Pensive Thoughts

 Welcome May!

I am always so happy to welcome this blossoming month of the year.

The birds greet each morning with cheerful songs and the garden is filled with hope of a new season. Although my heart is filled with expectation for the season, I have been especially pensive and quiet. I am taking a few weeks off from teaching before I begin the summer and fall courses.  Taking time to rest and regroup is good for the soul of the artist. I am relaxing my studio hours for the next few weeks to allow more time in the garden, catch up on my reading and to take longer walks. There are still commissions to complete and tasks to prepare for my students, but I am definitely slowing down my daily studio work until the end of the month. I am determined to appreciate this season that I wait so long for each year. The rocking chairs are waiting for me on the studio porch for morning coffee break and afternoon tea and I can't wait to use them. While I am on this break, I have been working on techniques with coloured pencil.

I have been testing different brands, doing paper experiments, investigating the use of solvents and testing paper surfaces.  Part of this is to prepare for Blooms and Breezes in July  which will be a course that is meant to optimize your coloured pencil use for calligraphic work. The pansy is a very simple flower to draw and to bring to life with colour. This is a  two session class and I hope it will  demonstrate the richness that can be achieved with simple coloured pencils.  I want the students to find confidence and learn how to build effective layers of colours rather  that create a luminous and realistic effect. 

The process of studying and working on compositions has been mindful work. Although I work in silence most of the time, the slow process of coloured pencil work allows my mind to wander. I don't have to analyze every thought and movement. I don't need to worry about the timing of applying water glazes to paper and there is no danger of ink smudges on the paper. Although the process is slow, it is extremely rewarding. 

 One thing that keeps coming to mind is the concept of  he passage of time. This process cannot be rushed. Each part of the design will take as long as it takes. In fact, when I feel myself rushing, I have stepped away from the work rather than try to race to the end of the piece. I will put the coloured pencils away, reset my desk and work on something else. I have found that rushing is my cue to move on for a day or two. As an instructor, I know that so many students want to rush to the end result of having their skill set match the vision they have in their head. We always want our work to be far more advanced than it is. We want beautiful script, perfect gilding and illustrations that look like they will leap off the page. But each of these skills needs time to develop. They all will take as long as they take. It is ok to slow down and breathe. Take as much time as you need with each piece of art work that you are doing. Enjoy the creative process. During this month I will be preparing for June's Fainting Fancies Class at Ardington and for Blooms and Breezes and  Flights of Fancies for The Gentle Penman in July.

If you are considering the Flights of Fancy Master Class but have questions about your current skill level, please contact me. This will likely be my final offering of the course and it would be a pleasure to accompany you .The course is about finding your voice as a calligraphic artist, refining your skills and  giving you confidence and joy in the journey.  This is more of an experience than an online course. I am so proud of the work of that has been done by the students of 2023 and I am excited for the 2024 students. 

Remember to take time to  pause and breathe my dear friends. Experience the season that you are in. Appreciate each day. Thank you for your constant encouragement, your friendship and for supporting my classes. Happy May!

A Life in Letters

 What a beautiful April morning. It is so good to watch the robins and blue jays in the yard. Rabbits have been plentiful these past weeks and I always pause to watch them when I see them jumping by. The soft presence of nature through my studio window helps with all the tasks in front of me. I still have the ache of the loss of Oscar but never forget to appreciate the memories he gave us. Although the rabbits, squirrels and birds are not my pets, they still bring such a sense of joy to my day. I try not to take them for granted. March was very busy with teaching and commission work. I can only share a peek but I have loved working on these special pieces.

 I have a busy month ahead as I sort through the list of deadlines. Looking through the schedule, I realize that I have an abundance of drawn letter tasks as well as pure calligraphic writing. I have received some of the most gorgeous letters these past few weeks. The staff at the post office loves to see the mail that comes in for me as well as what I send out. They handle things with extra care. When beautiful letters arrive for me, they will often leave a note for me to see them in the office so they can hand it to me rather than risk bending it to put it into the post box. They recognize how special these letters are and it is always a chance for me to chat about the beauty of calligraphy. The gift of a letter truly touches the recipient and it is a wonderful way to practice your own skills. 

There always seems to be a sense of magic involved when you hand off a piece of mail, knowing you don't have control of the timing or even the course of its path as it goes out into the world.
As I prepare for my upcoming Italian Hand, Spencerian and Fainting Fancies classes, I have been using letter writing as a way to update my course notes. I seem to need something fanciful to write as I practice and rather than keeping my portfolios and file folders overflowing, the work is getting ready to be mailed out. It has been a joy to create this way. Fainting Fancies will be offered in June at Ardington School.

I have taught it once online and several times in person. The strange name was chosen from Harry Potter movies, as the first time I presented this course was for a Harry Potter themed calligraphy guild retreat. The students are encouraged to create fanciful embellished letterforms. The act of adding extra flourishes to your calligraphic work, whether inside the letters or as an extension of a beautiful word is the focus of the Fainting Fancies class. The sky is the limit with these small studies. I find them so freeing to create.

I have used the techniques on recent envelopes as well as monograms to be included in the envelopes. A life in letters does not mean any of your practice sessions need to be dull. I have never been one who could practice pages of lowercase letters or simply use black ink on practice paper. Once I understood the letter structures, I needed a practical output for the letters. Play is the beginning of knowledge and is essential for pointed pen flourishing in my opinion. 

It may energize your practice if you share your work in the form of a card, letter or decorated envelope. Most of us have a surplus of paper and envelopes and we all know someone who would love to receive a letter. I encourage you to enjoy the practice and feel delight of sending out a beautiful letter. Don't worry if your work is not perfect. Perfection is never an option.  Express your creative energy even if you only have a few minutes to write. April will fly by as quickly as March! Have fun with your pens, inks, colours and papers and see what emerges. If you want to hone your decorated letters or your flourishing skills, there is room in Fainting Fancies in June and a very few spots in Flourishing Club for April, May and June. Flourishing Club is always full of surprises and the work being produced by the students is outstanding. They are taking flourishes along pathways that I never dreamed of and it is so inspiring. 

If you want a deep dive into expressive flourishing I will be teaching Sweet Characters For Spring this month at The Gentle Penman. The Spring subjects are Foxes, Bunnies and Bears. 

This is a brand new class and it will be challenging but so much fun. And if you want an incredibly intensive study program, there are a couple of spots available for the 6 month long Master Class at The Gentle Penman. I am working so hard on all these courses to share what I have learned over these 21 years of study. This will likely be my final presentation of the Flights of Fancy Master Class  and I am so excited to share my thoughts with the class of 2024.

  As I finish this blog post, a gorgeous brown rabbit came into view. He seems to be enjoying the sunshine! I wish you all a most beautiful April on this Easter Monday Morning. May you Flourish dear friends.