Which Way is Up?

This is a piece I did a while back that continues to puzzle me.  I originally designed it and hung it this way:

...which makes it easier to read.  In fact, another version of it was published in Somerset Studio magazine in the Fall of '05 and they oriented it this way as well.

But then...I lent it to a show for charity, and when I walked in it had been hung this way:

...which I kind of liked.  No so readable, but the texture is nice and maybe more interesting.

What do you think???

(The full text, by Oliver Wendell Holmes:  There are no less than fifty-eight different pieces in a violin.  These pieces are strangers to each other, and it takes a century, more or less, to make them thoroughly acquainted.  At last they learn to vibrate in harmony, and the instrument becomes an organic whole as if it were a great seed-capsule which had grown from a garden bed in Cremona, or elsewhere.)

New Year Anytime

I sometimes wish friends a happy "personal new year" when they are celebrating their birthdays.  But I got to thinking, why stop there? When things haven't been going well, can't we just hit the figurative reset button anytime, return to "Go", tabula rasa?  This was my first in a series of New Year's cards, but now that I look at it, the "Twelve Months that have recently pass'd" could be anytime.  "Still, fill to the Future!...Shout in hopes of a kindlier dozen."

Full text of the poem:

And ye, who have met with Adversity's blast

and been bow'd to the earth with its fury;

To whom the Twelve Months that have recently pass'd

were as harsh as a prejudiced jury---

Still, fill to the Future!  And join in our chime,

the regrets of remembrance to cozen.

And having obtained a New Trial of Time

Shout in hopes of a kindlier dozen.

Thomas Hood (1799-1845)

Pretty in Pink

Still riffing on Judy Detrick's wonderful "Decorated Caps" class for the Friends of Calligraphy a while back!  For these I used my largest broad nib and drew the letters in J. Herbin cyclamen ink, then dropped in my old standby, Spectralite 56K gold (which conveniently comes with an eyedropper installed). 

After the letter was dry (sometimes with a little paper-towel wicking to take away the puddles) I added the rest of the name with pointed pen, full bleed.

Thank goodness for thank-you notes, which give me a great excuse to play!

As always, a beautiful notecard helps to inspire...

Mail on the Seat #2

Stationery © Wooster & Prince Papers Inc

I picked this notepaper up at the wonderful Paperwhite on Kentucky Street in Petaluma.  I just love paisley, and there's nothing like a beautiful design to motivate me to get out the pens and ink!

Letters of Note(s)

I was browsing through gothic exemplars one day and found a picture of a woodcarving where the letters looked as if they were made from ribbons.  I started wondering if that were possible.  Some antique sheet music pretty much jumped into my hand and let me cut it into strips, and then the fun began, twisting and folding and gluing.  I made the curls by winding the paper around a pencil for a few minutes, then tacking it in place. 

For me this piece was symbolic because right around that time I had decided to give up a longtime musical career, which had floundered for lack of enthusiasm, and pursue calligraphy as my artistic outlet.  I've never looked back!   (Thanks, Carole, for the photos!)

Flock o' Placecards

I seem to be on a roll here with placecards, party favors and the like.  But they're fun, easy and usually a lot of bang for the buck.  Borrowing (okay, stealing!) an idea from Martha Stewart's "Messenger Birds" and using images from 19th century Arm & Hammer bird trading cards, mostly found on the wonderful Graphics Fairy blog, I put together these placecards/thank you notes for a luncheon at work. 

According to the Arm & Hammer website:  "This early promotion was a hit and lasted, in various forms, for five decades. The first ARM & HAMMER® cards, 2X3 inches in size, were entitled "Beautiful Birds of America". These cards showcased talented artists and they promoted the importance of preserving our environment."

The ink is McCaffery's ivory.  Word to the wise:  the ink was still tacky and the cards stuck together when stacked, even after drying for twelve hours!  Luckily, no harm done.

What fun it must have been to find one of these in your box of baking soda!