I first heard about the Graceful Envelope Contest in December of 2012 and sent off my World of Change envelope the following March. I was startled and pleased to be chosen as one of ten winners from hundreds of entries across the nation and even more surprised to join those ranks a second year in a row with my 2014 entry The Superlative Letter S. In 2015 my There's No Place Like Home entry won "Best in Show." I had to miss the 2016 deadline, but was chosen as one of the winners again in 2017's Pushing the Envelope and 2018's Whatever the Weather.
This year I was chosen as one of several Honorable Mention entries with my interpretation of 2019's theme: Put Your Stamp on It (above). As always, there was a glitch this year. This time the contest organizers changed the mailing address. I had already lettered the address from previous years and had to figure out a way to remedy the [rather sizable] mistake at the last minute. Thankfully, the paper was of a thickness/quality that I could painstakingly scrape off the incorrect address and--without too much noticeable difference to the paper texture--rewrite the correct address. As a calligrapher, I must say that the old address was more aesthetically pleasing written out.
(watercolor, gouache, pencil, and ink) ................................................................................
Within the last year I finished this long-term piece of calligraphy and illumination featuring the closing verses of Proverbs about the great worth of a virtuous woman. The client for whom I designed the original wanted a stained-glass-like work of art that he would someday present to his future bride. Well, the wedding is in less than two weeks!
Before I handed the work over to him, he allowed me to make prints of the piece, since I already had another interested party. However, there are relatively few printers out there who can even handle scanning something 22"x 30", much less do a quality job printing on fine art paper. In this instance, I was able to find a friendly print shop about 30 minutes from here who could capably scan, print, and trim large format art work; was able to capture both the brilliant and the subtle colors of the original watercolor and gold ink; used archival inks and acid free paper that should last beyond my lifetime; and worked quickly. See print specs or buy on Etsy!
After that good printing experience, I have already taken Cornerstone Graphic Technologies a second piece of calligraphy For His Love Endures Forever (see below) for printing before I reframe and sell it. Grateful to them and to my Knoxville printer Jim Wells for their quality work and quick turnaround!
I have started a blog! Mostly to update you on my art (and motivate me to complete new art), partially to document cooking and baking successes with my husband Peter, and partially to share our travel photography. Head on over to see our first posts, and leave a comment for us now and then!
I created this piece of calligraphy for my former church Old North Abbey, an Anglican church plant in Knoxville. High quality archival signed prints are available upon request.
My piece For His Love Endures Forever was accepted into Scribes of Hope II, a traveling exhibit organized by Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA), and just recently returned to me after six years on the road throughout the U.S. According to the website:
"All three Abrahamic faiths emphasize the importance of the written word. Following the work of its original authors, generations of scribes faithfully transcribed these words on parchment and paper and honored the text by illuminating it. For today’s calligraphers there exists a tension between traditional commitments to create work that is legible and a more contemporary view that emphasizes expressing the spirit of the text. Scribes of Hope II embraces this tension. This exhibit features 31 works across a wide range of approaches including: traditional lettering and illumination; artist books and letterpress work showcasing fresh directions in calligraphic design; and letters created by hand and then scanned in the computer for further alteration.
CIVA is grateful to internationally known calligrapher Timothy Botts for curating this exhibit and also grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Howard and Corrinne Russell for their generous gift in support of this exhibit."
High quality archival signed prints will be available shortly upon request.