"Calligraphic Expression" with Summit Scribes Calligraphy Group

​August 17—September 17, 2018
Receptions: Friday, August 17 and September 7, 5-8pm
 
“Calligraphic Expressions”, a show of current work by members of Summit Scribes Calligraphy Guild, will be exhibited at Commonwheel Artists Co-op from August 17 to September 17. The opening night reception is August 17, 5:30 - 8:30 and the show is included in First Friday Art Walks on September 7.
 
In this exhibit Summit Scribes Calligraphy Guild members demonstrate the many faces of modern day calligraphic expression. All types of work from traditional letter forms to abstract calligraphic marks on two- and three-dimensional surfaces will be represented.
 
Work will include all aspects of contemporary lettering arts, including book arts, as well as traditional and non-traditional use of letterforms as expression.
 
Summit Scribes Calligraphy Guild is a group of calligraphers, lettering artists, bookmakers, and hobbyists who gather monthly to study lettering, the book arts, and related topics. We host weekend workshops throughout the year where well-known calligraphers are brought in to teach. Members of our guild also teach workshops outside of guild meetings. 

We sent a series of questions to all of the artists. Here are the responses we got back:

Cheryl Cary
I sold my products at the Home Touch boutique store in the Chapel Hills mall for several years after moving to Colorado Springs in 1995. Discovering the Summit Scribes Calligraphy Society of Colorado Springs around 1998, I then began a revived pursuit into “Lettering Arts” choosing to concentrate and excel in this art field over others. 

Today, for me, Calligraphy has taken on new and different art forms while using many types of media. Beautiful Formal Hands in calligraphic lettering will always be the foundation of which “Modern” and “Contemporary” calligraphy is based. A big interest of mine now is in expressionistic and abstract art incorporating foundational calligraphic “strokes and marks” within my design work. Often my works are inspired from a variety of poetry, Biblical scriptures and music lyrics. Visually I want to create a piece that draws the viewer in, around and out the other side; all the while hopefully, developing their own sense of wonderment. Even though one’s own “interpretation or remembrance” may occur upon their viewing, just an emotional response (preferably good) is my goal. 

I enjoy working with graphite, inks, watercolor, alcohol inks and acrylic on paper, canvas and glass. 

My works for this show are primarily using Sumi and Walnut Inks, gouache and gold and silver leaf touches. 

Having achieved these, I believe I’ve discovered another new passion!

I have founded a sketch group called “Sketch the Springs” which meets every third Saturday morning of the month. We try to work outside, weather permitting, sketching all areas of the Springs. Anyone is welcome. Sketch the Springs has a closed group Facebook account. 

I have helped develop the Creative Visual Arts Team ministry at Village Seven Presbyterian Church responsible for and displaying in our Lobby Art Gallery. 

One can find my art works on my Instagram account- cc.scrivner and I can be reached with any questions through my email: [email protected] 

Cecilia Harris
 
In a short paragraph, tell us about yourself.
    Like most artists, I remember always trying to make things with my hands. I especially remember drawing letters and being obsessed with my handwriting. I didn't realize there might be people out there who made their living making letters. After a detour through college focusing on writing and music and later on having babies, I finally returned to letters in 1997. I took a class from a (luckily for me) excellent calligrapher, Les Tardy, and that launched me into a world of lettering artists and calligraphers and the amazing marks they make. My career has mainly been in the commercial sector where I ran a company called Wordsworth. We produced calligraphic products for the rubber stamping and scrapbooking communities. I was also fortunate to design fonts for the popular Cricut personal die cutting machine. I've recently been designing fabric and incorporating letters into garments. 
 
Why do you make the art you make?
     I love design, and I love words. Being a lettering artist allows me to combine these two passions.
 
What has inspired you for this gallery show
    Calligraphers are always looking for words that inspire them. The first quote I chose to work with was by Shakespeare and after completing that first piece, I started looking at other Shakespeare quotes. His ability to convey meaning in just a few words was perfect for these pieces. I've also loved working with the laser printer at the public library and recently made a gift for my new great-nephew from laser-cut wood. I loved it so much I decided to make it my medium for this show.
 
What is your creative your process. Walk us through the steps of your flowing creativity to achieve one of your works.
    I like to live with the quote for a while, thinking about what mood it conveys, the meaning, what I want to emphasize. Most of these letters are "drawn" rather than written with a tool like a brush or pen nib. I'm fascinated with how to make the letters all connect so the resulting artwork is one single piece of wood or paper. It's like a puzzle where the end result still needs to be beautiful letters. 
 
What emotions/reactions/thoughts do you want to cause/explore/achieve on the public looking at your artwork?
    Calligraphic artwork that is legible is a little different than other forms of art in that there may be a little less mystery in what the artist is trying to convey. My objective is to create a piece that is beautiful in form, hoping the viewer might see interesting and arresting shapes as more than letters and then be drawn into the quote. By using quotes from Shakespeare, more attention is required of the viewer to take away for themselves what the writer may have meant with his words.
 
What is your favorite piece for sale at this event? And why?
    "If music be the food of love, play on"  I've thought about this quote for a number of years and still find it fascinating. 
 
Where can we find your work: website, social media, local stores.
    I'm mostly retired so most of my work is on the walls of my home and some friends. My fabric designs can be found at www.spoonflower.comand www.myfabricdesigns.com under the name Wordsworth.

 

 
 
Kathryn Jackson

In a short paragraph, tell us about yourself.
My interest in art began when I was a child, with inspiration coming first in school, then watching my grandmother paint, and then living in Europe for several years.  I am a second generation calligrapher, and have studied it for the last 42 years.
 
Why do you make the art you make?
The art I make is for myself.  I love to experiment with uncommon combinations of colors, textures, media and styles to see how they will react to each other.  I have discovered that my voice is best expressed when I’m exploring, and hopefully that evokes something in the viewer.
 
What has inspired you for this gallery show?
I was inspired by the gallery show because it was not strictly a lettering exhibit.  I’m exploring calligraphic marks, and a transition from light to dark.
 
What is your creative your process. Walk us through the steps of your flowing creativity to achieve one of your works.
The process for my piece, Neither Here nor There, was reading a piece of prose about the in-between places that inspire creativity and becoming very still with the words before I ever put anything down on the page.  I then sprayed the paper with water and began with large brushes of Sumi ink.  The texture in the dark area is meant to reach into the light as a transition between the two.
 
What emotions/reactions/thoughts do you want to cause/explore/achieve on the public looking at your artwork?
I really think that is for the viewer to determine.  Art evokes something different from each viewer.  The point is that it elicits a reaction at all, whatever that may be.
 
What is your favorite piece for sale at this event?
That is like asking which is your favorite child.  Each one is different and preferred in their own way.
 
Where can we find your work: website, social media, local stores.
Private.  Nothing on social media.

Kathryn Jackson "In Between"

Kathryn Jackson "Neither Here nor There"

TJ Klajnbart 

I have been interested in making letters since learning to write my whole name in first grade.  Staying between the dotted lines was a fun challenge then and it still is today!  I developed a real interest in serious lettering after college when I had to put away my clay as a potter.   I learned how to do the Secret Belgian Binding recently, and wanted to put a number of journals together for the show.  I used handmade marbled, sumi brush-marked, and batik papers for the spines and covers.  I wanted folks to have something handmade from Colorado, something for tourists to take back with them, something that was a practical work of heart.  By adding their thoughts to my journals, a real 'work of heart' should come alive. 

Sally Liverman
 
Art has always been a part of my life.  It has spanned decades from doing embroidery, sewing and knitting at a very young age to being a writing major in college to attending classes in bookbinding in Western Colorado to joining Summit Scribes in 2003 to learn calligraphy.  Currently I am in the process of completing my work for a certificate in botanical illustration with the School of Botanic Art and Illustration (SBAI) program at Denver Botanic Gardens.  Those classes include water media (watercolor, acrylic, and watercolor pencil), graphite, pen and ink, colored pencil and many electives.  I travelled to France this spring with a group of artists for a drawing and sketching trip.  It included time in Monet’s Garden in Giverny.  I am also in a private Facebook group of artists where we encourage one another by sharing our work.  And this group is in its first year of a monthly sketchbook exchange. 
 
My art currently incorporates all of my skillsets.  Sometimes I am focused on just one media, but often in the sketchbook exchange, my art skills overlap. One of my entries included parts of a pen and ink piece in process, a copy of the finished work with a story about it bound inside the finished card.  So I make art to see subjects fully and then to translate them into my art.
 
The inspiration for the pieces I submitted were 1) a drawing of a curiosity cabinet – incorporating elements from my collection.  It included a brass mouse figure, a crooked antique jar, an old ink well, lavender and holly from my winter garden, an antique shoe buckle, a jingle bell from a recent drawing and the letter C imposed on an ink well: the ink technique used was inspired by 16th century artist Joris Hoefnagle.  And 2) the Geum triflorum card is from a class where we went into the fields at Chatfield Farms, observed a specimen plant, drew it to scale and then inked it.  Both pieces serve to illustrate what we can see when we really look.
 
My work is available directly from me ([email protected]) for now but will be coming soon to an artist Etsy store.  Favorite piece: Curiosity Cabinet

Kathy Sullivan
​
I started doing calligraphy seriously in the 80’s. I have studied with a variety of calligraphic teachers over the years both here and in England. I do lots of other forms of art as well, including printmaking and painting. I have always enjoyed making things. It really doesn’t matter what. I have been a puppeteer and I make little needle felted animals, too.
 
I make what I make to bring certain feelings to life in a visual way. I do calligraphy because it is an interesting challenge to design using letters. I enjoy hand lettering and graphic design. I do other kinds of art because it is a great way to spend your time.
 
In this show, I am doing mostly constructed letters, as I prefer to draw letters. In this show I have an experimental abstract piece, a linoleum print, an illuminated letter and some colored pencil letters. It is a pretty eclectic group of work.
 
My creative process, hmm, I am mostly influenced by other artists, folk art and British wood engravings. I am not sure I am particularly creative. I get an idea of something I want to make or paint, figure out how to do it, practice a lot, then make it. Sometimes practice means years, as in calligraphy, but all things take time to learn how to do. I think I like learning how to do make things. That seems to interest me the most.
 
I want the viewers of my art to enjoy looking at it. I hope it touches their heart or reminds them of something in this world they love.
 
I guess I like the linoleum print best. I just like the great graphic, rather rustic quality of linoleum prints.
 
My work is always available at Commonwheel. 
 

Kathy Sullivan carving a linoleum print

Kathy Sullivan hand-coloring a linoprint

Betsy Wintermute

My name is Betsy Wintermute. My exploration into various art media started many years ago in my high school art classes. We were exposed to lettering, painting, working in clay and silver, fiber arts, the list goes on. Art has been part of my life since I was young. I find that creating art brings me joy and it is my greatest pleasure to make art with others. For many years I moved with my husband across the country with the military. These moves put me in places where I could explore a variety media and art techniques that I then shared with elementary school students and their teachers. 
 
The media I find myself working in most currently are in the area of Book Arts and Fiber Arts. I am drawn to creating things that have place in history and speak to the natural world. My creativity is often spurred by seeing photographs of the natural world and reading works about nature. With the current chaos and unrest in the world I find I seek images and expressions of peace. These kinds of things are represented in the pieces in the Calligraphic Expressions show.
 
Weathergrams are inspired by Lloyd Reynold's work in the 1920's who was influence by Shinto prayer papers that hung from branches of trees until they disintegrated. My Weathergrams are Shibori dyed pieces of fabrics that have calligraphic phrases related to nature written on them. They are meant to be hung on branches of trees for the purpose of contemplation and left until they disintegrate. All elements of the Weathergrams are biodegradable.
 
The leather covered hand-bound Journals grow out of my love of books and bookbinding. They are designed to be a size that can be easily carried and used for sketching and journaling in nature. All the papers used in this book are archival and may be used with a variety of media. These Journals were designed for use and permanence.
 
The Wax Tablets come from of my interest in the history writing and writing tools. Items like this were used for centuries from the time of the Romans into the 15th century for writing notes and for accounting.  The stylus is used to scratch marks in wax to keep information. The marks can be erased by warming the wax in the sun and smoothing out the marks with the blunt end of the stylus. All elements used to make these tablets are natural products.
 
The Triptych "Walk Gently on the Earth" is created from papers that were made while reflecting on a poem about mountains. Japanese accordian bookbinding techniques inspired the construction of the triptych.
 
I hope you find these works pleasing. Those interested in my work can reach me at [email protected]