Did you ever sit in class after school and write the same sentence 100 times?
I was reminded of that activity when I attended a calligraphy workshop this last weekend. We weren't being punished; we were doing what we loved -- writing by hand.
We had been instructed to bring a quote that we would use for our work. I chose part of a quote from Khalil Gibran about perfection, "...advance and do not fear the thorns in the path...." We wrote our quotes over and over for three days.
We created pieces of mark-making, a style of calligraphy that is more art than craft so that the letterforms become more texture than words. I select mark-making workshops because they do not demand perfect calligraphy (though mark-making by expert calligraphers sing above the rest) and they allow me to use the skills I've learned in graphic design.
We gathered around Denise Lach, the instructor, who showed us examples of her work. We oohed and aahed at the beautiful sweep of a line, the shapes inside her designs, and her inventiveness.
Though we were given much latitude with our exercises, she required one element: to keep the work within a 5 1/2 inch square. I found that restriction the hardest to do.
Writing the quote became a form of meditation. As I wrote, I found myself forgetting the sequence of the quote occasionally as I concentrated on filling the space. I needed constantly to be aware of the boundaries of the square. I had to remind myself to stop at the edge even though the word was not finished. I had to notice if I extended a flourish beyond the square that I did not repeat that gesture too often or in the same direction. I needed to make sure I didn't start each line with the same letter. I needed to vary the height and width of letters.
It was easy for me to ignore the square and extend my writing beyond the edges with most of the letters.
It was easy for me not to fill the entire space and to have uneven edges.
I re-read my quote and realized that I had selected the perfect quote for the day: "...advance and do not fear the thorns in the path...." My thorns, the edges of the square, helped me to create balance and excitement within a simple square shape, but eventually allowed me to escape with purposeful strokes the boundaries of the square.
The instructor Denise Lach teaches calligraphy and serigraphy at Basel School of Design in Switzerland as well as in workshops all over the world.
View some of Denise Lach's calligraphy here:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Denise+LAch&safe=active&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=2sOoRbiipVBudM%253A%252CW5g-8B_ysvHJaM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kS4iap0TkOGpB2o2yL1XIQ80KHd1g&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj8zaLNrvLnAhWItp4KHXpRBeYQ_h0wD3oECAoQCw#imgrc=2sOoRbiipVBudM:
What a great exercise and what a talent. I would find restrictions and order to be my trouble. While I was writing the other day for IWD2020, i had to keep looking at the phrase i included on each post card, maybe because they weren't my words, #eachforequal
ReplyDeleteHa, yes, I think that makes a difference -- your words or someone else's. But you would think after so much repetition they would stick. But they wander off instead. Thanks for commenting today!
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