Logo designed by Judith Lovell
P.O. Box 2, Duncan, B C, V9L 3X1 Canada
Executive Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at Eleanor Harris’ home from 9am to noon All members are welcome!
http://members.shaw.ca/warmlandcalligraphers
NEWSLETTER ISSUE #43, FEBRUARY 2009 Cover artist: Inside Back artist: Titles: Printer: Page Layout: Editor:
Proofreader:
Suzanne Cannon Jim Wisnia Linda Yaychuk Copycat Printing & Design Microsoft Publisher Barbara Qualley Telephone 250-746-9385 Fax 250-746-4580 bqualley1@shaw.ca Eleanor Harris
COPY DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE 14 April 2009
Regular monthly meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month (EXCEPT JULY and AUGUST)
from 9am to noon Island Savings Centre 2687 James Street Duncan, BC
Warmland Calligraphers of the Cowichan Valley (the Guild) is a non-profit group formed to facilitate the exchange of information between calligraphers, and to promote interest in and appreciation of calligraphy as an art form within the community. Its membership is open to calligraphers at all levels of expertise as well as those with a love of beautiful writing. Contents of this newsletter are copyrighted by the authors/artists. Requests for permission to reprint any part must be made through the Editor. The views of contributors are not necessarily those of the Editor or of the Guild. Members are invited to submit concise pieces for publication as well as to alert the Editors to conferences, papers, speeches and other matters of interest to our readers. The Editors reserve the right to make editorial changes in material accepted for publication. These include such revisions or additions as are necessary to ensure correctness of grammar and spelling, clarification of obscurities, brevity and conformity to the newsletter style. It is the calligrapher’s responsibility to obtain permission from the author if/when using copyrighted material. See http://members.shaw.ca/warmlandcalligraphers/galleria.htm
Membership in the Warmland Calligraphers guild includes three newsletters published in February, May and October. Annual membership dues are C$20 for Canadian residents and US$20 for US/International
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Suzanne is a calligrapher, bookbinder and altered person living on Vancouver Island. You will find her artwork published regularly in various magazines and books. As well as designing, creating art and teaching Suzanne publishes online newsletters on her website. In recent years she has begun carrying an extensive and eclectic collection of art supplies oriented towards calligraphers, bookbinders, ATC artists, stampers and altered artlings. Drop in and visit her website Create without Limits! www.quietfiredesign.ca
Note: “When you get to the end” has been attributed to (most often) Edward Teller and Patrick Overton.
2009 is upon us and once again we are all involved in many calligraphic pursuits. I am always amazed at how much we accomplish in a year. As well as my involvement with Warmland Calligraphers, I volunteer once a week at the Nanaimo Museum where we recently joined with our local Chinese community to celebrate the Chinese New Year. This year the celebration was on January 26, 2009. The Chinese New Year is a symbol of Spring; it is celebrated after the Fall harvest and before the Spring planting season. It is a time of renewal. According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2009 is the year of the Ox (or Buffalo). This sign symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. When sitting down to write this message I thought back to the Chinese New Year celebration and pondered on the parallels to our Warmland Calligraphers guild. As a guild, I continue to marvel at our commitment to making great things happen. We continually find a challenge for ourselves; plant the seeds and work hard to see it through. There is never a task or idea that is too big for us. We work together to meet many challenges and as a result we prosper in so many ways – in our creative abilities, our calligraphic abilities and the growth of our guild membership. The Warmland Calligraphers is a remarkable group of creative, caring, talented and supportive people. It is a privilege for me to serve as your President. You are a most talented group of people who continue to keep me on track and engaged in creative problem solving. I am awed at how we teach each other, share our talents and immerse ourselves in new learning. I wish us a year of renewal, creativity, learning and joy. Marilyn Silver
Thank you for continuing to support everything we do. There is a wonderful representation from our various Gallerias and the Peter Thornton workshops. The scanner has been busy! A special treat in this issue is four colour pages of the Christmas cards you created. Enjoy! The process of nominating for Executive positions will be starting at the February meeting. I am still looking for someone to work on the Newsletter with me. Please consider learning how to produce the Newsletter. It really is a quick and easy job with the computer. When I began assisting Judy Matheson with the newsletter in 1997, it was cut and paste on paper. No computers did the layout. Very tedious by today’s computer standards. To keep any organization vibrant and viable, it is requisite that new members take positions on the Executive Board. When the nominating committee phones you, please consider how you can best contribute to the Guild. The Guild web site is constantly being updated. Please take some time to view all sections. If you have ideas that might enhance information for our members or worldwide viewers, please let me know. Happy New Year! Barbara Qualley 3
The ladies of St James's When all is said and done, Were just a bunch of dames! And Phyllida, oh Phyllida! A fainter, without doubt; It's all there in black and white, And that's what it was about. Thank you Judith Lovell, for your welcome advice. - Laura Griffin
Ida Marie Threadkell
Betty Locke
Charlotte Whiteley
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Strips from Lorraine Douglas’ booklet
Anne Atkinson
Anne McDonald
Anne Berens
Judith Lovell
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Pat Wheatley Marilyn Lundstrom
Marilyn Boechler
Marion Craig
Laura Griffin
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The information in the article reflects information gathered by Gwyneth Evans and the author. Calligraphers often use words created by someone else as a vehicle for our letter formations. Care must be taken in this procedure to avoid copyright infringement. Copyright refers to the law that protects intellectual property be it in the form of words, music, song lyrics or images. A person’s created work or works are protected even if the copyright symbol does not accompany the name of the creator, be it individual or corporate. There are laws that govern the way copying can be done. Copyright is not violated
Another beautiful bash at Barbara's.....the snow held off and all were able to enjoy a safe trip to and from Maple Bay. The conversation at our table had little to do with letter forms - just noshings....with debate over the secret ingredients in the fruit curry and Thai grapefruit salad. We managed to get out the odd political opinion about the Ottawa coalition....but that caused us stress.....which we proceeded to relieve by moving on to dessert. Some of us needed more relief that others!
unless a substantive amount* of the work is deemed copied. In a short poem, a small portion of it might be deemed to be substantive. In the case of a longer work, using a line or two, or even a paragraph or two, depending on the length of the work, should not create a problem. If a substantive amount of the work is to be used, written permission should be obtain from the author to allow its use. If that proves too difficult, do not use the work for public display. It may be used for private practice. If the creator/ author has been dead for 50+ years, the work is deemed to be in the public domain and is free of copyright so can be copied. In some instances the estate of the creator/author extends
copyright. Happy Birthday is one such example. and no one can publish an arrangement of it under that title without paying a fee. Cartoon characters such as produced by Disney Corp. and cartoonists are copyrighted and can be used only with written permission. Since it is virtually impossible to obtain, it’s best to create your own image or find something else. Always cite the author of the piece you have used. Our instructors are very good about providing ways to do this without interfering with the effect of the work. If using a portion of a text cite the title and author’s name.
Copyright is not a problem unless one is sued as a violation of it. The judge will then decide whether copyright has been violated. Chances are the problem will not arise, but to be on the safe side and to honour the intellectual property of the creator of the work it is wise to adhere as closely as possible to copyright rules. The website of the Government of Canada has the complete copyright act and it may be read by anyone, anytime. There is also a phone number where one may speak to persons well versed in copyright rules and laws. If you are in doubt, err on the side of caution. * There is no hard and fast rule for this. Apparently a judge makes his or her de-
Cards were hung by the window for all to see. They made a lovely focal point for the party. Some subtle coveting was evident at this year's gift exchange. We all left with a small on our face........I wonder how many conversations about letter forms the others had. I never did have one....too busy going back for seconds. - Janice Graham-Andrews
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Peter said that we didn’t need to stress as he hoped that if the only thing we learned was more about Neuland than when we arrived, we had reached his goal. He advised us not to compare our work, emphasizing that we were “good enough” as calligraphers and it was going to be a learning progress, so we should sit back and relax. He explained that as Neuland is one of the simpler hands, it is wise to put something with it to make it interesting. His thoughtful humour was refreshing - things to think about: How we always feel the person sitting on our right (or left) is always better than we are. When we look at other people’s work, we see it for what it is; when we look at our own work, we see it for what it isn’t. All rules lead to balance The longer the line length, the further apart the words need to be, and the darker the texture, the closer the words should be. 8
He explained that our work will always get better with time. We were only allowed one negative comment about our own work for the day, and were reminded that if someone says a positive comment of your work, just say “thank you”. Don’t criticize your own work to that person, as you are then criticizing that person. He told us to build on what we are comfortable with. Using many examples, he explained the seven basic contrasts of a line of words: size, form, weight, texture, colour, structure and movement.
Peter suggested an excellent book of “type” lettering is ‘Design with Type’ by Carl Dair. The wonderful day was finished off by him writing our names with his hand-
crafted ruling pen. This became the cover of our work booklet. We stitched it in the fashion of a Japanese Account Book. - Muriel Heggie
Neuland is written at 3 1/2 to 4 pen widths in height, keeping the nib at 90° for a horizontal stroke or at 0° for a vertical stroke. Of course, there are exceptions, like the letters N, K Y. The lettering is to appear very full with minimal counter spaces. Students were urged to use a guard sheet to protect the paper from greasy hands.
Lucy Hylkema
Watering down the black ink with LOTS of water to make it very pale is a ‘trick’ that draws the reader in for a closer view. Peter gave us a few quotes as practice “A thing created is loved before it exists”, “The best and most wonderful thing that can happen to you is be silent and let God work and speak” by Dag Hammarskjöld and “This joy you feel is life” - remembering that calligraphy is to be looked at and felt.
Peter Thornton
A beautiful rainbow greeted us for the start of our one-day workshop on the Neuland hand. Peter Thornton, an internationally renowned calligrapher from Tennessee, was on an eleven-day teaching tour (Vancouver, Langley and Victoria) culminating with our class.
Have fun learning with Marilyn Silver & Trish Peebles Two three-hour sessions February 26th and March 5th
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As a beginner to calligraphy I decided to sign up for as many courses as were available to me with the goal of learning a wide range of techniques and letter forms. It was also a good excuse to play with my watercolours and pretty pencils. With enthusiasm, I signed up for Peter Thornton’s workshop on Adolf Bernd’s decorated letters. Peter is an absolutely delightful man. His lightning wit, wonderful sense of humour, and light handed, playful approach to teaching was without a doubt an enjoyable learning experience. In Peter’s class there was only one rule: one cannot use negative words and must simply say “thank-you” when paid a compliment. One of the things I learned is how one sees one’s own work. Peter said that what you see in your mind is perfection and when you look at what you have created, you do not see the perfection you were striving for. Instead of getting discouraged, put your work away for a while, even a short walk will do. When next you look at it, you will no longer have
The following exercise was a wonderful way to realize the range of colours you can produce from only two. 5
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1
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We drew a grid as shown below. Make two puddles of colour , say, green and blue. Starting in square #1, fill it in with green. Now add a wee bit of blue to the green puddle and paint the next square in the sequence. Keep going adding a wee bit of blue each time you move to another square. Hopefully by the time you reach #9, you will have the true blue that you were adding to the original puddle of green.
that picture of perfection in your mind’s eye and your work will have a beautiful new perspective. Another very interesting thing I learned from Peter was how to achieve beautiful gradations of colour. This technique broadens your palette with a wide range of colours by gradually blending a dark colour into a light colour. You can use strong colours for a bolder effect or light colours for a very subtle effect. The last thing I would like to share with you is Peter’s comments about knowing the basics of lettering and being competent in the hand you are using. When you understand the basics of letter construction and have perfected your hand, you will experience ease and grace when bending the rules and creating your own style. As Peter explains, “perfection is boring, move away from it as soon as you can”. - Robbin Olive
As Peter walked around the room, he gave impromptu lessons. The concept is too complex to write here, but Google Fibonacci and the Golden Mean. It began with rabbits. It has to do with numbers and then, eventually, why certain proportions are pleasing to the eye. 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89 etc.
Sunflower head displaying florets in spirals of 34 and 55 around the outside A nautilus shell exhibits the rule
Remember, in the Bernd fashion, do not paint right up to the line, so that ultimately, there will be a white channel between the colours. Try this with complimentary colours (orange/blue; yellow/purple) – half way through the transition, the colour will be grey.
The proportions on the grill of a Model T and the columns of the Parthenon follow this rule. It determines the size of your credit card, and the proportions of calligraphic letters too. Look at Roman caps!
The aim is to go from one colour to the other by square 9, although it may be necessary to continue going around.
http://library.thinkquest.org/27890/theSeries2.html
- adapted from notes by Vivienne Bruce 10
- Barbara Qualley
Hand van der Werff
Alane Lalonde
Charlotte Whiteley
Betty Locke
Laura Griffin
Trisha Klus
Vivienne Bruce
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contributes this article from the Fairbank Society newsletter It was a dark and stormy evening on the Malahat. My introduction to the painted capitals of Adolf Bernd began this way as Viv Bruce and I traveled to Duncan on the Greyhound. It was the evening of Remembrance Day and I must make this aside in my workshop report. The driver of the bus was generous and patient. He was so helpful to a young woman with a baby and concerned about her safety that he lent her his cell phone and allowed her to make long distance calls to find out where to be dropped off. We both felt that the driver was very kind - but also that the members of the Warmland Calligraphy group were also very generous and gracious. Special thanks to Jim and Shirley who helped us with rides and to Betty Locke and the other members who treated us so well! The next day we were introduced to the painted letters of Adolf Bernd and surrounded by the wonderful watercolour combinations of this work. Bernd was born in 1909 in Germany and grew up in an artistic family. He won a number of awards in his career in advertising design and in 1971 he began his series of letter paintings. As Peter Thornton said "Bernd channeled his interest from purely commercial design to work that drew 12
more on his own imagination and passion for colour. The result was his famous letter paintings which would absorb him for over twenty years until his death in December 1994". Peter has seen the originals of the paintings in the Klingspor Museum in Offenbach and also was shown portfolios of Bernd's works by his widow, Mrs. Bernd. The paintings are rich sources for inspiration and display an inventive dedication to the letter as an object of beauty. Many of Bernd's watercolours are reminiscent of Paul Klee and the Bauhaus influence. We used these paintings for inspiration and as a starting point we looked at three areas of interest - the backgrounds, the letterforms and the colour harmonies and their integration. I particularly enjoy the classic page proportions which Bernd used in his works as well as his clean colours and careful designs. Although the letters are precise they have a look of freshness and they are not overdone. Bernd also used subtle variations in forms and gradations in colour. One of the most important features is the use of white line and its power to create dimension and contrast. We did not use colours directly from the tube but added slight amounts of other colours to create a more interesting palette. One of the best parts of the workshop for me was to take an object from nature and focus on its colours and recreate them in a larger painting of a letter.
This was a valuable exercise in observation and colour mixing. Thanks to all the people involved in Peter's West
Coast tour who made this workshop possible. And thanks to Peter for bringing these beautiful letters to our attention! - Lorraine Douglas
Lorraine Douglas
Poster designed by Laura Griffin
Lorraine Douglas
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On October 15th, seventeen enthusiastic members had a great time trying different embossing techniques under the direction of Denise Rothney and Leslie Healy. Using simple tools and a light table Denise demonstrated many different effects that can be incorporated into our calligraphic pieces, greeting cards and more. A few tips from Denise to get started: 1. Choose a letter, word or design. Drawn Uncial, Versals or Neuland work well. 2. Trace or write your lettering or design onto lightweight cardboard. 3. Cut out lettering or design using a sharp X-acto knife held at a low angle. Pull all of the strokes towards you, turning the card as you go.
Cards and envelopes by Judy Lowood
4. Turn your template upside down and position good paper over top. All embossing and debossing is done from the back of your paper, so make sure that you put the right side of your paper down on your stencil so you can work from the back. 5. Take work to a light table and, using an embossing stylus, trace around each letter or design of choice. Go slowly to avoid tearing the paper. A firm sweep with your embossing tool should give a sharp edge. If, when finished, there are areas that do not have a sharp edge, you can go back and carefully reposition your stencil to be in the original spot and then redo those areas. Card and envelope by Anne Atkinson
Note: All stencils need to be turned upside down before embossing to make the pattern appear right way up on the embossed piece. This is especially important when doing a letter. Debossing (indented or concave) is done by pressing outside the edge of the cut out image. For example, past cut out letters onto paper and repeat the above process. Embossing (raised or convex) is done by pressing inside the edge of the stencil. BFK Rives heavy paper makes a crisp look. The fibres of the paper are long, making is perfect for embossing. It is a favourite of Martin Jackson. DO NOT ERASE on this paper as you will life the fibre and destroy the surface of the paper. Experiment with different papers to get the look you like best. Arches 90 lb. or ordinary card stock works well for both the stencil and the paper you are embossing. A light table is also very useful or you can just use a window. - Anne Atkinson 14
‘Music’ with permission of Martin Jackson
Donna Cameron
Anne Berens Alane Lalonde
Betty Locke Jim Wisnia
Bernice Sutton
Laura Griffin Hans van der Werff
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Gwyneth Evans
June Maffin
Leslie Healy
Lenore Le May
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Charlotte Whiteley
Denise Rothney
Trudy Kungold Ammann
Brigitte French
Gillian Mouat
Judy Dearman
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Marilyn Boechler
Marian Craig
Marilyn Silver
Sharon Emerson Judy Lowood
Pat Wheatley
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Muriel Heggie
Judith Lovell showed us Timothy Botts' books Proverbs and The Messiah to display approaches to a biblical quote. We are to keep thinking of the pleasing nature of balance of design in our pieces. Strength in a design can be achieved by a straight edge either at the beginning or end of our lines. We are reminded when choosing the letters to gild to keep the balance of the piece in mind. Throughout the galleria critique, Judith made us aware of size, weight, form, colour, texture, movement and structure. - Janice Graham-Andrews
Anne Atkinson
Anne McDonald
Barbara Qualley
Midge Filleul
Anne Berens
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Judy Lowood
Ida Marie Threadkell Betty Locke
Gwyneth Evans
Judy Dearman Pat Wheatley
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Marilyn Lundstrom
Marian Craig
Marilyn Silver
Shirley Johnson
Trudy Kungold Ammann
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September 2008 The final Exhibition in its current location was a memorable one! Although entry numbers were down, the quality was up. We had the space to nicely display all the artwork. All the volunteers said they enjoyed talking with their many friends who came by to view the exhibits. They still had time to finish the pencil drawing done by Paul Harding. Local pointillism artist John Carreck spent his volunteer time chatting to people and working on his current picture, which always intrigues passersby. A huge Thank You to all who helped make this event a success: Irma Livingston, Lou Mackey, Shirley Law, Bev Koski, Beverlee McLeod, John Carreck, Harv Maser, Judy Miller, Barb Shann, Chris Beckett, Betty Locke and Paul Harding.
1st Brian Quinton, also winner of Outstanding Exhibit Award and winner of People’s Choice Award for the painting of the old Russell Farms truck which had the look of an old sepia photograph, 2nd Betty Locke, winner of Best in Theme Class Award 3rd Carol Roe Outstanding Junior Exhibit was won by Jennifer Watson. Thank you to all who helped out and to all who came to view the exhibits. See you next year at the NEW Cowichan Exhibition site!! This will be north of Duncan on the highway opposite Gerry’s Diner at Mays Road intersection. - Donna Cameron
Thanks to Special Award donors Station Street Gallery and Frame Shop, Excellent Framing, Printmakers Only Group, Tinkers Computers, and The Letterbox.
Winning Entries Prints: 1st Beverlee McLeod, also winner of Best Print Award 2nd Beverly Koski Beverlee McLeod
Oils: 1st Brian Quinton
Mixed Media: 1st Carol Roe 2nd John Carreck 3rd Brian Quinton
Acrylics: 1st Barb Shann 2nd Bernice Sutton 3rd Irene Fedlun
Computer Art: 1st Carol Roe, also winner of Best Computer Art Award, 2nd Alison Irwin 3rd Bill Brodie
Watercolour: 1st Barb Shann 2nd RD Hendricks
Cartoon: 1st Betty Locke 2nd Bill Brodie 3rd John Carreck
Pastel or Chalk: 1st Bernice Sutton
Carol Roe
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Theme “On The Mooove”:
Brian Quinton
Calligraphic Art: 1st Betty Locke 2nd Judith Doucette 3rd Judith Dearman
Paul Harding
Pencil or Pen and Ink: 1st Melinda Clemente 2nd Gena Schneider 3rd Amanda Edwards
Uncials on the Road Eighteen Warmland Calligraphers have been energized and enlightened by six explorations in Uncial with instructors, Georgia Angelopoulos and Lorraine Douglas from Victoria. Our class started in September and continued to early December. The two weeks between classes gave us Georgia Angelopoulos time to think about our work, practise, do homework and be ready for the rigors of the next class. Georgia reviewed the beautiful Uncial forms and treated us to her vast knowledge of the history of lettering. She is a thorough student and a consummate calligrapher who shows devotion, hard work and excellence in her own work. She passed these ideals on to us Lorraine Douglas through the handling of the work of the class and by showing many of her inspiring pieces. We were reminded that counter spaces were of utmost importance. Diagonal letters presented spacing problems. Changes in pen angles on some letters made them more beautiful. We learned the kick off with the left side of the nib at the bottom of down strokes. She said that our practise should be good as if “we are doing it for the Queen”. She said that “gestures once learned are at our disposal”. We made shapes, repeated moves to create patterns and thus were prepared for the homework. Sheets of 20” x 26” Canson paper purchased from Lorraine were to be filled from side to side with many lines of Uncial practise. Working on a good paper and over a period of time made us more confident in our strokes. The second week these huge sheets were displayed. More Uncial practise was done. Homework was to take those sheets cut them and make a book of them using the instructions Lorraine gave us. Beautiful books resulted and seeing the work for its design qualities instead of just work with an alphabet put a new slant on what we did.
Banding means colouring counter spaces to make letters or spaces between letters more present and colourful. Lorraine spoke of banding used in Book of Kells as lively decorative elements.. She had many other more contemporary examples to show us from such persons as Dee Ann Singh, Monica Dengo, Klee and Koch. We were advised to use colours that lie beside each other on the colour wheel rather than trying to use the entire palette. A channel of white is needed to protect the ink from the watercolour or watercolour pencils used in the banding. Lovely pieces resulted from this work. We used watercolour pencils with confidence after a demonstration by Lorraine. The finished work displaying our banding was charming as the wide Uncial letters offer much scope for this process. Laura Griffin
For the next class we were asked to have a quotation in mind with a word which might lend itself to flat gilding. This was a “first” for many and excitement reigned. We purchased a sheet of foil from Georgia to begin our task. Georgia took time to explain the many methods of laying gold. Our method would not create raised letters. Clarification of the meaning of parchment and vellum was also discussed. Vellum is a sub category of parchment. Goat, sheep and rabbit skins are all used for parchment. The word “vellum” comes from the Latin “vitelus” which means “veal calf skin.” The person who prepares an animal skin for writing is called a “parchmentor”
The work for this week involved practising a word we liked with a view to excellence of spacing which Lorraine explained to us very well. These were displayed and enjoyed and critiqued and made ready to be used in the practise of “banding”. Unknown
Joyce Gammie
The “size” to which gold adheres can be made of several things including, garlic juice, gum ammoniac and the historic and traditional size which is made of lead, sugar, fish glue and armenian bol. Some more commercial modern 23
modern “sizes” are available. Some fake golds do not allow sculpting and burnishing and may tarnish. Egg white glair or a commercial gold leaf sealer may be applied to the surface to stop tarnishing. Gold leaf comes in many shades of gold. Transfer gold (thin gold sheets adhered to a sheet) is easier to use than loose gold.
Marilyn Boechler
To prepare for our gold we outlined the space to be gilded with black Pigma pen. This gave us a secure line to follow when we applied the Jerry Tressor’s “size” (a pink acrylic substance) obtained from Suzanne Cannon. Georgia warned us about removing any bubbles in our size. Lorraine educated us as to how much to use and checked to see that we understood what we were doing. The size is allowed to sit for about 20 minutes and is then ready for laying of the gold. For gilding work must be placed on a very hard board to withstand the heavy finger pressure needed to adhere the foil to the size. We were given a piece of translucent glassine paper which is to be used to protect the gold surface from the oils of our fingers when we pressed the gold onto the slightly tacky receptive size. When we determined that adhesion was complete we used a somewhat stiff brush to get rid of the bits of foil surrounding the gilded areas. If patching is needed the size may again be applied and foiled again. It was a very tricky process and much more challenging than it appeared to be when Georgia did it.
As the teachers made their individual visits, class members worked on designing the pieces which they had prepared by cutting and moving words around to create a thoughtful design. I used the time to look carefully at Yves Leterme’s gestural uncials. It was a most productive day for us all. When class came to an end we adjourned to the charming home of Gwyneth Evans who kindly suggested that she would host a pot luck. Beautiful Penfold Farm was decked out in holiday style and class members were encouraged to have free reign around the whole house. It was magnificent! Originally a cow barn which was part of the Quamichan Farm, it has been made into an elegant domain filled with delights for the eye. For some of us who remained until the last, Gwyneth even sat at her concert harp and played in the welcoming warmth of her living room. What a lovely way to end the challenging and information filled six sessions we enjoyed with Lorraine and Georgia.
Denise Rothney
The plan for the final class was to include a demonstration of tooling on foil and a one on one with each student by the instructors. Work and letter forms were examined and comments and help was given.
Janice Graham-Andrews
Judy Dearman
We watched a very good demo by Georgia who used tooling techniques to create textures on gold leaf. She encouraged us to look for designs in nature and in art and architecture. She demonstrated “diaper” patterning, repeated lines, and spirals. A simple outline can do much. She spoke of debossing around the foiled area which gives more presence to the gold area as it becomes slightly raised. 24
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The family take their name from a beech tree, and it literally means 'Beautiful Beech'. Above: The family crest with the motto 'Sub Tegmine Fagi' (under the leaves of a beech tree) Members who have been to Barbara Qualley’s home have been fortunate to see this calligraphic masterpiece. My mother, Ursula Gurney Beaufoy Robson, became interested in Geneology in 1964. I remember her purchasing money orders and sending off requests for research from the College of Arms in London, England. Her correspondence with Walter Verso, Chester Herald reveals that the resulting family tree (35” x 50”) was engrossed on Whatman paper in a sixteenth century italic hand. The tree was completed in 1970 at an approximate cost of £100. Back in 1066, the surname was also Bellefago. William de Beaufou was Bishop of Thetford around 1085. His son, Richard, became Archdeacon of Norwich in 1107. The first entry on the tree is Richard Bellefago.
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The most difficult challenge with this galleria was finding an appropriate quote! The parameters were to create a piece that uses two different hands and presents two opposing views. - Leslie Healy
Betty Locke critiqued the Galleria and said that Barbara Qualley’s choices of Blackletter and a playful Carolingian style hand worked well together.
Marilyn Boechler commented that it was helpful to talk to someone to help inspire and get layout pleasing.
Betty Locke’s artwork used complimentary colours. Notice that to make FAT as fat as you can, it actually appears to go out of the box. Betty apologized for her piece being so ‘low brow’ and not being ‘deep’.
Marion Craig explained that there were three layers to her piece. Precision cutting with an X-acto knife were a huge task. Betty commented that Marion’s work was ‘very deep’.
Jim Wisnia’s back cover artwork was a contribution to this Galleria too. He used this winter’s bitter icicles for inspiration of his letters. The pen twist purveys this trait beautifully. Wonderful qualities.
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Laura Griffin enjoyed the effervescence in this piece.
Gwyneth Evans read her Middle English quote from Chaucer’s “Parliament of Birds” discussing different views of love: roses/thorns
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Pat Wheatley used monocline Romans for the first section, and Romans with more power for the second. It was suggested that she could make the lettering a bit more chaotic by drawing out lines in the N’s and R’s in the second paragraph.
Ria Lewis’ piece showed a lot of thought and planning. It is difficult working on a grid, but she pulled it off. Good placing of signature.
Judy Dearman’s Neuland was outlined with Pigma Pen, making it POP. The contrast in the black was wonderful, but the red of “laugh” should have been equal throughout the line. Hans van der Werff’s piece had contrast like you wouldn’t believe! Betty declared it ‘pretty decent’.
Judy Lowood used a Gwen Weaver writing style and Blackletter in this original piece.
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Trudy Kungold Ammann showed great control of her brushwork in this piece.
For this article, we are going to let the photographs do most of the "talking". They won't do all of the talking because Liz is as good at telling stories as she is at crafting art. A woman of all seasons, as it were. As you can see Liz is involved in a number of art forms, or "loves", as she calls them. She credits Elder College with introducing her to many of these skills, and she credits Betty Locke for introducing her to the Calligraphy Guild. Liz was one of the "pioneer" members and remembers joining us on our first Birthday in April 1996. Liz is a combination of energy, enthusiasm, and competence, with an ability to organize that I find incredible. This "organizing" gene shows up in her studio, in her volunteering, and her work as an MOA (medical office assistant) for a family physician in Victoria. (She and her husband Bruce are now both retired). I am going to cover the very basics of Liz's life very briefly (to leave room for the photographs). If there are stories involved I am just going to write [story] and you'll need to ask Liz (or me) when you see us. Let me remind you that she tells good stories.
In ending I would say that the general theme of our conversation was a celebration of creativity, mixed in with the need to have a bit of control over the exuberance and proliferation of projects that comes with having a curious mind and an able body. Somehow I think that many of us share this need for balance, and for play, in our lives. Thank you Liz for your time and your stories. A set of handpainted porcelain dishes for 4
Liz MacDonald
Liz's 'creative' gene shows up throughout her home, both in her own artwork and that of her friends. Her studio is a beautiful and creative space...and like all creative places it has crept out of the boundary of the room and is inching its way down the hall.
She was born in Quesnel and raised in Burnaby. She met Bruce, her husband of 51 years, through Donna, a childhood friend with whom she has had a lifelong friendship [story]. He was a weapons technician in the Armed Forces so they have moved around a bit. Their first child was born in Burnaby, the second in Calgary, the third in Burnaby [story] and the fourth in Calgary. Their young family then spent three years in Germany before moving to Victoria (and getting to stay in one place). They retired to Honeymoon Bay, and just four years ago they moved to Duncan. In addition to their 4 children (2 girls and 2 boys) they now have 5 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Liz also has 4 siblings (2 girls and 2 boys), and is very close to her sisters. As I mentioned Liz's 'organizing' gene shows up in the volunteer positions that she has held. She was elected President of our guild in 1997 and served until 2000. Liz was on the Board for Elder College and is now a 'friend' of the Board, a kind of "on-call" position. She has worked with the Hospice Society in Duncan, and the Cystic Fibrosis Association in Victoria. She served [story] as President of the Victoria Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Association. The [story] involves Mila Mulroney, a luncheon that Liz organized, and a national television broadcast....honestly! It also involved a LOT of Liz's friends helping her get ready for the occasion.
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Jim Wisnia The Warmland lived up to its name all autumn, but certainly did a turnaround second week in December. We had Canada's deepest snows on Christmas Day, and it continued into the New Year. Seems we've all had plenty of snowbound stories to share. Cancel those party plans and kick back for some calligraphy! Do a back cover for the newsletter? No problem, right? Black and white? A great relief for this former draftsman who understands little about colour (and was delighted to learn from Peter Thornton that gray is simply a step along the way between complementary colours). So, in between shoveling snow and assorted other distractions of living on acreage with neighbours needing help as well, not much calligraphy happened. Plus there was the challenge of choosing the words. What to draw upon? A reverence for nature deepened in a career as an environmental educator. A love of music and movement. Instruction and encouragement from so many remarkable people encountered through Warmland Calligraphers. Snow on snow on snow had me singing "In the Bleak MidWinter," but no design inspired. I used a narrow shingle edge to print "Happy New Year" in the snow in cuneiform
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style and sent a photo to the newsletter editor, who obviously wasn't as impressed as I was. Deadline approaching and more snow weighing on my mind, my lifesaving wife suggested the last lines of the song "The Rose." Perfect. Visions of icicle-like lettering and downward movement to express the bitterness of winter. Gently expansive, uplifting lettering to express the hope of spring. The word Rose in the shape of a rose. Hey, this can double for the January galleria theme of contrasting views and hands! In Judith Lovell's design and layout workshop, she said that four or five tries might be needed before satisfaction begins to surface. After seven tries (the sixth with foolish inky fingerprints), I feel I've only planted a seed that may blossom with more galleria guidance. Still, there is satisfaction in having taken the risk and put my work out there as so many members do every month, continually inspiring each others' creativity.
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2
On Our Cover - Suzanne Cannon
3
President’s Message Editor’s Message
4
October Galleria - Black and White Quote
7
Uncial Workshop
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Peter Thornton Workshop - Neuland
10 Peter Thornton Workshop - Adolf Bernd 13 Connie Furgason workshop - upcoming 14 Embossing with Denise Rothney 15 Christmas Cards 19 Pedigree of Beaufoy 20 Cowichan Exhibition 21 Copyright Law Christmas Party 22 November Galleria - Bible Quote 25 Bulletin Board 26 January Galleria - Opposing Views 29 Exposé - Liz MacDonald 30 Back Cover Artist - Jim Wisnia
ISSUE NUMBER 43 - FEBRUARY 2009 32