October 2010
By Victoria Lansford Fraktur, tape nib with liquitex ink, gouache, pearl-ex powder, and gum arabic on Canson layout paper
www.friendsofthealphabet.org The word “calligraphy” comes from the Greek Kallos graphe, meaning ―beautiful handwriting‖. The Atlanta Friends of the Alphabet (FOTA) is a group of friends who love letters and the printed word. Most of us are calligraphers, others are printers, graphic designers, bookbinders, and some just love letter forms and are content simply to admire. All are equally Friends of the Alphabet! MEMBERSHIP You need not be a professional or amateur in the letter arts to be a Friend—simply share the love of letters. Annual membership dues are $24.00 from September 1 to August 31. New members may join after March 1 for $12.00 Address membership inquiries and directory changes to Carol Gray, 58 Wiltshire Drive, Avondale Estates, GA 30002. MEETINGS FOTA meetings are on the 2nd Monday of each month and begin at 7:00 p.m. Programs at these monthly meetings include demonstrations, lectures, mini-exhibits, and panel discussions. We have an informal holiday gathering in July and December. Meetings are held at Trinity United Methodist Church, 265 Washington Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303, 404/659-6236, located at the intersection of Trinity and Washington Streets in downtown Atlanta.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
What’s Inside Message from the President
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Islamic Calligraphy and the Qu'ran
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Barbara Calozari Workshop Review
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Mike Kecseg Workshop Review
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Message from Mary Lou
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Universal Penman Review
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Member’s Art Calligraphy
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IAMPETH 2010
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Meet Mamie Velez
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2011 Proposed Slate of Officers
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OFFICERS & COMMITTEE CHAIRS: President: Katy Burge— 678-910-8273 katy.burge@comcast.net VP/Program Co-chairs: Emily Canter – 404-633-8740 emily@weezlhed.com Second Vice President & Workshops: Hilde Friese – 770-380-7593 haschen@earthlink.net Treasurer: Lori Rausch— 770-740-1247 jimandlori64@att.net Corresponding Secretary: Carol Gray – 404-288-8749, chezgray@mindspring.com Recording Secretary: Cindy Corless— 770-483-9843 corlessc@comcast.net Librarian: Mary Lou Kohnle— 770-924-3116 chocolatelover2200@gmail.com Membership & News Letter/Bulletin Editor: Julie Cashin – 706-355-3289 julcash@yahoo.com Web Page Editor: Emily Canter – 404-633-8740 emily@weezlhed.com Birthday Card Exchange: John Tiernan— 828-389-1346 tiernanjp@yahoo.com Site Coordinator: Mary Renshaw—404-294-4970 parkemary@mindspring.com
NEEDED! A newsletter or bulletin editor!!!!! We have so many talented members in our guild, and some of you have far more knowledge about publishing that I do! PLEASE consider taking the position of Newsletter or Bulletin Editor! Call Julie Cashin with questions:. 706-355-3289 ATLANTA FRIENDS OF THE ALPHABET—October 2010
Message from the President What a well-named group this is! I have found friends by every definition of the word here. During life‘s ups and during life‘s most challenging downs, I have seen members of this group reach out to help one another. Each one of you is, I know, on a quest for Truth and Beauty. The Alphabet is our shared tool. Each one of us seeks to find expression for our warmest thoughts, highest ideals or our most heartfelt condolences using not only letters, but also, the perfectly written letter for the occasion. I have been blessed indeed as the President for the last two years to work with my friends: Hilde Friese, as Workshop chairman, has brought us amazing world-class calligraphers to share their skills. Workshops at Hilde‘s are not merely classes, they are retreats from the everyday and a chance to spend quality time with friends doing what we all enjoy…making beautiful letters! The word that comes to mind is of course, Gemuetlichkeit. Please thank Hilde for agreeing to continue on as Workshop chairman. Cindy Corless has served our group in different capacities through the years. She is a past President . Cindy is currently serving as Recording Secretary. She has wisely suggested that this is the perfect opportunity for someone to be on the Board, who has limited time or experience….as the job‘s requirements are that you take the notes of the Board meeting. Lori Rausch has been a friend in so many ways. Our paths happily cross often. Lori is our Treasurer and I am thankful that she has agreed to continue for another year. She, and her husband, Jim, have done an outstanding job keeping our books straight through workshops, dues, program expenses and our occasional Paper & Ink sale. Mary Lou Kohnle as many of you know, is not only my friend, she is my Mom. She has done a wonderful job organizing our fantastic Library for the past two years. I am so grateful that she has passed along her love of beautiful letters and wonderful books. She is passing the baton of Librarian to George Dorsey. Julie Cashin is another past President and is currently serving as Membership/Directory chairman, as well as Nametags (our new ones are gorgeous!). Julie has also been pulling together our newsletters…in short, she has
The November 8th meeting has been cancelled. Instead, on Saturday, November 6th at 11:00 a.m., please meet at Emory for a tour of the exhibit, Islamic Calligraphy and the Qu’ran! FOTA member, Kathy Kinev is a docent for the Carlo's Museum and has graciously offered to give us a guided tour. Kathy secured a $6.00 fee instead of an $8.00 fee to get into the Carlos Museum for this tour. Please be prepared to pay with check or cash. We‘ll walk to one of the fun restaurants for lunch afterwards. Everyone needs to go to the front desk and check in. We will assemble on the Third floor, in front of the exhibit. We will be exploring two of the current exhibits at the Michael C. Carlos Museum.
Islamic Calligraphy and the Qu'ran. Islamic Calligraphy and the Qu'ran combines Traces of the Calligrapher: Islamic Calligraphy in Practice, c. 1600–1900 and Writing the Word of God: Calligraphy and the Qu'ran, and will be on view from August 28 to December 5, 2010. Both exhibits are curated from a private collection and presented by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Harvard University Museum. Traces of the Calligrapher shows the utensils used to create calligraphy from the reed pen to the bookbinder. There are fabulous ink wells and pen boxes on display. The objects in the exhibition come from Iran, Turkey, and India, and include reed pens, penknives (used to cut the nib of the pen), and maktas (used to hold the pen during this process), in addition to inkwells, scissors, burnishers, storage boxes, and writing tables. Writing the Word of God exhibit has fabulous finished manuscripts as well as practice alphabets collected by calligraphers in the past. The calligraphy provides a look into a fascinating world of the Islamic calligrapher, the piety involved as well as the variety of scripts employed by calligraphers spanning from Spain and North Africa to greater Iran from the seventh to the 15th centuries. There is a video that shows a master calligrapher at work. www.carlos.emory.edu Questions? Please call Kathy at 404-634-8355. You can find directions on the web site.
{Continued on Page 12) ATLANTA FRIENDS OF THE ALPHABET—October 2010
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FRAKTUR With Barbara Calozari August 21 & 22, 2010 Hilde met Barbara at IAMPETH in 2009, where she gave a presentation on her work and then taught a workshop on Fraktur. We fell in love with her. Hilde, our ever working workshop chairman, started talking to her about scheduling a workshop in Atlanta, following IAMPETH in 2010. Barbara is a very talented young lady who has done work for the Pope and the G8 that was held in Italy last year. She is not only very talented, she is an excellent teacher. At the close of IAMPETH this year, Hilde and I were privileged to drive Barbara back to Atlanta, not a dull boring trip.
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Barbara made exemplars of her Fraktur alphabet and taught us the alphabet broken down by families – basic strokes the same. She showed us that most of the lower case letters fit in the same space as the ‗n‘. This article is being written months after the workshop without notes and totally from memory. For others that attended, please forgive my lapse of memory of some of the details. By Donna Dow Barbara gave a lecture at Kennesaw University on August 19th. She showed pictures of her commissioned works for Pope Benedict, the Italian President (gifts for attending presidents at the G8 summit in Italy), and her most recent commissioned work, a book on Catarina diMedici, that is now at the Library of Congress.
ATLANTA FRIENDS OF THE ALPHABET—October 2010
COPPERPLATE AND BEYOND With Mike Kecseg September 18 & 19, 2010 This was another very exciting month for FOTA! Workshop Chair, Hilde Friese, graciously coordinated and hosted the long awaited two day Copperplate workshop by Master Penman Mike Kecseg. The Sept. 18 & 19th workshop occurred at Hilde's restaurant, The Village Corner German Restaurant. This event was well received by all FOTA members in attendance. Participant's skills varied from beginner to advance. Each and every one of us learned many valuable tips and techniques offered by Mike. Julie Cashin sent an e-mail blast to all FOTA members seeking feedback and tips that were helpful to them. The e-mail responses were shared and they were very positive with many wonderful tips and highlights of the workshop. Mike has been working with Copperplate for more than 30 years and has a successful lettering business in Chicago. Additionally, he is booked with future workshops until 2015. How fortunate we were to have the opportunity to be taught by Master Penman Mike Kecseg! Needless to say, we have been inspired and reinspired. By Mamie Velez TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FROM MIKE: A great tip was thinking oval on all 'rounded' letters, and starting them at "3 o'clock" so the join would get covered by either the filled in 'dot' on the o , or the covering stroke on a ,d, g or q. So, you complete the whole 'o' before adding the down (weighted) strokes. Michael Smith As much as I don't want to, I have to line the paper. No cheating!! Dede Adams Mike Kecseg was worth waiting for! An awesome, candid teacher who seemed to put everyone at ease. I enjoyed how he differentiated between "production" work (envelopes) and "good" work. I also took away a great respect for "slant" lines - it's easy to think that they are really not needed, but what a difference it makes to have them there! Mike suggested that the slant lines should be pointing to the middle of your body if your paper is turned the right way (right-handers.) -Proper spacing between words - the width of the letter "o." -Lower case letters: start release of downward pressure at the halfway point. -White space of ascender/descender bowls should match white space of lower case letters. Now if there was only more time to practice! Katy Mizerowski ATLANTA FRIENDS OF THE ALPHABET—October 2010
Mike was a great teacher. He was able to translate his actions into words and thereby explain what we need to do to achieve good letter forms. 3. Down stokes for the thick lines 4. Upstrokes for the thin lines 5. Use a nib that "works for you" "Develop a feel of the pen". Mamie G. Velez I guess as a relative newbie I liked the comment that the rule is that there are no rules - do what feels and looks right to your eye. Karen DeBrot I think, the best hint, especially for new Copperplate learners was, that Mike suggested to try different nibs, and different nibs for different situations. No one shoe fits all. And don't get hung up on some antique nib and then it's not readily available any more. Hilde Friese The Mike Kecseg Workshop was "Great"......I think two things I came away from the Workshop was Persistence, and Time on Task i.e. 'Practice".... George Dorsey I mixed bleed proof white and color gouache today and WOW! What a difference that makes in the color on white or dark paper! Donna Dow :
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Message from Mary Lou‌.. I would like to express my appreciation to the members for allowing me to be their librarian. It was always a pleasure. Our library is one to be proud of', both in quantity and quality. I want to thank all of the members who have been so generous with donations of books. Thank you, George, for accepting the nod as our new librarian. May you enjoy your term as much as I have mine. Long live the written word..especially if it is calligraphy or about calligraphy! ! ! Thanks to all of you, your ex bookworm, Mary Lou
The Universal Penman Book Review By Mamie Velez I was very excited to visit the FOTA library for the first time! Wow, what a treasure trove of calligraphy related books! Inspired by the recent IAMPETH conference and the upcoming copperplate workshop by Mike Kesceg, I checked out THE UNIVERSAL PENMAN by George Bickman. This was a book that many master penman had brought up as a wonderful reference guide for their lettering. In review of this book, I agree, it is a wonderful resource book with many lettering and flourishing ideas. In review of each plate, the script is so consistent, perfect and visually pleasing to the eye. So inspired by this book, I purchased one via amazon.com for $14.95. I highly recommend this book for reference resource for the copperplate hand. Now, if I can only achieve such perfection, hmmmmm.......Mamie Velez
Happy, Happy Birthday Mary Lou!
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ATLANTA FRIENDS OF THE ALPHABET—October 2010
(Continued on page 7) (continued from page 5) 1. Always look at the white space inside the letter. 2. Go on line and look for web sites with type faces. Print out the ones you really like and use for exemplars. This is particularly helpful for capitals. One web site he mentioned was fonts.com. Julie Cashin 1. The nib is at a slight slant when making a beginning a downward stroke, to get the flat edge go back and retouch. 2. Exit to the left of the beginning dot of a letter. Barbara Mitchell I liked the tip about using the Dr. Martin's Pro White mixed with gouache to write on dark colors. It really did seem to make it pop! Carol Gray Your eye should follow the pencil line and the pen will go where your eye goes. Sharon Reynolds
Envelope and Invitation by Mike Kecseg
When you cross over at the top for the capitol B and P and R, you do not need to cross at the top of the line. Rather touch the top of the line with the bubble and then cross afterwards so it makes a V or Valley between the first loop and first line. (Does this make any sense?) Lucinda Eaves
Mike Kecseg’s Workshop ATLANTA FRIENDS OF THE ALPHABET—October 2010
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Member’s Art -- by "L" e c Deni hkeNitsc r of Cove ay d birth or a f card . d n frie rWate , r colo he, c goua ns. e gel p (July ) 2010
By Jane Radman
―Yes‖ by Anne Elser book cover painted with acrylic.
CAROUSEL: Acrylic and brush lettering on canvas. 18"x24". This piece represents a lot of "firsts" for me. First brush lettering on canvas. First ANYthing on canvas. First "real" painting... ever. Now hangs in my granddaughter's room! (April 2009) - Denice Nitschke
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ATLANTA FRIENDS OF THE ALPHABET—October 2010
By Anne Elser
By M (at Hi arcia Wat t lde‘s reque st)
Ideas for Envelope Addressing: I love this blog to get ideas for addressing envelopes. Jean Wilson, the owner of this blog, uses different US postage stamps to create and inspire addresses on her envelopes. She updates designs nearly every day and it is all FREE! (I've been getting ideas from this blog for several weeks and there are no catches that I've found). You can google the site pushing the envelopes blog or better yet, here's address: http://pushingtheenvelopes.blogspot.com/ Cindy Corless ATLANTA FRIENDS OF THE ALPHABET—October 2010
Thanks to all who contributed to this newsletter. Articles were submitted by Kathy Kinev, Donna Dow, Mary Lou Kohnle, Mamie Velez, and Katy Burge. Photos and art were contributed by Victoria Lansford, Denice Nitschke, Maria Turk, Anne Elser, Barbara Mitchell, Sharon Reynolds, Lucinda Eaves, Marcia Watt, Michael Smith, Lori Rausch, Jane Radman, and Mamie Velez. 9
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IAMPETH 2010 IAMPETH was held at Disney World, Orlando, Florida this year. Nine of our guild members attended and had a wonderful time taking classes and mixing with calligraphers from all over the nation and some from other countries. We all had to make choices of morning and afternoon classes. These classes are not meant to thoroughly teach the hand or subject, but to give a good taste for you to pursue once you get home. The evenings were always special as the Master Penmen were available to demonstrate their talent or to work with you one on one to improve a particular hand. One evening Hilde and I watched Rick Muffler, a White House calligrapher, work with a very talented young lady on copperplate/engrosser script. We only watched Monica and Rick and did not pick up a pen, but we learned so much. It was so beneficial to me and helped me to improve the squared off tops and bottoms without retouching. In fact when I got up the next morning I said to Hilde ―Guess what I dreamed about last night?‖ We both had dreamed about what we had been watching the night before. As another treat, Michael Sull was on the other end of the table demonstrating drawing birds. On other nights calligraphers were demonstrating different arts that pertained to calligraphy – pen drawing etc.
will make or where they will be made. So, promote the guild and the art of calligraphy wherever you go. At the closing banquet on Saturday night, a new Master Penman was inducted – Harvest Crittenden. There are now ten living Master Penmen. The Master Penman has a year long study that they go through and upon completion they write their own certificate. They are given the wording but the rest is up to them. Several of the Master Penmen Certificates were on display for us to see. Oh, the talent these people have and they are so willing to share their knowledge with others. Next year‘s IAMPETH convention will be held in Phoenix. Arizona, July 11-16. By Donna Dow
In one of the first classes that I took, I met Mamie Velez who lives in Gwinnett. I told her about our guild and she has now joined!!! You never know what contacts you
Barbara Calozari and Michael Sull
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ATLANTA FRIENDS OF THE ALPHABET—October 2010
Meet Mamie Velez I was born and raised on an agricultural farm in Suisun Valley, CA to parents who immigrated from China (dad) and Hong Kong. When I was 13 yrs. old, we moved to Hawaii. My parents became wholesalers of snack items such as dried fruits, nuts, and jerky. They are now retired. When I turned 18, I moved on my own to Los Angeles with a blue Samsonite suitcase and a cardboard box of personal belongings, determined to make in on my own. I did. While working for the State, I was taking various classes involving Administrative Justice. I worked for the State of California for a total of 27 years. I received my 25 years of State Service recognition signed by Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, along with many other recognitions from the CA Lt. Gov. and the CA State Senate Committee; L.A. City Mayor Villaragoso.
did not have the time to pursue any classes or guild. As I now have the luxury of time, I am pursuing my interest in Calligraphy. I've always had an appreciation and fascination for Copperplate and Spencerian, but simply didn't know what the hands were called. It wasn't until I was on vacation this past March in Berkeley CA. that I discovered a wonderful store and various calligraphy products by Dr. Vitolo and Michael Sull. It was also at this shop where I learned about IAMPETH in Orlando, August 2010! This is where it all began for me. I've been loving it ever since. My interest in calligraphy is personal, self gratification, doing the best that I can with the Copperplate and Spencerian hands. My goal is to become proficient with both, and continue to pursue future workshops offered by FOTA and anywhere throughout the country (i.e.: Spencerian Saga by Michael Sull). I find that this newly found venture has expanded my card making and scrapbooking skills. I also enjoy volunteering and I like sharing my enthusiasm with a nursing facility that I had worked part-time/volunteered while in Florida.
I began my career with the State as an administrative assistant, and eventually became a State Investigator II with the Dept. of Alcoholic Beverage Control. I worked As a part of my current enthusiasm, as an investigator for 23 years and conMamie and Ray Ray has inspired me to attempt creating ducted many undercover operations. I oblique pen holders. He is getting me the necloved my job; I had a Mustang GT to drive around, and essary equipment for turning wood. So, let‘s see how far worked throughout the State. (What a way to discover this challenge will take me! the state!). As much as I loved my job, I‘m also very content with retiring from law enforcement; along with my husband Ray. Ray worked as a Detective III with LAPD and retired after 25 years of civil service. We have one daughter (my step-daughter) Lynette, who‘s 29 and we have two granddaughters (Alexia age 8 and Mya age 5). Lynette and the girls live in Atlanta GA. Upon retirement, Ray and I moved to Orlando FL for 4 years. Because of the heat and humidity, we started looking for a home in S. Carolina or Georgia. We found one that is walking distance to Lake Lanier, in Gainesville GA. and moved in February 2010. Georgia is a very beautiful state and we are happy to be much closer to Lynette and the girls. I have always been interested in calligraphy. Years ago, I purchased a Speedball calligraphy pen and italic hand calligraphy book. Due to a very busy work schedule, I ATLANTA FRIENDS OF THE ALPHABET—October 2010
OTHER INTERESTS: I've always been involved with crafts of some sort: floral design (fresh, dried & silks for weddings & special events), card making, and scrapbooking. I had a specialty ribbon store back in 2000 in Sacramento (Emphasis on Vintage; European & American made ribbons). I sold the store, due to my career transfer back to Southern California. I love various foods of different origins. Love to cook too! I enjoy volunteering, as volunteering is important. It's my share of giving back to society I was in a movie (as an extra) for two months with Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson (that's where it all started for them) and John Candy. It was filmed in Oaxaca Mexico, and the movie was called "Volunteers". By Mamie Velez 11
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Message from the President
2011 Proposed Slate of Officers
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FOTA Officers serve for a 2 year term. The proposed slate of officers will be presented to the membership and voted on at the December meeting (Holiday Party).
done it all! She wants to give some of our newer members a chance to be a part of the excitement. We are looking to fill her spot for Membership/Directory. This is a great chair because you get to know everyone. Carol Gray is a gentle friend in every sense of the word. She is the most recent past President and is currently serving as Corresponding Secretary. I want to thank her gratefully, for her service to our Guild and her good counsel and example. I am thrilled to recognize two old friends in new positions: Donna Dow will bring her multi-talented organizational skills to fantastic use as our new President. Maria Turk’s enthusiasm for all things calligraphy and her hospitality will make her an outstanding Program Chair. Mamie Velez is a brand new friend who has agreed to be Assistant Program Chair. I knew from the moment I met Mamie a couple of months ago, that she would be a great addition to our group…her eyes truly light up at the mention of calligraphy. Katy Burge Note from Editor: How can we ever thank Katy for two great years of service as President? She has admirable leadership skills and it has been a pleasure to work with someone so organized! I’m glad she isn’t going very far away! She’ll be our new Web Master!
Slate for 2011-2112: President: Donna Dow 1st Vice-President (in charge of programs): Maria Turk and Mamie Velez 2nd Vice President: (workshops) Hilde Friese Treasurer: Lori Rausch (will continue for one year) Corresponding Secretary: Carol Gray Facebook: Laura Boston Librarian: George Dorsey Membership: Meshelle Callahan Recording Secretary: Nancy Truluck Newsletter/Bulletin Editor: Open Webpage: Katy Burge
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!
Mark your calendars for the Holiday Party Monday, December 13, 2010 12
ATLANTA FRIENDS OF THE ALPHABET—October 2010