Flourishes

Lines by Leslie

Hi, Everybody,

We had a wonderful meeting in February and made a lot of important decisions. We started out with an amazingly humbling and inspiring Early Bird - the Reggie Ezzell video. This 40-minute review of his year long course had us all sitting in silence, except for the occasional unanimous ooh and aah. I realize it was hard to get a really good look at some of the work in the video, and that some members were unable to attend the Early Bird, so I will show the video at my home in March or April, on a Wednesday afternoon and a Saturday afternoon so that as many people as possible can see it. I will announce the dates as soon as I get my call schedule for those months. We can take our time, since we have the video for a year and we've scheduled Reggie for two years from now. Joannie will be providing us with more information about our plans for the 2001 course, but meanwhile, we can save our money and dream!

We voted on our calendar theme for the year 2000, and the winner was … HEARTSTRINGS. Now the committee can get busy with further plans. It's fun to be looking so far into the future.

And, speaking of the future, once again I am asking that everyone consider taking part in the work of the Guild by participating in one committee's activities. We have some openings for committee chairpersons, and I would love to hear from some volunteers over the next few months. As I mentioned at the meeting, I feel very strongly that the word "committee" implies more than one person. This would make the chairperson's job much easier and would keep us all involved in our Guild. So - please be thinking about a committee that interests you, keeping in mind that you don't necessarily have to chair that committee. It would be so nice if a chairperson would eventually turn over a committee chair to someone who is already familiar with the workings for that committee. I will try to have a nicely bound volume containing all the job descriptions available for the April meeting. Meanwhile, I hope everyone will consider trying out a committee of their interest.

Since our Telephone Committee pointed out that they notify at least half of the membership by e-mail these days, we voted to change the name of the committee to the Communication Committee. This will keep us up to date and accurate.

Thank you as always to Loni Carlson and the hospitality crew. The food was delicious and the Mardi Gras theme was such fun.

Our program was excellent. Thank you, Helen Rasplicka, for the instructions for the beautiful masks. The variety of work and creativity of our members is always such fun to see.

Unfortunately, not all of our news is good news. Our thoughts and prayers are with Darla Peek and Vicki Belcher for their father's full and speedy recovery and with Rebecca Ingram for her father and her family at a very difficult time. We offer our sympathy and condolences to Mildred Mayfield on the loss of her husband, Jim. And, we hope that our friendship is a support to you all in your time of need.

See you in March.

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

March Early Bird

Those of you who know Charles Ingram know we are in for a creative, interesting Early Bird. Come and see what surprise Charles has up his sleeve for us.

Maggie Gillikin

Program

"Whimsical Weaving" and "Creating Woven Greeting Cards" with Joan Black - she will lead us in designing unique woven greeting cards using plain and fancy papers, and anything else that can be led through a piece of card stock.

For this program, please bring with you:
1. Scissors (and an x-acto knife, if you wish)
2. Glue stick (and bondfast glue, if you wish)
3. Magazine to glue on.
4. Materials for weaving -- materials you would like to try -- for instance, fancy paper, wrapping paper, magazine photos, ads, ribbon, thread, feathers, raffia ... be innovative. I hope that we can share materials. I will bring coloured feathers and some threads (gold and colors).
5. "Practice" pieces of calligraphy that can be cut up and integrated into the card.
6. A sharp pencil or fine black pen to title and sign your cards.
7. Cards-sized pieces of white and coloured card stock if you wish to work in a particular colour scheme. Some stock will be supplies at the meeting.
8. If you have time, write out some quotes on weaving and bring them to weave into your card for double impact. (This suggestion came from Beth Weisse of Minneapolis, formerly of Kyle and SACG.)

Thank you for being your own suppliers! I will bring my display boards so that, at the end of the evening, we can have a "galleria" and enjoy learning from each other by seeing the woven cards displayed. I look forward to being with you on the 4th.

Sincerely, Joan Black

P.S. When my husband, Jake, and I got to the parking lot of Christ Episcopal for the February meeting, I asked someone in the lot if they were going to the calligraphy meeting. "No, Ma'am, but there's a meeting going on in there" and they pointed in the direction of the lights. When I looked through the window and saw the decorated table loaded with the food, I said to Jake, "No need to look further, this is SACG!"

Here are some weaving quotes from Miss Beth:

"And time weaves ribbons of memories to sweeten life when youth is through. But I would need no mem'ries there if I could spend my life with you"

From the musical Pippin

"Man's life is laid in the loom of time
To a pattern he does not see,
While the weavers work and the shuttles fly
Till the dawn of eternity."

Source unknown

"Then weave for us
A garment of brightness,
May the warp be the white light of morning,
May the weft be the red light of evening,
May the fringes be the falling rain,
May the border be the standing rainbow,
Thus weave for us a garment of brightness,
That we may walk fittingly where the grass is green,"

From "Tewa Song of the Sky Loom"

"My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue,
An everlasting vision of the ever-changing views,
A wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold
A tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold."

From "Tapestry" by Carole King

"Silence is the fabric upon which the notes are woven."

Lawrence Duncan

Woven Hidden Message Card

1. Fold a piece of coloured card stock in half to make a regular card.

2. Fold the edges into the centre fold to make doors.

3. Bend the card inside out and double over. Cut two or three (or more) straight slits through the two layers from the middle fold to the side folds.

4. Cut two strips of contrasting card (white is good) for your message. Each strip should be the height of the card and just less than one-fourth the width of the open card.

5. Weave the two white strips over and under through the slits to make a checkerboard.

6. On the back of the card, lightly glue the white strips to the card itself.

7. On the inside of the card on the white blocks, write your invitation, "Can you find my hidden message?" or whatever you like.

8. Fold the card up accordion style and "pop" the centre fold apart to reveal the white blocks where you write your hidden message.

9. Finish the front as desired. A tab with a slit will keep closed as will a band of paper around the card.

Joan Black

Late Correction & Apology

It has come to my attention that the Board did not follow proper procedure in relation to the dues increase. We did not realize written notice thirty (30) days in advance is required by the bylaws. So, please consider this notice of the Board's proposal to increase dues to $24 per year. The vote at the February meeting will not stand. We will vote again in April. Since there is also some confusion as to how dues are to be prorated, that will be discussed at the next Board meeting and we will try to clarify it.

I apologize for the error and any confusion that arose. Please know that this was an honest oversight, not an attempt by the Board to force the issue or misdirect the membership.

Leslie.....

Express Yourself

Now is the time to speak up!

The owner of Stamp Antonio is planning to open a new store called SA Arts and Letters. This store will be specifically designed for calligraphers, bookmakers, paper makers, journal makers, etc. I have been asked to find out what supplies the Guild members would like to see stocked in this store for our convenience. (I've been complaining about the difficulty of getting good supplies locally!) At the March Guild meeting, I will be asking for suggestions to pass on to Stamp Antonio.

Please give this some thought, as it is our opportunity to have a local supplier for our special needs. Bring a list of your favorite nibs, papers, inks, gouaches, tools, book supplies, etc. (If you are not going to be at the meeting and you have a suggestion, please get in touch with me by phone or by e-mail at: rutland464@juno.com

Lynn Rutland

Polylineal Calligraphy

with Steve Scaggs, compiled by Dee Day

(Submitted by Bonnie Houser - she thought it might give us some background for our April meeting with Paula Webb from Austin.)

"True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, and those move easiest who have learned to dance." (Alexander Pope)

"Polylineal calligraphy departs from "normal" calligraphy by thinking of the text as a set of visual forms which, like other visual forms, can be repeated, patterned, fragmented, and otherwise manipulated for visual effect." These are the words that Steve Skaggs used to describe the class he taught at Confluence. One of his students was Paula Webb, whose work appears in this article.

For those of you who have never tried creating non- verbal work with lettering, this process might seem a bit intimidating. Most of us are unaccustomed to writing letters on top of letters because we have all been programmed to perceive letters for reading purposes only. This process will help you to also see letters as texture and visual art with no attempt at legibility. It is direct and honest. Thumbnails are definitely not a prerequisite. It is a different process with no end in mind. Music can also help to create a mood and influence the rhythm of the writing.

You can try it yourself by making a BIG mark with a BIG tool. Choose any color and use tools such as a brush, sponge, rag, a piece of cardboard, etc. With a smaller tool such as a nib, ruling pen, twig, or pencil, begin to stack a word or group of words, one on top of the other. You have now created texture, tone, and space. This visual art can stand alone or you can add words that will reveal the text to the viewer.

Employing this process on verbal work also requires much repetition, but not with the letters necessarily stacked on top of each other. By selecting key words or phrases from the text and repeating them you can use these particular repetitions as supporting background texture to add emphasis to the actual text. Value and size play an important part here. Create a contrast by varying the size and value. The possibilities, of course, are endless. Steve describes it best in his description of what happens when the text is fragmented and repeated. "The polylineal method makes possible a continual reexamination of verbal structure. As if rotating a crystal under a microscope, the method can reveal constantly changing facets of meaning in the text."

Another powerful way to use the polylineal method is in creating an entirely new text. This happens quite naturally when the calligrapher begins to allow his or her personal feelings to enter the process. At that time, it becomes almost irresistible to insert a word or phrase that expresses the personal thoughts of the calligrapher in direct reaction to the original text so that there is a dialogue between the text and the calligrapher.

Paula came away from the class with very strong impressions about what will allow polylineal writing to work. She does not want anyone to be misled and think that this process is just a matter of pulling out a sheet of paper and writing any old way and calling it art. There first has to be a strong inner feeling concerning the chosen text, whether it is verbal or non-verbal. Secondly, there needs to be an unself-conscious consistency in the way the tool is held, the way the ink flows, and a thorough understanding of the letterforms involved. A basic underlying knowledge of design also helps.

In conclusion, the more you know about the tools and process of making good letterforms, the more likely will be your success with this marvelously creative, free and exhilarating process of writing....

President's Report
on the Southwest Calligraphy Conference

This was my first conference, and all I can say is, "WOW!" I went off to Tulsa with Joannie not even knowing exactly where Tulsa is on the map (although we did eventually manage to scrounge up a map in the airplane magazine and educate ourselves). Although the weather was atrocious, especially by Sunny San Anton' standards, everything else about the trip was fantastic.

Our Tulsa hostesses were wonderful and spoiled us terribly, actually waiting on us hand and foot. But I was even more impressed by the exchange of ideas and information that took place. I could hardly believe we were really only in session for less than 24 hours. We were very proud of our Guild. We are the second largest guild in the conference and one of the most active. Our dues are among the lowest, as are our mini-workshop fees, and our major workshop fees are average. We got some great ideas from the other guilds, which we will gradually bring to the board and to our general membership. Almost all of the guilds have some excellent talents who are willing to teach and give programs within the conference area. This would be such a nice way to get to know some of our very skilled conference members and learn from them, while limiting travel costs for out-of-town guests. All of the guilds were agreed that the hands-on programs and activities generated the most interest and were the most successful.

One guild keeps slides of all exhibit pieces in their library and makes them available to members and teachers. One guild publishes a very impressive Annual each year. One highlights a member each month, printing a photo and extensive biography of that member in the newsletter. Several guilds exhibit and promote calligraphy at commercial sites, such as large bookstores, and one hosted a "Discovery Day" to inform the public and to attract new members. Most exhibit in a library or art store. I believe we are the only guild with access to an actual gallery for our exhibits. One guild held a book discussion during one meeting and explored the ideas in an art book that the members had read in advance. One guild printed t-shirts for their fund raiser. Several guilds took private tours of special collections in libraries and museums.

All of the guilds struggle with the issue of active participation by a majority of members. One of the guilds has not had a major workshop in five years because of lack of consensus among the members, and at least one guild has had no mini-workshops in the past one to two years because they could not convince anyone to be mini-workshop chairperson. One guild had to cancel a major workshop because of inadequate advance sign-up. One guild donated its library to the public library, only to find that a short time later many of its valued, out-of-print books had been signed out and never returned. Most guilds have peaks and dips in their membership rolls, but have managed to maintain an average steady membership.

We are a lucky Guild at the moment. Our membership is strong in numbers and currently interested in all of our on-going activities. I counted heads at our last meeting, and we had over twenty people present for the Early Bird, and nearly fifty for the meeting. We're an exciting group with a wonderful diversity of interests and skills. I'm constantly amazed by the sheer numbers of people who enjoy the alphabet as much as I do! The best way for us to maintain our current level of activity and interest is that each of us participate in the Guild as much as possible, donating time and energy as much as we are able. Every little bit helps us to continue to grow as a Guild, and that helps each of us to grow as calligraphers and artists.

Promise Checks - Information

For those who admired my checkbook at the February meeting, you can get the checks from Promise Checks via the Internet. Not your usual decorated checks - they feature the calligraphy of Timothy Botts. If you are interested, you can place your order at: http://www.promisechecks.com In addition to the check ordering information you can see an online portfolio of Timothy Botts' work under ''The Artists'' link, some pieces from ''Psalms'' and a biographical sketch, also.

If you order the checks online, you save $3 by printing the online form; it's a special Internet deal. I chose Design #201 ''Calligraphy'', and they have others (The checks were beautiful. DP). Contact them at 1/800-977-6647.

Shawn Behrens

Exhibition Venues 1999

Mark your calendar if you plan to go to one of these areas this year - you'll want to see the ABECEDARIUM Exhibition, an excellent representation of contemporary work in binding, letterpress printing, calligraphy, illustration and artists' books. With 40 participants from 17 states and Canada, this exhibition features 38 books and one wall mounted piece.

The Newberry Library; Chicago, IL - March 13, 1999 to April 17, 1999.

Ohio University Library; Athens, OH - June 7, 1999 to August 14, 1999

Vida Ellison Gallery, Denver Public Library; Denver, CO - September 6, 1999 to October 17, 1999

Denison Library, Scripps College; Claremont, CA - November 3, 1999 to December 17, 1999

You Internet users can also visit the online host site: The Guild of Book Workers' Homepage at: http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw

A full-color catalogue is available for $20 + $3 s/h for the first 4 copies and $4 s/h for orders of 5 or more. Overseas shipping will be pro-rated. An online order form is available at the website address listed above. For further information about the exhibit, please contact Barbara Lazarus Metz, Exhibitions Chair, via e-mail: b-lazarmetz@nwu.edu

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