Lines by Leslie

Hi, Everybody. We had a wonderful meeting in May, highlighted by several special events. First of all, we had the presentation of the Paul Freeman Awards. Congratulations to Bonnie Houser and B. J. Grant, this year's award winners. You have both been an inspiration to the rest of us to continue to give our time and effort to keep the Guild alive and well. Thanks to you and all of the nominees for your commitment.

Second, we had the distribution of the Secret Pal assignments. Thank you to Karen Veni and your committee for a job well done. We're all looking forward to a summer full of exciting surprises.

Third, we have our Spring Exhibit hanging at Ventana Gallery and we thank Maggie Gillikin and Brixey Sutton for doing such a great job of coordinating all that goes into hanging the show. I hope everyone has had a chance by now to see the wonderful work that our members do. The gallery had only one complaint - they wanted more pieces! So get an early start and go to work on next year's piece this summer! We need to heed the great advice we've had from our speakers of late, and do our best to overcome the anxiety and fear of letting the public see how much of ourselves goes into our work. We have a very supportive group, and we can be proud to share our work with each other and the gallery.

And finally, we had a fantastic program delivered by Sheryl Hirsch-Kramer, our "visiting professor" from New Jersey. We were lucky enough to have had her here for 2 two-day workshops as well as our program. It was a special treat and we look forward to seeing her again.

We're also looking forward to our June Potluck Dinner and Installation of Officers, to be held this year at the home of Barbara Gere. If you haven't yet signed up to bring food, please do that now. It promises to be a great time for us all.

And to be sure we don't run out of things to look forward to, we also have our Calligraphers Exchange, to be held the first Thursday of August, 6:30 to 9:00, in our usual meeting place. This was a huge success last summer, a perfect way to get the ball rolling for the coming year. Again, we will have commercial vendors along with our own members, selling a fascinating variety of equipment, papers, books, and original art work. So mark your calendars now and plan to take part.

As this year draws to a close, I would like to personally thank everyone in the Guild for making this an enjoyable year for us all. A member recently told me that the energy she gets from attending Guild meetings helped to get her through a year long ordeal with a serious illness. Our visiting teachers all comment on what a friendly, talented, and pleasant group we have here. But, we already know that! We've had record participation in all of our activities, and this is a testament to our excellent committee chairpersons and to our own commitment to our organization. Thank you all for making this a great group. Have a wonderful summer. I'll see you all in August.

See you in August.

.................................................................................................Leslie

Membership Notes from Mary and Jo

Did you remember to renew your membership? Dues are due.
Move into the millennium with SACG for $24! Dues were due April 1 - please get your money in, you are considered late after June 1st. We currently have 73 members, please update your directories and add these new members.

Dolores Schultz (Charles) - e-mail: dschultz@pdq.net

Angie Villarreal Kriewald (Melvin)

Elizabeth Jordan - e-mail: Rejordan@gvtc.com

Mary Bowman & Jo Drake

Paul Freeman Awards

At the May meeting, Maggie Gillikin and Mavis Caudill passed on their Paul Freeman pieces to this year's recipients. Maggie and Leslie Winakur created beautiful, original certificates for each of the ten PF nominees. The certificates were hand calligraphed on beautiful papers and presented in elegant colored folders. Each certificate was designed especially for each nominee with a clever comment designed specifically for and about that particular person. This year's recipients of the Paul Freeman Achievement Awards were: Bonnie Houser, the ABCdarium recipient, and B. J. Grant, the winner of the New Spencerian piece.

If you weren't at the May meeting and missed the presentation of the certificates to the nominees, you missed the collaborative efforts of the creative team of Gillikin and Winakur. They personalized the individual certificates as follows:

-- she'll meet me & greet me, but if I don't turn in my button, she'll sumi-e --

-- she'd rather be fishing, but holds our balances anyway --

-- he may know all about paper & lettering arts, but he doesn't know we're keeping his granddaughter as a hostage until he comes back --

-- may God grant us many more like her --

-- her ideas are like a fine wine - aged to perfection --

-- she gets the newsletter done well & you can take that to the bank --

-- she's been with us since our very first year --

-- her calligraphy is as classy as her accent --

-- she'll get us through a business meeting in a New York minute --

-- works nites for them & days for us --

Congratulations to everyone!

Lynn Rutland, Awards & Memorials

SUMMER CLASSES

PLAYDAYS WITH PAVASA

July 6 & 7, 1999
Registration deadline is July 1.

*******

FANTASY FLOWERS

July 6 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

$10
A playday intended as a refresher for my former students. Novices are welcome, but certain preconditions must be met.

*******

PASTE PAPER

July 7 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

$25
Create surface designs for book covers, end papers, and as a background for calligraphy. Class size is limited.

For additional information and to register, contact Pauline via e-mail at Pavasa@aol.com.

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Watch for Spring Exhibit photos and jury winners in September Floruishes.

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More Summer Classes

LEAF PRINTS WORKSHOP
with Rose Marie Siebenhausen

I have had several requests to do another leaf prints workshop. See me at the June meeting for details on the date, time, location and fee. Or call me for more information after June 5th. This would be a great opportunity to make something "leafy" for your Secret Pal.

Rose Marie Siebenhausen

Y2K Calendar Deadline -- June 3
Remember, the committee chose Cranberry ink to
be printed on white paper for the Y2K calendar.
Your entry is due June 3 -- with the absolute
deadline of June 30 to submit camera-ready artwork.
***Pauline Sager, Calendar Editor***

Thanks for all the cards and
phone calls during my recovery.
*** Rose Marie Siebenhausen***

Our own SACG talented member, Charles Ingram,
has his own web page showing samples of his
murals, paintings, and illustrations. Check his
website out at: http://www.muralcleworks.com

From Cyberscribes on Pricing

What to do about clients who bring you wedding envelopes piece-meal after the initial order has been picked up and paid for. This is what Ellen in Indy does ...

I try to treat my calligraphy business as a business. That does not mean being hard edged but it does mean charging fairly for my work. I continually get calls from calligraphers about PRICING.

What never ceases to amaze me is the prevailing attitude of so many calligraphers - They are AFrAiD to charge what their work and time worth!! Many feel ApoLOgeTiC about charging whatever amount they charge. And they are afraid to treat their business as a business.

How many printers can you call at 11:00 Friday night or 8:00 Sunday morning? Can you take a job to a printer, order 10 to be printed (not photocopied) and not pay the minimum price for 100%? Can you give the printer an order for 200 to be done in two-color printing and expect to pick it up in 24 hours and only be charged for black ink?

A suggestion à make yourself a written out price list for your use only. Figure out how much to charge for 100 works, black ink, no unusual layout or paper. Then you can charge additionally for additional things - but at least you do have a base price. Do the same for 150 words, 200 words, 250 words. This gives you a starting point. Then, when someone calls you, you can say, "well my minimum charge for 100 words is $xx. If you want additional artwork, color or layout there is an extra charge." That eliminates those who want you to write Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" for $10.

By having it in writing, you can look at your price list and give a quote. If you are uncomfortable, tell your potential client, "Let me look at my price list - I want to make sure I don't over quote my minimum charges."

We all know that the same 100-word poem can be done innumerable ways. It can have artwork or not. It can have color or be in black. It can be done using good paper or cheap copy paper. Ask your clients how much they want to spend. That will give you an idea of what kinds of creative things you can suggest to them. You are not going to gild for the same amount you would letter in fuchsia.

Give your client reasonable time limits. If you can do 50 envelopes/certificates a day on a steady basis then you figure you can do 250 a week, if it is 30 envelopes/certificates a day then it is 150 a week. Can you letter that many steadily? Do you have anything else in your life that might interfere with your working on this order daily? If so, allow for that.

Don't do work with resentment - it causes WriNKleS!!!

If you are giving someone a discount, write out the invoice showing the regular price and then the discounted amount. Or do the work for free as a gift. But never do the work so cheaply that you resent it. Not all work can be done with love and joy, but it can all be done with a great amount of satisfaction for a job well done.

Done lecturing. Good luck and have fun.

T E X T U RA

W O R K S H O P

Sept. 4 & 5, 1999
Oct. 2 & 3, 1999
Nov. 6 & 7, 1999

Price for all three workshops: $250

Textura, one of the most beautiful of the medieval hands, lends itself to modification and creative application by today's scribe. The structure, rhythm and spacing essential to the beauty of this classic letterform will be emphasized, along with exploring ways of varying the basic forms. Study of how Twentieth Century scribes have utilized gothic letterforms in their work is an integral part of the workshop.

Designed for calligraphers of all levels who have not had an opportunity to study Textura and use it in their work.

*****

Materials List

Brause or Rexel nibs
Usual assortment of workshop equipment - ink, jet black gouache, etc.
An ETERNA/Grumbacher Bristle China Series 2 #579 or an appropriate brush for mixing/feeding gouache into the nib.

3 - 4 sheets of good paper, pre-lined with 1/4" increments, with 3" margins on the top/sides, and 3 3/4" margin on the bottom. Line out in a horizontal format. See list below for paper suggestions and sizes.

A pillow or something suitable that will give your body some "lift" to the writing surface.

A copy of poetry, prose, or some text from which to work.

Paper Suggestions

Arches 90 lb. or TH Saunders 90 lb. hot press
German Ingres Antique (white or cream)
Nideggen or Frankfurt
Arches Text Wove
Any other good papers of your choice, but no Canson Mi-Teintes.

Please pay $100 now and the remaining $150 in equal payments of $50 each workshop.

To reserve your place in class, send check made out to SACG. Mail to: Joan Schmitz

Summer Birthdays

6/2 B. J. Nichol
6/9 B. J. Grant
6/16 Martha Kallus
Adeline Torres

6/21 Cheri Wolf
6/22 Elizabeth Jordan
6/29 Carol Wallis

7/3 Anita Hyman
7/4 Alex Walker
7/11 Martha Mendoza
7/12 Camille Storment
7/18 Donna Rusher
7/20 Gayle Venticinque
7/21 Luz Llera

8/2 Milly Hosford
8/7 Hazel Tillson
8/11 Denise Adler
8/13 Yolanda Smith
8/16 Pat Parks
8/17 Bev Carter
Dolores Schultz (new member)

8/19 Jill Adams
8/21 Angie Murray
8/22 Barbara Gere
8/23 Shirley Ginn
8/26 Virginia Harrison
8/27 Robbye Shafer

Healing Wall Installation

Call for paper art containing positive messages about healing. Paper can be painted, handmade, and/or embellished; these sizes are specified: 3"x5", 4"x 6" or 5"x7". Papers will be incorporated into a site installation in an exhibit of three artists (paper, Mary Ellen Matthews; paint Victoria Schackelford; textile, Julie Roseberry) at the Center for Spirituality and the Arts at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX in November. The show is titled "Sacred Sites/Healing Places". Send decorated papers to Mary Ellen Matthews, 134 East Mariposa, SA, TX 78212. Deadline is September 15, 1999.

Priscilla Earl
pme@txdirect.net