MMO

What an incredible beginning to our 2001-2002 year! Our first meeting and program were absolutely magical! First of all, I counted 61 people at the meeting, all enjoying great food, and a veritable FEAST for the eyes in our Secret Pal display - I can't remember a Secret Pal Program where such high quality, highly diverse gifts were on view! W-O-W!!! And then we got our first "peek" at the creation of Darla Peek's committee -- another WOW! -- that calendar is just plain stunning -- over 100 of them were sold at the meeting -- at just $5.00 each, they are a steal and they're going to be gone fast, so be sure to get yours!

Thanks 101 members - 3 New Members -
A T-Shirt Design to Die For!
Secret Pals Revealed - Great M.C. Sally Gooze

Gayle Venticinque thought that perhaps an avalanche had happened indoors, as checks and cash flew, rained, blew, and landed on her from every direction, for the mini workshops - it was amazing! But then again, that set of workshops is S0000 exciting -- Be sure to reserve your space by calling Gayle. The first one is 20 September.

The Exhibits Committee worked diligently to produce a new set of guidelines for the Spring Show. They are outlined in this newsletter. Joanne Pacelli welcomes all your comments -- we'll be voting on guidelines in November; discussion in October...

And those T-Shirts! what an eye popping design by Bill Waddington -- you must reserve one before 22 September -- at only $20, they are also a STEAL -- call Bill or Leslie Winakur for info!

Next month Timothy Botts will be our guest speaker. Please encourage others to come for this very special evening -- his work will be on display (some for sale! as are his books, by special arrangement with John Neal -- call Bonnie Houser to reserve any books!) Only a couple of spaces are left for his 2 one-day workshops. Call Jill Adams to reserve a spot!

Saturday Specials begin on 15 September, with Paste Paper -- the most popular item on our recent survey -- so, sign up, guys -- here's a GREAT opportunity!!
I'm running out of space -- so much fun -- so little space -- stay tuned for MORE!

Maggie

October Activities

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL AND PROGRAM

Tim Botts

Show, Sale and Lecture
Timothy Botts’s work is marked by colorful exuberance. He uses color and a variety of letter forms to create innovative calligraphic compositions on Christian themes. His books make prized gifts for yourself and others.

We will have copies of Tim Botts’s books available for review and sale prior to his lecture. You are encouraged to pre-order. All books are offered at a substantial discount off the retail price. It will help the Guild to know how many copies to have of each book. By pre-ordering, you will not be disappointed if supplies run short the evening of the lecture, and you can pick up your books at the meeting. Please contact Bonnie Houser immediately upon receipt of this newsletter in order for her to order from John Neal in time for our meeting: 824-5497 or howzr@swbell.net . Tim has graciously agreed to sign books, but because of time and numbers, we can allow only one autograph per person. We thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

BB2217 The Book of Psalms, 1997. 160 pp. 8.5” x 10.75”. Hardcover. $25. Your price $20.

Contains the complete text of the book of Psalms (New Living translation). Each spread is illustrated by a calligraphic composition by Tim Botts. Some are full page; others are within the text. A great gift for both calligraphers nad on-calligraphers. If you liked Doorposts and Proverbs, you’ll like this one.

B050 Doorposts, 19986. 128 pp.. 60 full color plates. 8.5” x 11.” Hardcover. $19.99. Your price $16.

Botts, a calligrapher and designers for Tyndale House Publishers, has taken 60 texts from The Living Bible and produced expressive calligraphic compositions in full color using a wide range of alphabets and techniques. Opposite pages give brief explanatory notes of his thought process. A wonderful gift.

B2370-H/-L The Holy Bible, Botts’s Illustrated Edition, 2000, 8.5” x 11.” Hardcover $59.99. Your price $48. Bonded leather $89.99. Your price $72.

Botts has created expressive work pictures for 360 Bible passages. Full color throughout. Ribbon marker in bonded leather edition.

B1519 Messiah. 1991. 9.25” x 10.5.” Hardcover $25. Your price $9. while supplies last.

Calligraphic word pictures inspired by the music and text of Handel’s Messiah. The third in the series of Botts’s colorful calligraphic books. 56 double page spreads of full color calligraphic compositions together with his comments on each page.

B1844 Proverbs, 1994. 7” x 6.” Hardcover $16.99. Your price $14.

Like Doorposts, Proverbs has generally black or color lettering on a white background with colorful decoration. A variety of lettering styles is used. Great gift book for a friend. The most popular Tim Botts book

A Contemporary Illuminated Bible.
Calligraphic Dreams Do Come True

Timothy Botts says in his preface to The Holy Bible that he believes “it is the gift of the artist to give a face to that which is spirit. Some of the great passages of the Bible are not stories and seem best illustrated by metaphor and mood. When I make a picture of the meaning of words, its impact goes straight to my heart.”

In his program presentation, Tim will delight us with a slide show and a wall demonstration, giving us insight into the processes by which he calligraphed his favorite passages of the Bible.

Major Workshop
The Glory of Flourishes

SACG is proud to present a workshop by the renowned calligrapher Timothy Botts. Tim states that his combined education in graphic design and calligraphy has given him a unique ability to “be a scribe who goes beyond mere decoration to visually express the meaning of the text.”

His most recent publication is THE HOLY BIBLE, Illustrated in Calligraphy by Timothy R. Botts, a truly beautiful volume created for the new millennium.

Tim will teach a workshop on Friday, October 5, at Christ Episcopal Church (the room will be announced) and he will repeat this one day workshop on Saturday, October 6 in our usual meeting room.

Time: Fri., 9AM-4PM
1 hour lunch
Sat., 9AM-3:30PM
1/2 hour lunch

Fee: $50.

Contact Jill Adams to sign up.

Mini-Workshop
Fantasy Flowers

We are pleased to announce that on October 18 Pauline Sager will conduct this popular workshop for us again. We have not offered her Fantasy Flowers since 1989, which should be a welcome note for former students, as well.

Using Oriental methods of brush manipulation with the Staedtler-Mars 3000 flexible markers, Pauline devised a quick and easy way one could make various flowers, ferns and grasses to decorate envelopes, stationary, greeting cards, and informal invitations. She says no artistic ability is needed to achieve a pleasing floral arrangement.

Supply List: SM 3000 Markers, Pencil, Small size watercolor brush (if you have one), and a cushion to sit on. Practice paper will be furnished.

NOTE to New Students: These markers can no longer be bought locally in single colors. If you do not have this brand on hand, do not purchase the packaged set. Pauline will have individual colors for sale at the workshop for approx. $2.50 each, or will loan you the necessary colors to use during class.

Former Students: Please have personal identification on your markers in case they get misplaced. If you have any that have gone dry, or nearly dry, call Pauline (494-1881) . She will bring concentrated liquid watercolor to refill them.

M U C H O G R A C I A S

M E R C I B E A U C O U P

D A N K E S C H Ö N

T H A N K S S O M U C H

To Jill Adams and Thea Moore for our new and updated directory. If you have not received yours yet, please contact Jill at 826-8214 immediately and she will mail it. Please remember that if your e-mail address or any other information changes, you should contact Thea Moore as soon as possible.

To our September Hospitality crew: Laura Heye, BJ Nichol, Sylvia Stanley, Gayle Venticinque, and Kaye Yarbrough. Everything was delicious!

To Darla Peek and her Calendar 2002 Committee, Janice Anabtawi, Pam Thomas, and Camille Storment, for a job very well done. Calendar sales are well under way (over 100 sold at the September meeting!), and at $5. Each, these are a bargain. Be sure to get yours before they sell out.

To Jill Adams for continuing to arrange for our wonderful meeting place at Christ Episcopal Church, and to the Church for being so accommodating throughout the year.

To Bill Waddington for designing such a gorgeous T-shirt for the Reggie year. He gets an A+, Excellent on his homework. Remember that we are trying to order via advance sales only, so if you have not yet ordered yours, be sure to contact Bill and pay your $20 prior to September 24.

Congratulations to our Door Prize Winners: Jaonne Pacelli – a handmade book by Angie Murray, BJ Grant – marbled papers by Beverly Carter, Shirley Ginn – calligraphed hot pad from Frank and April Rippel at Sandee‘s, and Helen Rasplicka – an envelope full of stamps for collage from Janice Anabtawi. Consider contributing to the door prizes, and contact Pam Thomas or Sandra Reyna if you have something they can use. Hand made items are always appreciated.

Secret Pals was a great success again this summer. It’s a good excuse to keep our skills honed, and it’s always such a blessing to give rather than to receive. Thank you to Francene Smith and her huge committee, and also to all who took part. We can’t wait for next summer.

A Note For New Members

The Mini Workshops are held on the third Thursday of the month from 7-9 PM in our usual meeting room. Details of each workshop are published in Flourishes prior to the workshop. Contact Gayle Venticinque or BJ Grant if you have any questions and to sign up. Cost is $5 per class or $40 for the entire year.

If you need information about any Guild activities, please do not hesitate to contact any officer or the newsletter editors. We are so glad you’ve joined our Guild and we look forward to getting to know you better.

Save The Dates for upcoming major workshops:

Jackie Sullivan will be teaching Calligraphic Collage on February 9 and 10, 2002. Her work is exquisite and she was hailed as a wonderful teacher at the summer Conference.

Carol Pallesen will be teaching her Contemporary Book of Hours on April 6 and 7, 2002. This is a leather bound book, to be filled with seasonal prayers and meditations of your choosing.

Marsha Brady will be teaching a manuscript book with the foundational hand and cut paper collage in the fall of 2002, on Sept. 7-8, Oct. 5-6, and Nov. 14-15.

These all promise to stretch our skills and entertain us at the same time.

Dear SACG Members,

As a member of the “Reggie Class,” I just wanted to give you an update on the class. We have all been attending class, doing homework, and learning like crazy! Some of us have learned more than others, but even those that have been teaching calligraphy for years have learned new techniques and new ways to do things.

Over the next year or so, members of the Reggie class will be sharing what we have learned with you. Please do not think that what is being shared is the ONLY way or the RIGHT wy; it is only one of many ways to get to an end result. Reggie has given us permission to share what we hve learned through demonstration and the work that we have produced in class. Please do not ask us for any handouts form his class. We can tell you how to do something, we can show you, but we can not give you his handout about the subject. So please bring a little notebook to the demonstrations, so you can take notes. We welcome questions and will answer them to the best of our ability from our knowledge and understanding of what has been taught to us.

We will let you know when we are sharing from Reggie’s class and we will give him the credit. If it is something we learned in another workshop or form someone else, we will give that person credit.

I hope that you will be as excited as I have been about learning. I wish to see the lettering arts continue and expand. I feel that one way they will expand is by sharing what we learn from others outside of our Guild. Some of you have been fortunate enough to attend Conferences or workshops outside of San Antonio and I can only hope that you will share your new knowledge with the guild also.

Hope to see all of you at the meetings, early birds, and workshops (both minis and majors) this next year. Also, please take advantage of the Saturday Specials whenever you can. We have a terrific year planned for SACG!

Happy scribing!

Shirley Ginn, vice President

Proposed Clarifications

of the Guidelines for the Spring Exhibit

On August first, Shirley Ginn, Bonnie Houser, Pauline Sager, Helen Rasplicka, Leslie Winakur, and Joanne Pacelli met together to review the guidelines for the Spring Exhibit. Our meeting resulted in a unanimous proposal to the Board, which was unanimously accepted at the Board Meeting on September 5. The following proposal is therefore presented to the general membership to be discussed at the October general meeting and voted on at the November general meeting.

Our focus was to expound on the acceptability of original works entered for display at the annual Spring Exhibit. Under the guidelines of Entry Restrictions, all works submitted for exhibition are to be original work, done by the member/artist entering the piece. Due to the increase in the use of computers, scanners and copiers in the world of art, we found it necessary to give a more in-depth interpretation of this particular guideline. We recommend that the term “original work” be defined and interpreted as follows:

A one of a kind Hand Lettered piece that may include reproductive elements and embellishments.

We further recommend that an extensive description of materials, tools and technique used be made readily available upon entering the piece and a clear and concise description be displayed alongside all exhibited entries.

We ask that the Board instruct the Exhibit chairperson to enforce all guidelines, specifically regarding the hardware used for hanging the piece to be exhibited and the completion of the description of the methods and media used.

Finally, we request that the juror be instructed on how to categorize eligible pieces and what specifically must be considered in evaluation of the piece, namely letterforms, design, and uniqueness of creativity.

Each of the aforementioned members also obtained opinions from sources other than themselves and provided us with these important perspectives on the definition of the word original pertaining to a work of art acceptable for exhibit. The names of these sources were: Marsha Brady, Karen Gillman, Bill Womack, Dolores Schultz, Jeanyee Wong, Phillip Grushkin, Reggie Ezell, Joan Schmitz, and Maggie Gillikin.

It was a common conviction that the world of calligraphy be as inclusive as possible. Most regarded the use of computers as a welcome tool, enabling the artist to expand his/her creativity. Our recommendations are made unanimously.

BOOK REVIEWS

Making & Keeping Creative Journals, by Suzanne Tourtillott is just out and features some of the work of our own Wendy Davis of Austin. This is a book about making our own books with our own art and our own words. The illustrations are magnificent and the step-by-step instructions are quite clear. The author includes suggestions for a travel journal, a dream journal, a poet’s journal, a grandmother’s journal, a sculpture journal, a child’s summer journal, and many others. Each is unique and some of the structures are intriguing. We calligraphers are often quoting other people’s words. This book is an encouraging nudge toward making art of our own words and images. Put this one on your holiday wish list.

Making & Keeping Creative Journals, Suzanne Tourtillott, ed., lark Books, 2001. Available through Borders and other local bookstores.

The Speedball Textbook, edited by Joanne Fink and Judy Kastin has been around since 1915, and maybe that’s why we tend to brush it aside in favor of more recent and flashier texts. However, it is a comprehensive resource for calligraphers and lettering artists in general, with contributions from many of the eminent calligraphers of the 20th century. The 1999 23rd edition is divided into four sections: Lettering Preparations, Alphabet Styles, Techniques, and Contemporary Calligraphy, which is especially interesting to us because many of our major workshop instructors are featured in this section. There are plenty of color plates and the ductus instructions for the various hands are very clearly illustrated. This little gem of a handbook is inexpensive and is available almost everywhere. Contributors we know and love include Mark Van Stone, Julian Waters, Sheila Waters, Larry Brady, Tim Botts, Annie Cicale, and Michael Kecseg, just to mention a few.

The Speedball Textbook, A Comprehensive Guide to Pen and Brush Lettering, 1999, 23rd edition, ed. by Joanne Fink and Judy Kastin, originated by Ross F. George, Speedball Art Products Company

Xyron™
The holidays are just around the corner; birthday and anniversary presents add up. Let me show you how easy it is to make cards and gifts using a Xyron™. For accessories, supplies, machines or a schedule of classes call Denise Adler at 210-681-0964. My specialty is Xyron™ questions, fun classes, and personalized service.

2002 Calendars

The 2002 Calendars are available and ready for purchase. The creamy background is accentuated with deep purple ink and outstanding artwork from contributing guild members. Kate Bergquist created a beautiful cover for us. The Guild calendars always make great gifts for family and friends. Check with Darla Peek or Janice Anabtawi to get your 2002 calendars, they will sell for $5.00 including tax. Call Darla Peek at 210-736-3942 or e-mail: peekr2@juno.com

About the Calendar

Since 1977, the San Antonio Calligraphers' Guild ahs produced a calendar. It was a natural combination -- an annual fundraiser that featured guild members' calligraphy saluting a special theme for the year. It's a mini calligraphy exhibit to grace the wall and keep track of time as it marches on. It also represents a labor of love for the calendar committee and the contributing calligraphers/artists. Each year the Guild members vote on the calendar theme and then members interpret the theme into a single page. Fourteen scribes contributed their time and talent this year -- form the cover by Kate Bergquist (see below), then each month through January 2003. The calendar committee admired all the wonderful pieces and then selected the artwork that corresponded with each month -- some of the pieces could have been atop the grid of any month, others seemed to have a special place, we believe we gave all of them a happy home.

The 2002 calendar features female poets and their work -- we wanted a variety and our scribes rose to the challenge. You will find on the calendar pages a wonderful assortment of female poets -- young, old and ancient; from all walks of life; ethnically diverse; and a wide range of subjects.

Calligraphers and poets LOVE words. Calligraphers use the "art of beautiful writing" to capture and interpret the poet's written word. The poet captures and interprets a subject into words, also setting it down on paper. Calligraphy and poetry are two natural combinations. Please enjoy these complimentary artforms merged on the months to follow.

Best regards,

Janice Anabtawi, Darla Peek, Camille Storment &
Pam Thomas - San Antonio Calligraphers' Guild 2002 Calendar Committee

This calendar is dedicated in memory of L. Patrick Peek, one of the Guild's enthusiastic supporters. He truly admired and appreciated all things calligraphy -- especially the Guild calendars, the Spring Exhibits and the "prizes" from the Summer Secret Pals.

The San Antonio Calligraphers Guild

is honored to present

A Contemporary Illuminated Bible

Calligraphic Dreams Do Come True

a lecture and slide show by

Mr. Botts, author of Doorposts, Psalms, Wind Songs, Proverbs,

and most recently The Holy Bible, New living Translation, is a world renowned calligrapher and senior art director at Tyndale House Publishers. He has published many beautiful books which have won numerous secular and religious awards. He states that his combined education in graphic design and calligraphy has given him a unique ability to “be a scribe who goes beyond mere decoration to visually express the meaning of text.”

October 4, 2001 - 8 –9 PM
open to the public admission is free - only one autograph per person please

Christ Episcopal Church Family Ministry Center

510 Belknap Place

San Antonio, Texas

October 2001 Flourishes' Web Page is proudly sponsored by
Sandee's Sewing Shop in Seguin, TX USA - whose web site is:
http://www.axs4u.net/home/riptron

2002 Calendars

October Birthdays