Handwriting on the Wall

Finally got around to taking down (well, actually just erasing) the Christmas "graffiti" I had done on the almost-black family room wall.  But then it looked kind of empty, so I decided to kick off the next holiday with some more doodling.  Though I have neither the time nor the talent to "chalk up" like the amazing Dana Tanamachi, I find her work inspiring and a whole bunch of fun!  Check out her time-lapse videos here!

Penwork Where You Find It

"Elephant with Banner", Anonymous
Colby College Museum of Art

The first time I attended Parents' Weekend at Colby College in Maine, I made sure to visit their impressive art museum, one of the finest on any campus anywhere.  I was amazed and delighted to find several examples of penwork hanging proudly in their American Folk Art exhibit.

They even mentioned old Platt Rogers Spencer!  Pretty cool, I thought, since I had just come from the Spencerian Saga...

Some detail on that elephant:

Then there's the King of the Jungle:

"Lion", C.L. Horton
Colby College Museum of Art

And finally, a memorial piece by James Macomber.  Apologies for the blurry photos....

"Mourning Picture of  N.L. Willis", James H. Macomber
Colby College Museum of Art

 The artist rendered his own name in Masterpiece Flourishing!

"Done with a steel pen"

A lovely visit all around!

The Way I See It

©2011 Jody Meese

We lettering-type people see things a little differently sometimes.  This was a design I'd had in mind for some time, and finally got together for a Christmas gift this year.

A couple who are some of my dearest friends have these names that a) work in crossword form, and b) are perfectly symmetrical when they do. Amazing!  First I drew the letters in Roman caps with a pointed pen, then the ampersand with a broad nib, then mashed them up on PSE9 (BTW the stuff I learned in Harvest Crittenden's"Photoshop for Calligraphers" online class saved me countless hours this holiday season--take it next time it's offered!).  The finished design was uploaded to zazzle and applied to a set of lovely and useful sandstone coasters.

©2011 Jody Meese

(Of course, etched on glass and without the ampersand, the design would be completely reversible!  I'm just saying.  Welcome to the calligrapher's mind...)