit down at my desk and let the letters/ words flow off my pen. I get into a really peaceful place while doing it. It‘s satisfying for me mentally. It‘s sort of in contrast to the rest of my lifestyle, which is very busy and active. But it provides the balance I need, so that I‘m not always running around like a crazy person. Sitting down to do calligraphy for a few hours a day is really rejuvenating and fulfilling.

Do Tell...

I‘m lusting after?

Fall weather

Ink of choice?

Winston Newton gold or custom-mixed gouache I collect...

Books Bucket list...

Swim on the Amalfi coast or explore the Irish countryside (or both!)

What should change...

Our minds (conversely, our minds and what we know/ think/understand should get sharper and stronger and more open as we age) What should stay the same...

Our bodies (side note - I mean this in terms of wishing the body didn‘t deteriorate with age. It would be so nice if the body was as flexible and strong at 90 as it was at 20) Tea or coffee?

Coffee!

SUZIE FONT

JAMIE FONT

''Anyone lived in a pretty how town (with up so floating many bells down) spring summer autumn winter he sang his didn’t he danced his did.

Women and men(both little and small) cared for anyone not at all they sowed their isn’t they reaped their same sun moon stars rain children guessed(but only a few and down they forgot as up they grew autumn winter spring summer) that noone loved him more by more when by now and tree by leaf she laughed his joy she cried his grief bird by snow and stir by still anyone’s any was all to her someones married their everyones laughed their cryings and did their dance (sleep wake hope and then)they said their nevers they slept their dream stars rain sun moon (and only the snow can begin to explain how children are apt to forget to remember with up so floating many bells down) one day anyone died i guess (and noone stooped to kiss his face) busy folk buried them side by side little by little and was by was all by all and deep by deep and more by more they dream their sleep noone and anyone earth by april wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding) summer autumn winter spring reaped their sowing and went their came sun moon stars rain'' ~E.E. Cummings