Deirdre's workshop update

Deirdre has emailed us with the equipment for 'Fine-Tuning the Basics' workshop, and suggests keeping it simple with the following materials requirements:

- A4 or A3 Bleedproof layout paper ( Zeta is fine)

- Several pieces of a better quality paper (eg Saunders, Arches, Lana, Canson etc) not full sheets, just a few smaller pieces anywhere between A5 - A3 in size 

- A range of nib sizes (Mitchell or Brause), reservoirs, penholders 

- Your favourite black or sepia practice ink 

   (Quink, Pelican 4001, walnut crystals, stick ink etc)

- Pencil, ruler, eraser

- Water jar, tissues/cloth 

In 2007 DeirdreI attended a workshop at a writing symposium in Sunderland, UK with Sheila and Julian Waters, and hopes to pass on a little of what was learnt then, as well as sundry other tips.  The workshop will run around 1 1/2 hours.

Click this for the International Research Centre for Calligraphy. 

Where: 48 Windmill Road, Mt Eden.
When: Tuesday 6.30 pm, 6th November
Cost: $20 and please bring a plate to share.

Deirdre's Evening With Us:

"Fine Tuning of the Basics"

We took up Deirdre's offer to run a workshop at our new venue, while she is over here in New Zealand. It will be held at 48 Windmill Road, Mt Eden, on Tuesday evening 6th November from 6.30pm. Cost; $20 per person and please bring a plate for a light supper afterwards. Deirdre hasn't been able to advise what to bring other than your usual calligraphy gear. Please advise Glenice Martin if you wish to attend here and check this blog nearer the time for updates.

Visit Deirdre's website and be inspired.

Where:   48 Windmill Road, Mt Eden.

When:    Tuesday 6.30 pm, 6th November 

Cost:       $20 and please bring a plate

Bring:      Usual calligraphy gear.

Australia 2013. Are you travelling?

Italian calligrapher, Massimo Polello, click for his website is touring Australia in January 2013. The workshops in Perth, Melbourne and Canberra have been filled already, there are waiting lists set up. Sydney have booked him for two workshops and still have a few vacancies. Hillary has additional information on these tours but it would probably be better to contact the people running the workshops. 

Julian Waters born the UK but lives in the States, is visiting Sydney in August. Click here Julian's web site

Christopher Haanes who lives in Norway, is to visit Melbourne in November for workshops. I couldn't find his blog so click here for some samples of his work. 

This is a good opportunity to visit The Australasian Lettering Link, or ALL. Just click here ALL and find out what is happening in the various calligraphy groups over in Oz. Each society, group etc can be explored to find out what is happening in each particular area. A must if you are travelling over there.

Out and About

The Katikati Millennium project of a haiku pathway along the Uretara Stream has matured. It is believed to be the largest display of boulder haiku in english, outside of Japan.

Diane Johnson photographer

The words evoke images and if you look around you realise how well chosen they are. Alison Furminger visited  this Haiku Trail many years ago, Diane Johnson has revisited recently.

Click on each picture to enlarge it and make reading the haiku easier. There are more boulders on the trail than are shown here. If you are out and about and see examples of calligraphy being used in unusual places, send some photos to show us, perhaps we could even visit and see for ourselves.

Diane Johnson was the photographer for this series.

Monthly Meeting 

We, the eager calligraphers arrived early, keen to start off well in the new classroom. Our regular monthly meeting will continue here for the rest of the year. There are comfortable chairs that do not need to be stacked for the correct height, so farewell to the wobble and crash, lots of tables and a well lit space too. Our heads were down quickly, and right into practicing for the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, envelope postal project, that Tricia Smout (Artist in Residence) invited us to participate in.

Examples of our practice and some envelopes from Glenice, Hillary, Jan (who is overseas now, but was organised enough to hand her beautiful work in before she left), Rose, Roselda, Susan and Tom.

We have some very thoughtful, organised, and talented people in our group, and so we had some delicious muffins and a moist lemon cake for supper. Thank you so much for the extra effort you went to.

DECORATED  ENVELOPE  WORKSHOP

Tuesday  2^ND October  2012

6pm onwards

at our new premises

48 Windmill Road, Mt. Eden/Epsom

$5.00 per session

Please bring scraps of paper sufficient to make A4 envelopes; glue/double sided sticky tape, rulers, scissors, Stanley knives. and usual calligraphy gear.

Envelopes will be addressed to: 

                        A-I-R MAIL PROJECT

                        Brisbane Botanic Gardens

                        Mt. Coot-tha Road

                        Toowong, QLD 4066

                        Australia

Tricia Smout has been made Artist in Residence and wishes to have a large background of “The Language of Nature” decorated envelopes from around the world. Please go to her web site here or blog here .

Roving reporter Bevan has sent a card to Dale. He says "we have had a dream holiday...been to so many places in Italy, all the ropes and spots just magical. We visited Margaret Morgan at her home in Chetmorton - wonderful - she is heading to the Winter Workshop in Auzzie next year - and hopefully will make it over to NZ. We are making our way to London, off to Melbourne, Auzzie on Sunday. Weather comfortable in England - we had 40c in Italy. We have had little sit down and relax time!!!"

Sherborne Missal c1400

Showing Moses and Aaron. Small print on the back says:- The Sherborne Missal was produced for use in Sherborne Abbey on great feast days, the miniature show Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh. Their rods have changed into serpents. In the left margin is the Sherborne monk John Whas, who inscribed the 600 page missal. In the right margin is a study of a wren with a scroll bearing the words in Latin, 'Moses and Aaron make signs before Pharaoh'. The missal is housed in the British Library.

Dale-Cormack Pearson.

This has only just been bought to my attention and it will be too late for most of us to get there. I am sorry. Perhaps there is a member that attended and would like to write a short piece about the experience, please just send Hillary an email.

Gemma Black is teaching calligraphy in Italy. There is more information on her blogsite click here and some really, really beautiful work. I might even be tempted to buy a lotto ticket. It would be wonderful.

Auckland Calligrapher's new meeting place 

48 Windmill Road, Tuesday, October 2nd, from 6pm.

A change of venue for those who attend the monthly meetings in Auckland. It's at no. 48 Windmill Road, from the road it's the building on the right hand end. The entry door is behind the upright short fence that has the Embroiderer's Guild sign. The rooms are light and airy during the day and seem to have plenty of light for evening. The tables are already up and waiting for us. We have the added bonus of being able to set up and start a little earlier than before, the cost will be the same - $5 per evening per person. Rose has to collect the key on the way and it will be a close call for her to get there by 6pm knowing Auckland traffic. So entry to the building will be sometime after 6pm, first evening will be a bit of a time trial and if Rose cannot manage we will reconsider. We have moved the day to the first Tuesday of the month - October 2nd. Bring along your usual calligraphy supplies, and please think about what you would like to accomplish for the rest of the year. We will have a discussion and try for a plan that suits us all.