Patricia Lovett – Professional Calligrapher and Illuminator – State Library of New South Wales – 6th January 2014 - part 1

Patricia works from her studio in Kent, England and has been awarded an MBE for her services to heritage crafts and calligraphy. She has written a number of books on calligraphy and illumination, and teaches and lectures all over the world. Australia, in particular Sydney, was lucky enough to have the good fortune to be able to hear Patricia speak at the State Library of New South Wales and a number of the members of Calligraphy Southscribes attended.

Here are a few jottings from that talk, Gold on Parchment, 1000 years of manuscripts.

(This talk was quite extensive and you should be aware that the notes taken were at speed and may not fully represent what Patricia was presenting. Confirmation of spelling was taken from credible websites).

The reasons we moved from scrolls to books –

Scrolls were difficult to control; Christians required identifiable alternatives to secular scripts and Jewish scripts.

In the painting – Paquio Proculo you can see both the scroll and the Caudex, a block of wood where the middle was hollowed out for wax, and a stylus used to write with.

Patricia then went on to illustrate the early examples of books; pictures of the Springmount blog tablets, Dublin; British Library Papyrus 782, Egypt 3^rd Century – reputed to be the earliest codex – John 1 to 20; Codex Sinaiticus, this work was adapted from the scroll and contained 4 columns of text and the Codex Harleians (Harley Gospels) which shows the use of dense script.

The next picture in the talk was that of St Augustine’s Gospel, reputed to have been brought to England from Rome by St Augustine in 597. It is used at each of the enthronements of the new Archbishops of Canterbury.

Gregory the Great, seated at a writing desk with a dove whispering in his ear. It is said that when he was dictating his homilies on Ezechiel, a curtain was drawn between his secretary and himself. As Gregory remained silent for long periods of time, the servant made a hole in the curtain and looking through saw the dove with his beak in Gregory’s ear. When the dove withdrew his beak Gregory spoke and the secretary took down the words, when he was silent again the dove had replaced his beak in Gregory’s ear.

Cathy.

Committee Meeting and Informal Workshop

Dear Members and Followers,

Just a reminder that the first committee meeting and Saturday afternoon informal workshop is being held this Saturday, 1st February.

All members are invited to participate in the meeting. We would love to see you there! The informal workshop is open to all.

Graceful Envelope Contest: The Superlative Letter S

A fun way to jump-start a creative 2014 is by entering the Graceful
Envelope Contest, conducted by the Washington (DC) Calligraphers Guild and
the National Association of Letter Carriers.

The 2014 theme, The Superlative Letter S, asks calligraphers to create a
Graceful Envelope by symbolizing some sentiment starting with the letter S and
addressing it in sublime or spirited script. Deadline is March 24, 2014;
there is no entry fee.

See the Call for Entries
<http://www.calligra phersguild. org/envelope. html>for rules and a
downloadable
flier <http://www.calligra phersguild. org/PDF/2014Grac efulEnvCall. pdf>.
Please spread the word among your guilds and local schools, because there
are three separate categories for children. Winners will be chosen based on
artistic hand lettering, creative interpretation of the theme and effective
use of color and design, including incorporation of postage stamp(s).

Get inspiration or just enjoy the eye candy by viewing past winning
envelopes. Links are at http://www.calligra phersguild. org/envelope. html

--Lorraine Swerdloff
Graceful Envelope contest coordinator

<http://www.calligra phersguild. org/envelope. html>

Calligraphic Quote

Dear Members and Followers,

How about a calligraphic quote:

"Contained in every bottle of ink is at least one good letter - so keep dipping!" - overheard in a Peter Thorton class

 http://www.dancingpencalligraphy.com/misc/CalligraphyQuotes.html

Alpha Erasers - Workshop

Dear Members and Followers,

We are lucky to have a well known Canberra Calligrapher, Pam Kemp, holding a workshop for us on the 8 February. Pam describes this workshop as:

"A fun relaxed way to create an alphabet with a difference and add another dimension to your calligraphic creations. Using the prepared erasers and combining them with lettering, a splash of colour and a touch of gold we will make a finished piece of calligraphy and explore ideas for some smaller projects."

Contact the workshop coordinator for bookings. 

Put It in Your Diary

Hello Members and Followers,

If you are organising your 2014 diaries now or soon remember to record the following dates:

Back to Basics - Saturday - 1 February 2014 - 1pm to 4pm with Gloria Scott. If you are interested in beginning Calligraphy or feel the need to review, this afternoon workshop is just for you. Gloria will really get us back to basics and introduce potential calligraphers to the basic knowledge that you need to know to begin your calligraphy travels. While those more experience may benefit with a refresher before the new calligraphy year starts.

Uncial - Wednesday - 12 February 2014 to 19 March 2014 -7pm to 9pm with Cathy Sayer. A relaxed six weeks learning the Uncial hand which is great for beginners as an introduction to Calligraphy. More experienced calligraphers are welcome to perfect this hand and pick up some hints and help along the way.
 

Merry Christmas to All

Dear Members and Followers,

We wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a safe New Year. May Santa bring you some calligraphy goodies for your stocking!