and the winner is…Carol Pratt. It is a wonderful oppportunity to make friends through a blog and I had not heard of Carol before!
Carol says:
I live in Eugene, Oregon, USA. On joining your blog a few months ago, your work and daily entries hooked me. Can’t remember how I connected in the first place, but it must have been through Cyberscribes.
I began taking lessons in 2009 from local teachers, and I continue with that. But whenever a workshop sashays by, it’s enrollment time. So I’ve had short lessons from Annie Cicale, Kristin Doty, Linda Schneider, and Barbara Close. While living in southwest Ireland, I took an 8-week course from a local teacher, Bob O’Cahail, an artist on the Dingle Peninsula.
I’m strictly an amateur and will never be anything else, but that is fine with me. I have been a fabric artist and sold my handweaving for several years, but I don’t want to be in marketing any longer. So I work “for myself”, belong to our local calligraphy guild, and I enjoy and occasionally buy the work of others. The calligraphy is improving, and that is very satisfying.
I have worked in collage for many years (20 or so) and within the last few years have donated and sold work through non-profit art exhibits and auctions. It’s validation enough. I will send along scans of two or three of my pieces. These are relatively small ones. I use my drawing skills sometimes, and I plan to use my lettering in collage, as well.
Calligraphy is a lifelong interest. My father was able to do hand lettered advertising posters for businesses in the 30s and 40s, and as a very little girl, I’d watch him work. He was self-taught, but was quite good, if one can judge from the signs he made for himself. Funny how such a small memory can affect one’s whole life.
Carol has chosen the callifgraphic thank you cards…”I have gone over and over the cards, and such a decision is hard to make. Of course, I’d love (LOVE!) to buy an original. But I can’t do that right now. I have decided to opt for the calligraphic thank-you cards. I have a feeling these will never be writ upon nor mailed, because I will want to keep them for my own wall. The watercolor print of the cat Misty is a wonderful piece, too, and I love nudes, but I will go with the cards.
Carol, we come from a similar place. My mother used to do posters for the village in “fancy writing” with a flat edged brush and poster colours. I am sure they were amateurish, and not as upmarket as your fathers’. but I used to watch her and thought they were wonderful. Yaears later, frustrated by my two left-handed brothers’ handwriting, she bought a book by George L Thompson on Italic handwriting. I was the older sister and took the book to boarding school and taught myself Italic. (I needed the remedial many years later of course!)
Thankyou to Carol for sharing her journey . Childhood images seem to be a strong memory for many artists. My parents had German books in a Gothic font which I admired. I think it determined in part what I love today. I was intrigued by the background texture of her Blue Moon piece. I have just completed a workshop with Yukimi Annand in which these textures were part of the exercises……using balsa wood to make marks and creates letters and textures. The second class included collage. This is a new area for me to explore but to combine with lettering which is my main interest. The bird is particularly exquisite.
I am the left handed brother, i always wondered what happened to the book, so guess my current bad handwriting can be blamed on your sucsess, ……… love your blog Lin, and really love how you share your knowledge, that is a real gift xx
hahaha! Actually I lost it somewhere along the line, then found the identical one in a second hand shop. Do you want me to photocopy it for you Des, so that you can fix your ‘bad handwriting’.