Anybody know of a sure-fire rain dance?  What a hot, H*O*T summer! In spite of that, we had a really cool exchange - not as large a crown - but everyone agreed that it was the most enjoyable one so far, and with the most air-conditioning! We did miss "Sandee's" booth, but wish them the best at the conference!

Secret Pals is going strong -- this is a "reminder" month -- whatever you have planned for your pal needs to be done this month -- no time remains -- I've gotten beautiful things from mine -- can't wait to see all the results in September!!

The Planning Committee met at my house and we had a blast planning for this coming year -- thanks to Shirley Ginn's organization, we were done in record time -- a big thank you to all who came and shared great ideas -- wait 'til you see what is in store for 2001 - 2002!

G R E A T   S T U F F !!!!!
(Reggie would just love that spacing job!) We can hardly believe that there are only four meetings left -- it's gone so fast in the Reggie Class...

As the summer winds down and fall gears up we can look forward to new directories, new calendars, new members, new meetings, and old friendships -- September, here we come!  The first of our Saturday Specials will be launched and Timothy Botts will arrive in October!

Our August Board Meeting is set for 30 August, 7 p.m., at Joan Schmitz's house.  Everyone is welcome to join us for good ideas, great fun and munchies!

Maggie

September Activities

During the summer many of our guild members made and received special hand made items through the Secret Pal Exchange. We will have a chance to view these items on display during our Early Bird time and we will learn more about who did what for whom during the Program.

Pauline Sager is a master paste paper craftsman. Don’t miss this chance to watch her at work and to pick her brain for new techniques! She will be teaching this class at Christ Episcopal Family Ministry Center (our usual meeting room). Registration deadline is September 10. Fee is $20 for members, and $30 for non-members. Supply list is nominal and will be sent with registration confirmation. Make check payable to SACG and pay at meeting or send with SASE to Pauline at 2407 Shadow Cliff, SAT 78232.

We will screen the SACG logo, so bring a white or light colored T-shirt, soft cotton material, apron, large tote bag, or even poster board. Whatever you screen onto must have a flat smooth surface. The image is 2” x 6”. Rudy will already have the screen cut and he will show us how he cut it and how to adhere it. He will have a list of materials we would need if we did the entire project start to finish. The entire process takes a whole day, and if any are interested, Rudy can be coaxed into a full day at some point in the near future.

In Memoriam
Millie Hosford passed away on June 25, 2001, in Kerrville. She was preceded in death by her husband James. They were both members of the guild. Their interest in archery brought them together in 1935. Jim was a calligrapher at the White House during the terms of Presidents, Truman Eisenhower, and Roosevelt. Jim and Millie were a very much loved couple and were an inspiration to all who knew them.

Cristin Gonzales, Rudy Gonzales’s very sweet granddaughter and a sometime attendee at our meetings, will be an exchange student in Wolmirstedt, Germany, this year. We wish her a wonderful year! Contact Rudy for her address if you would like to write her some news form home.

Timothy Botts, used with permission

Book Reviews

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation Illustrated in Calligraphy by Timothy R. Botts.

Timothy Botts’ first thoughts about illustrating the Holy Bible began in 1984. That is when he made the decision to read through the whole Bible systematically. As he read, he kept a sketchbook nearby so he could jot down visual pictures of scripture that was meaningful to him. During this time he began designing bulletin covers for his church taken from the scripture for that week. His goal was to make the words ”look like what they mean”. This has culminated into 360 glorious calligraphic interpretations of scripture. The typeface is original and was developed by Timothy and his son Jeremy. It is called Batzschrift.

This publication of the Bible introduces the New Living Translation. It is a thought-for- thought translation as opposed to a word-for-word translation. It seeks to be both scholarly accurate and idiomatically powerful. According to the Bible Translating Committee, composed of 101 capable scholars, the thought –for –thought translation has the potential to represent the intended meaning of the original text even more accurately than the word-for-word translation. The translators have made a conscious effort to provide a text that can be easily understood by the average reader of Modern English. It is written generally at the reading level of a Junior High School student.

This book is to be savored and studied. As I turn through and read a few pages each week, the sensitivity and expressiveness of this beautiful labor of love thrills me. The letter forms and the colors meld together to produce visual enriching pictures for one’s mind and heart. It enriches my life.

Reviewed by Kaye Yarbrough

Schrift + Symbol, in Stein, Holz und Metall, by Sepp Jakob and P. Donatus M. Leicher,

is a remarkable volume which was recommended to us by Reggie Ezell in his yearlong class. Roughly translated from the German into English, the title is Letter and Symbol, in Stone, Wood, and Metal. It's been a long time since I took my two years of credit in German and moved on to other things, so the text of this large volume is a mystery to me. However, there is something to be said for the child's "let's just look at the pictures" appreciation of a book. As calligraphy students, we often begin with the Trajan Column. We love the letters, the beauty of their proportions, their classic Roman forms. The translation of the Latin is secondary. In Schrift und Symbol we find so many gorgeous letter forms that we don't even know where to begin. Each page is a feast of lettering, from monuments and grave stones, religious and secular, with a myriad of variations on Romans, blackletter, foundational, numerals, and modern letter forms. A study of the lettering in this book would be enough to keep us busy learning for a lifetime.
Schrift + Symbol, in Stein, Holz und Metall, Jakob/Leicher, Published by Callwey Verlag, Postfach 800409, D-81604 München, Tel. (089) 436005-0, FAX (089) 436005-13. 1977, reprinted 1995. $50. Hardback. Arrived in approximately 2 weeks.

Reviewed by Leslie Winakur

Instructor: Pauline Sager

Contact NEISD Community Ed. 657-8866

Greeting Card with Acrylic and watercolor leaf painted paper
MacArthur H.S.
Wednesdays, 6:30-9 PM
Sept. 26-Oct. 17

Instructor: Rosemarie Siebenhausen

Contact NEISD Community Ed. 657-8866

Copperplate
Michaels on NW Military

September 10 & 17 6:30-8:30

Call Denise Adler for a current schedule 210-681-0964 

September Birthdays

1 Betty Lou Jordan & Nancy McHugh
2 Joanne Pacelli
5 Sylvia Stanley
7 Pam Braha
11 Shawn Behrens
13 Karen Veni
21 Rosemarie Siebenhausen
22 Carol Patterson
25 Amy Gillikin
26 Loni Carlson
27 Kaye Yarbrough

*Jean Formo suggests using pinking shears to cut off the end of a tongue blade to make a 5 pointed nib for music lines * Houston Calligraphy Cuild says artificial nail glue works as well as super glue and comes in a small bottle with a little brush, easy and clean to use on small things* Michigan Association of Calligraphers has a recipe for skeletal leaves: place leaves in a sauce pan, ad 2 qts water and ½ cup laundry soap. Bring to boil, then simmer for 30 mins. Remove leaves from water. When completely cool, use a soft cloth to gently wipe away the softened underskin of the leaf, leaving a thin web of the skeleton * Pauline Sager gleans from Cyberscribes: unscrew the barrel and fill the back end of the barrel with a suitable fountain pen in such as Pelikan 4001 in black or colors, using a dropper or pipette.Then apply rubber cement to the threads and screw the back to the front end of the barrel which is now sealed. The ink will flow into the feeder channel to the nib without leaking as the rubber cement makes a secure seal. When empty, simply unscrew the barrel parts, breaking the seal of rubber cement. Refill, reapply rubber cement. This gives you a more versatile choice of inks and colors, including walnut ink which is a beautiful sepia color.*

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.

Paul Freeman Achievement Award

The following tribute to Paul Freeman was written by Eleanor Russell and published in the March 1986 Flourishes.:
Have you ever met a Jewish Santa Claus? (For reference, see his contribution following January in the 1978 calendar published by the society of Scribes in New York. A self-portrait in words.)

Paul Freeman arrived in San Antonio in March of 1979, our first “big” calligrapher to teach a workshop, and most of us were scared to death. (Mary Lou Cook and Alice Girard had come the year before, breaking us into workshops, but had not intimidated us in the least. ) There is a mystique about people from New York – somehow they seem to be more expert and to expect perfection. And Paul was expert. He disproved his own statements that he who is self taught has a fool for a teacher. (I identified with that, having learned by myself – I had to relearn almost everything!) He taught us to analyze historical alphabets and to learn form them as he did. He taught us to see counters, to be aware of “stairways to the stars” (flaws in composition), and to write with brass pens, to appreciate pen twisting, to blend colors of ink. He introduced us to New York calendars, many of which he edited. The 1981 Pentalic calendar was another wonderful sample of Paul’s “word pictures.”

The workshop was packed – charter guild members and novices – and Paul tried to help everyone. He gave us a lot in that workshop. I spent much of my time feeling giant frustration. I knew later I was expecting too much perfection (finished pieces) in a workshop situation, and I compared myself too much to others more practiced.

Paul gave a demonstration piece to our guild, an example of his wonderful pen twisting and ink blending. I know it is worth a considerable amount commercially, but so much more to those who learned excitement, joy, diligence, and creative frustration from this generous man. He suffered from a stroke and died in August of 1980, a few months before he as to return for another workshop. The loss struck our hearts, and we dedicated our own 1981 calendar to him.

The Paul Freeman Achievement Award, his framed work, will be presented annually to our guild member who has contributed the most to the guild.
A year’s possession of Paul’s piece is a distinct honor.

Photos on the Web

If you have access to the Internet, go to the Flourishes website and admire the photos:
http://www.axs4u.net/home/inksmith/pp.htm

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