Building a Career Stroke by Stroke

story by Rachel C. Murphy | photography by Aaron Leimkuehler

Is doodling a career? Most people would say no. But for a little girl playing with her father’s fountain nib pen and ink, doodling led to a fulfilling career. Before Gale Nation was the darling of Hallmark stores for her hand-lettered prints and resident of the local favorite maker space, Bella Patina, she was a girl making pretty squiggles in class.

“My dad always had amazing penmanship, and I wanted to write like him,” Nation says. “He caught me playing with his fountain pen and ink when I was 6, and instead of telling me to stop, he said, ‘Let’s learn to do it correctly.’”

That gentle guidance from her father, Lewis, was what she needed to continue developing her skill. She continued to excel at cursive writing and art; she became the person to see for lettering on posters for the student council. But when college rolled around, she still wasn’t sure about the future. Knowing that she didn’t want to be a teacher or a nurse, as her mother, Verletta, suggested, Nation studied interior and graphic design at the University of Oklahoma.

After completing her degree, she had one goal—to work for Hallmark. She sent in her portfolio and was kindly but firmly rejected. She tried again in her 30s. Again they passed.

Nation didn’t sit around waiting for Hallmark to call; she had three children, went through a divorce and was a single mom, and then more than 10 years later, met her now-husband, an accountant, and added a stepson to the mix.

Inspiration came from a pile of debris.

“I had started making wooden signs with quotes on them,” Nation says. “They were building a house across the street from us, and I just went and picked up scrap lumber they had. And I kept chopping them up and putting quotes on them, and people kept buying them.”

Nation found herself squarely in the middle of a Joanna Gaines and ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ maelstrom. Her talents had finally found an audience. She started selling her signs out of a store in Topeka, but she always had her eye on bigger things—and Hallmark was just a few miles away.

About four years ago, with the success of her hand-lettered signs and an empty nest, Nation and her husband, Vic, decided to make the jump to the Kansas City area—Shawnee, to be precise. The couple found a house with plenty of space and a sunny yard and created a haven for Nation’s art.

Nation had already partnered with Bella Patina to showcase her work, which had expanded to include what would become her trademark—maps and globes. She says the shift came naturally with a gift she made for a friend who was moving away. After she posted a photo of the finished print on Facebook, demand for her maps surged. She had found her niche.

Now that Nation had a studio at home and a platform at Bella Patina, she thought she had arrived. She had loyal customers and had even started teaching classes on hand-lettering, proving her mother’s teaching predictions. But the universe had just a bit more in store for her.

Four years ago, a buyer from Hallmark wandered into Bella Patina on a First Friday and asked if Nation would be interested in sitting in the window of their Country Club Plaza store and lettering during the Plaza Art Fair. She says she tried to hide her joy.

“I tried to play it cool. ‘Sure, I guess I could do that.’ Meanwhile, inside, I’m screaming! So I did that, and that’s how my relationship with Hallmark started,” Nation says.

Now, her products are sold in Hallmark stores nationwide. Her father was quick to point out that her art and passion still found a way despite her rejections over the years.

While Nation loves to create, she’s found a new outlet in teaching as well. Although she has never enjoyed public speaking, she says talking about art has always been comfortable.

Adept at finding people with talent and nurturing them to find their unique style, she has helped launch the careers of several of her students

After the pandemic hit, she transitioned to online classes, which she never intended to do. Proving herself wrong is something Nation is happy to do.

“I swore I would never teach video classes. I just didn’t think it would translate well. But when the pandemic hit, we figured out a way,” Nation says. “It surprised me when their faces started popping up on (the screen). I was just so happy to see people! This was fun. I’ve taught over 1,000 people (online) in the last 18 months, from Japan, Australia, Dubai, Italy, and all over the United States.”

As life settles down, Nation is gradually transitioning to teaching vaccinated groups in her home studio. Next up? Teach an embroidery class. Vivid colors are a nice change from the bold black strokes that made Nation famous. As she indulges a passion, she gives others an outlet to be creative.

—Gale Nation

The swooping script that defines Nation’s work is unmistakably hers; so how did she learn? In addition to learning from her father, Nation also took formal calligraphy classes. She says the regimented style of calligraphy wasn’t a great fit for her though it taught her the basics of shaping letters in the correct way.

Nation calls her style of writing modern calligraphy, and it’s much more forgiving than the structure of formal calligraphy. She says that shading, rather than specific pens, is the key to her style.

“What you see on the prints is my regular cursive handwriting, but shaded. I shade the downstroke, and it’s a looser style where nothing is on a straight line. It takes the pressure off of traditional calligraphy because it’s not controlled by the pressure of your hand,” she says.

The pressure to “get it right” can be an obstacle to those starting out, so Nation’s more casual style creates opportunities for individuals to shine. Nation’s pen of choice? A regular Sharpie marker.

about Gale and to see her entire line of hand-lettered products, go to www.GaleNation.com.