Letter from the President

October 2019 Dear Friends, more familiar with. The other is ephemera, and pen fanatics. The Number 136 It is hot! We’re totally spoiled in two days on the beach in Santa FOC volunteers lettered around the SF Bay Area, where Karl the Cruz, CA, where participants 250 names over the three days. Fog—yes, the fog has a name, will get a chance to use rakes, Thank you to Valerie Franco, and even an Instagram bamboo, and other unique Meredith Klein, Edward deLeon, account—usually keeps us tools. We’ll give you a report and Raoul Martinez for being fresh. Karl is sulking at the next issue. great volunteers, and for moment, and it feels like I need Loredana Zega, that Slovenian amazing lettering skills. to be sitting between two fans calligrapher I mentioned The international calligraphy to keep my fingers dry enough earlier, taught an outstanding conference this year was truly to type. Fall can’t get here fast workshop at the beginning of international—it was held in enough, in my opinion. September. On Page 3, you Canada, at Bishop's University But the sunny weather does can read about it and see in Sherbrooke, about two hours have some plusses, among photos of some of the excellent outside of Montreal. All of the them we have more time to be work produced. conferences that I’ve attended outdoors. Taking advantage of The San Francisco Pen Show, have been unique and marvelous this weather, recently a group held in August at the Pullman in their own ways, but everyone of several members of Friends Hotel in Redwood Shores, CA, I talked to agreed that Rendez- of Calligraphy and Slovenian is one of the opportunities Vous, as it was called, was calligrapher Loredana Zega that FOC volunteers have to magical. The location was gathered at Stinson Beach in shine. For several years we beautiful, the conference staff California, where Rick Paulus have shared demonstration and the staff at the university instructed us on how to make space with Pacific Scribes, were cheerful and friendly, and mandalas and other marks our sister guild from the SF the conference faculty were in the sand with rakes and Peninsula. Volunteers from fantastic. What an awesome bamboo sticks. It seems like both guilds lettered names for collection of talent. If that seems making show participants, vendors, like hyperbole, ask anyone who marks and hotel staff. This year the went. About 55 members of and show was larger than it ever Friends of Calligraphy attended, writing has been before, and we heard and we managed to round up in the that it will be even bigger next most of them for a great group sand is year. Imagine an inconceivable photo. See how we’re smiling? a thing amount of fountain pens, ink, Proof of a good time. these The sun has days, gone down because and it’s I’ve been cooling off reading in the news and online outside— about artists around the world time to say creating ephemeral works on goodnight beaches. Just google sand art for now. Take or sand writing and you’ll see care until later. what I mean. FOC will ride this trend with South African calligrapher and sand artist Evelyn Letter from the President the from Letter Evelyn Andrew van der Merwe in a � couple of weeks. He will teach Yours truly, organizing the two workshops: One is Rhythm FOC participants & Technique in Calligraphy, at Bishop's indoors, using tools we’re all University. world, the reed and paper It Is Written were preeminent; and, in the By: Cynthia Cravens West, the quill and parchment held sway. These technological On the evening of June 12, developments significantly 2019, in the sixth-floor Skylight affected the rate at which literacy Gallery of the main branch could develop. Features inherent of the San Francisco Public to the 10,000-plus characters Library, calligrapher Brody used in the Chinese logographic Neuenschwander presented writing system and mandatory content and film clips from his ligatures used in the Arabic in-progress-documentary, It is alphabet, proved to be serious Written. In developing It is Brody, Katie Leavens & Mary Ann Wight impediments to the adaption of Written, which explores the printing technology. origins and trajectories of writing worldwide, Brody In the third and final episode, traveled extensively. As a the current writing systems result, his three-part Arte- of China, Islam, and the West funded documentary features are examined in the light of imagery from locations around modern-day digital technology, the globe, including footage cyberspace, and cell phone of a paper mill in Samarkand screens, and fascinating fueled by the bark of mulberry questions emerge. As the Latin trees, ruins of examination cells keyboard is not a fit for Chinese where scholars once took tests in characters, how do the Chinese Brody's demo of one page design for our book calligraphy for the Chinese Civil use their touch screens? How are service, and symbolic marks on mandatory ligatures in Arabic the walls of an ancient turquoise dealt with in cell phone apps? mine in the Sinai peninsula. And, importantly, which writing systems benefit most from Brody asserts in the first episode digital technology? Ultimately, of his documentary that writing Brody concludes that, unlike initially and independently printing technology of the emerged as logograms, last age which benefitted the pictographic symbols, or alphabets of the West, digital characters representing a word technology might even be of or phrase in places such as greater advantage to cultures Ancient Egypt, China, and dedicated to logographic writing Mayan Central America. systems, including that of China. Writing only emerged as a It is Written ends on an phonetic alphabet in the Near optimistic note, arguing for the Another Brody demo with Katie looking on. East in the 2nd Century BC. possibility that writing might, There, in the Sinai desert, in the digital age, become a phonetic symbols were used for worldwide unifying force. But, the first time to represent words included in its final footage are such as the names of semitic scenes from Brush with Silence laborers in the turquoise mines , a recurring and emotionally of ancient Egypt. moving international exhibit In the second episode, Brody of scribes from many countries A page from Yukimi Annand's book. explores the calligraphic quietly calligraphing away in traditions of three of the world’s differing cultural scripts. While great civilizations: China, these scenes do not refute the Islam, and the West, as well as advantage of digital technology, how effectively their writing they make the case for systems adapted to printing upholding and honoring distinct technology. During the era of calligraphic traditions. the manuscript, the preferred Brody Neuenschwander LectureBrody Neuenschwander writing technologies in each of these cultures varied. In China, the ink brush and paper The following photos are from � Another example of Brody's dominated; in the Islamic Brody's FOC Summer Workshop Submarine hand. October 2019 2 Brush Workshop: Rustica By: Edwina Shannon It’s dramatic! That is surely a recognized as components of phrase that can define Loredana letters or actual letters repeated Zega’s work. There is a 3D effect on a page, creating a delightful to her ornamentation that is design. When Loredana was enhanced by strokes that exude done with the demonstration, motion. How does she do that? her background in dance The flow of one color and the became apparent, as she raised pulse of movement captured both arms and motioned for my curiosity. us to leave and perform the Loredana showing us how to load our brush Loredana’s time with Friends strokes ourselves. With the flow of Calligraphy opened with of her arms going into a raised a talk at the Flax Art Supply position, she commanded us to in Oakland on the Thursday Go! Just do it! night before the workshop. Most of us in the workshop Her presentation was entitled, had never used a brush for “From the Fountain Pen to the calligraphy before taking her What a great group! Brush.” The chairs were full class. As a participant, I needed and the group was listening. to develop a few of the basics. Loredana gave us some I summarize the challenges as personal background to her the three T's: Tool, Texture, and life. As a child in Slovenia, she Touch. The three days were not was involved with dance and enough time to control them horseback riding. An aunt of but then, I must remember the hers was an art teacher. hours and the analysis that Inspired by this aunt, Loredana Loredana has invested in this cherished the hand lettered artform. and decorated envelopes and For reminders: the brush should Above and Below cards that she received from be held in an upright position Two of our long standing dedicated FOC her. With an expressed interest with the hand touching the members: Jerry Lehman and Lily Stevenson. in the lettering, her aunt started paper; the paint should be her with some lettering basics. the consistency of toothpaste; To continue developing her the touch of brush to paper skill, she studied books and is light, very light. The brush practiced; and practiced more. is important and should be “I was basically self taught from carefully selected. A short brush 9-22 years of age. Calligraphy will be too stiff and not produce starts with training. Practice light and beautiful forms. is the most important thing,” Loredana has created her own stated Loredana. structural version of Rustica. It is between six to eight blocks She described hitting the jackpot, when on a dance high.

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