IN THIS ISSUE

– Membership News – Sheet ruling generator

– Learning to Let Go– Zapf Scholarship information

– Gallery Space– Call for Entries

H ere we are at our last Bulletin before our mid-year break. I hope that you have placed you name in

nomination for a Board Officer position or to serve on a Board committee, made plans to attend the annual meeting on

May 5th, participate in a WCG workshop, and are close to finalizing your work for our Surrealism Show. You can learn

more about all of these in this issue or through our recent email blasts.

Surrealism Show:As the WCG Board voted to have this show, I committed to preparing at least one piece—my first ever. I am nervous about

this. As my first submission, I am still wrestling with the layout and am practicing my foundational hand daily. I have read

about several surrealist poets and was happy to learn that we had a book, Robert Hayden–Collected Poems, in our family

library. After searching through several poems, Butterfly Piece, may be best suited for my yet-to-be-named submission.

Part of my nervousness is whether this poem is a surreal poem. I have never read so many surrealism poems than I have in

the past months, but I am still not too sure of what is or is not “psychic automation in its pure state.” This is how André

Breton defines surrealism in the Manifesto of Surrealism. Thankfully, there is an abundance of information and several

surrealist techniques on the internet. I have elected to use a modification of the “cut-up technique.” I hope my work

satisfies the criteria and that I am invited to send in my final piece(s). Will you submit a piece? What technique(s) will you

use? We are planning to feature the Surrealism Show in the Fall 2018 or Spring 2019 Scripsit.

Annual MeetingAre you coming to the Annual Meeting on May 5th? This year we will have a special guest and it will be a wonderful event for

the entire family. Paul Herrera will educate us and entertain us with his imitation of Father Edward Catich, whom many know

as a Catholic priest, teacher and artist. Father Catich is best known for his study of Roman letters and how they were carved into

limestone or marble. His book, The Origin of the Serif, explains his belief of how the letters were painted first with a brush. Paul

brings his life out with many photos and reminisces. His performance is wonderful, not to be missed. I hope you will join us. The

event features a potluck dinner. If you are able to bring a dish, let me know. Typically, we have more than enough food, so do not

feel compelled to bring a dish. As usual, we will have door prizes selected from our Guild library. Do you have skills for serving as

mistress or master of ceremonies for this event? Let me know.

Openings on the Board At the May meeting we will also elect new officers to serve on the WCG Board. We have made every effort to contact each person

that stated they were interested in volunteering to better understand how they might serve the Board. This year, two of the three

individuals appointed to the nominations committee were located outside of the Maryland, DC, Virginia area. This, our first virtual

team, is but one way we are engaging more members in the running and activities of the Guild.

Please consider volunteering your time and experience to assist the Board in 2018. There are several opportunities. The Board

consists of positions filled by election or appointment. The terms for all elected officers are for one year and nominations are now

open for President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member-at-Large. The nominations committee is hard at work preparing

a slate of officers to present to the membership. If you are interested in serving on the Board in any position, please contact Patricia

Munson, Chair at patricianne901@gmail.com. Lorise Baratta also serves on the nominations committee.

a p r i l / m ay 2 0 1 8 b u l l e t i n

Derrick Tabor, WCG President

Special need: a member to pick up guild mail once (or twice) a week from the wcg p.o. box in merrifield, virginia and

forward it accordingly. we would appreciate hearing from you.

from the president

washington calligraphers guild— board of directors —

– officers –president: Derrick C. Tabor

dtab221@yahoo.com | 301-706-1123

vice president: can you help?

treasurer: Barbara Enyeartbenyeart94@verizon.net | 703-255-4678

secretary: Gilda Penngildapenn@comcast.net

member-at-large: Virginia Lockhartvirginialockhart@me.com | 241.215.6379

registered agent: Barbara Enyeartbenyeart94@verizon.net | 703-255-4678

– standing committees –audit: can you help?

budget & finance: Barbara Enyeartbenyeart94@verizon.net | 703-255-4678

bulletin liaison: Pamn Klinedinstpklinednst@aol.com | 301-654-6049

education: Monica Ciminomocimino@verizon.net | 301-926-6385

exhibits: Maureen Squiresmaursquires@gmail.com

fundraising | calligrafest co-chairs: can you help?

librarian | archivist: Lucinda Fitch WrightLFWright214@gmail.com

mailings: Pat Swansonpatandmaddie@aol.com 703-830-8337

membership: Lee Ann Clarkglaclark@comcast.net | 410-415-5846

nominating: Patricia Munsonpatricianne901@gmail.com

programs: Monica Ciminomocimino@verizon.net | 301-926-6385

publicity: Felecia McFailpublicity_wcg@fohta.com | 703-892-6262

scholarship: Marta Legeckismorkaleg@yahoo.com | 301-493-8907

scripsit liaison: Gretchen Elsoncaveat33@gmail.com | 703-591-5482

website: Martin Parkerparquillian@gmail.com | 202-295-7561

workshops: Christine Tischerchris@calligraphybychris.com | 301-745-4633

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The Bulletin of the Washington Calligraphers Guild is published four times per year from September - May with a special workshops issue in January.

The deadline for submissions for the September/October issue isAugust 15, 2018. We welcome your contributions. Please send high quality digital files for text, photos and original artwork (reflecting all levels, from beginner to advanced) to pklinednst@aol.com. Your submissions will be interpreted as permission to use in the Bulletin, unless otherwise specified. We will use your submissions on a space-available basis and may reduce your artwork to accommodate available space. Mention in the Bulletin does not constitute endorsement by the Washington Calligraphers Guild.

The Washington Calligraphers Guild, Inc. is a Virginia non-profit corporation, with an IRS tax designation of 501(c)(3). The guild’s mailing address is P.O. Box 3688, Merrifield, VA 22116-3688.

Membership renewals and inquiries can be sent to Lee Ann Clark, WCG Membership P.O. Box 425, Stevenson, Maryland 21153-0425 or visit our website at www.calligraphersguild.org.

A very warm welcome to our newest and renewing members. Maria Arias-Buchanan — Alexandria, VirginiaChristine Baldwin — Springfield, VirginiaPaige Billin-Frye — Washington, DCKara Brawley — St. Louis, MissouriDebra Brown — Springfield, VirginiaMaria Brown — Houston, TexasAleks Byrd — Bethesda, MarylandMilly Carlson — Groton, ConnecticutJanice Carrigan — Manassas, VirginiaMelissa Clarke — Chestertown, MarylandElizabeth Curwen — Washington, DCKristen Doty — Chehalis, WashingtonDonna Dow — Peachtree City, GeorgiaMauri Earl — Arlington, VirginiaBonnie Jean Eastep — Strasburg, VirginiaTerry Fooshee — Edmond, OklahomaAnne Guffey-Lewis — Potomac, MarylandArt Hathcock — Berwyn Heights, MarylandDeborah Ignatowski — Lutherville, MarylandChrist Kacoyannakis — Springfield, VirginiaPaulette Kerr — Mount Ulla, South CarolinaMary Larson — Winchester, VirginiaDawnette Lewis — Hamilton Parish, BERMUDAMary Liu — Rockville, MarylandAnne Mackechnie — Annapolis, MarylandAmy Marsh — Frederick, MarylandStephenie Mason — Napier NEW ZEALANDLaura Milano — Torino, ITALYJamie Morin — Washington, DC

membership newsSheryl Pollard — Cary, North CarolinaVictoria Russell — Ashland, VirginiaSarah Tobin Spengler — Vienna, VirginiaAnne Stephens — Norfolk, VirginiaKim Tackett — Owasso, OklahomaRenee Tuveson — South Bend, IndianaEmily Wahl — Washington, DCJohn Wells — Springfield, OhioLubna Zahid — Reston, Virginia

Our sincere thanks to the following members who have joined/renewed at the Sustaining and Supporting Levels. We truly appreciate your generosity.

SUSTAININGTiiu Kera — Gaithersburg, Maryland

SUPPORTINGPhillip Ciske — Marshall, VirginiaKaren Daly — Bethesda, MarylandSuzanne Heany — Windermere, FloridaSabrina Hill — San Jose, CaliforniaClaire Ingley — Gaithersburg, MarylandWendy Makins — Washington, DC Theresa Manning — Washington, DCRose Nierras — Washington, DC Janice Reyes — Washington, DCPeggy Shields Schiefelbein — Washington, DCArgatonia Weatherington — Washington, DCLynn Zigoris — Vienna, Virginia

— artwork by Phawnda Moore

Noufal Ibrahim, a Bangalore computer professional, says he has “a dilettante’s interest in calligraphy but was often put off by the tedium of ruling my practice sheets. Being a

programmer by trade, I wrote a little script that generated PDFs for this.”

He shared it on Cyberscribes: Free ruling sheet generator http://calligraffiti.in/rulings.

LEARNING TO LET GO (but not completely)

Over Columbus Day weekend, twelve calligraphers gathered together for a four-day workshop with Yves Leterme. Although the bulletin provided

a brief outline of the course, we all arrived not knowing what to expect. It wasn’t until we read the workshop’s full title on our course packets—Watchful Experimenting and the Fine Art of

Controlled Scribbling: Or How to Get Lost on Purpose—that we had a clearer sense of what we had gotten ourselves into.

In his introduction, Yves laid out the framework of the course—getting lost on purpose. It was an objective that at

first seemed contradictory. However, Yves assured us, it would all make sense as the days went on. Our goal was to take

an experimental approach to calligraphy and composition, learning how to follow an unplanned path with mindfulness and critical thinking. The decision-making process was our

primary intention. We were to focus on the means and not the end, as we negotiated mistakes and accidents in our work.

Although we were encouraged to explore, Yves warned against complete arbitrariness and chance. Rules can be

broken, but they must be honored before doing so. He noted that the ability to experiment depended on “the intervention

of a skilled hand and a critical eye.” To that end, our movements and decisions must be educated and critically

approached: “Think before you ink.”

While this all seemed daunting, Yves suggested that we keep an open mind and have patience. He explained that the more we

experiment, the more we can hone our skills, our eyes and our judgment. If we didn’t connect with our results or if we made

mistakes, there were ways to turn what seemed like failures into opportunities. Yves instructed us not to despair, because,

after all, it was just paper.

four days of “watchful

experimenting” with YvesLeterme

october 6-9, 2017columbia art center

— by Janice Reyes

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On the first and second days, we tried our hands at “skeleton” work, the foundation of layered compositions. On small practice paper, we worked in pencil, and later with a Speedball C4/C5 nib, making sections of line work in horizontal and vertical patterns. Yves reminded us to maintain a focal point, focus on quality of line, avoid repetition of lines, keep lines connected, and never cross thick lines. We then transitioned to writing words from our chosen quote. As we worked on our exercises, Yves gently pushed

us to move expressively from legibility to illegibility. He demonstrated how we could modify the letterforms through polyrhythm to achieve what he called “gestural scribbling.”✒

Leterme’s gestural lettering, moving from legible to illegible.

We took many tangents for writing exercises as we refined our skeletons. First, we practiced gestural writing, experimenting with differences in letter height, slope, interlinear space, baseline position, and thickness of line. Then we focused on writing as many variations of a letter we could think of. Eventually we moved onto drawn lettering, specifically the practice of small drawn-in capitals. continued on page 4...

Front row, left to right: Janice Reyes, Jenny Nicholson, Sandy Stern, Yves Leterme; Back row: Miki Leeper, Lee Ann Clark, Elizabeth Lonoff, Marta Legeckis, Didi DiVirgilio, Miriam Rittberg, Chris Tischer; Not pictured: Lily Blinn and Jordenne Ferrington

Taking it all together, we applied those lettering exercises to our

skeleton. With Yves’ work as an exemplar, ✒

we began to add “flesh” to the skeleton. We could change tools, add

color or dirty water, and integrate letter variations with each layer, all

the while keeping the rules in mind.

\

On the third and fourth days, we spent more time working on variations,

with an eye towards putting “clothes” on our skeleton. We started off with expressive capitals. Yves encouraged

us to float or undulate the letters, add weight in unexpected places, flick the

strokes, squeeze and stretch the forms, and connect the capitals in new and

interesting ways. ✒

We later applied the same approach with a brush pen, making the letters

more dynamic and gestural.

The last two days were also devoted to our final composition work on Rives BFK paper. Yves showed us how to cover up

lettering and painted layers with white and black gesso. At this point,

Yves re-emphasized the idea of “watchful

experimenting” —that we should be

purposeful when we correct

and respond critically to the

mysteries and surprises that pop up when

the gesso dries. He pointed out that there are a

million decisions that must be

made as we go along, and that

overthinking would leave us

paralyzed.

Left, top: Leterme’s skeleton examples in black ink and

dirty water.

Left, second from top: The evolution of my skeleton with blue brushwork layers by Leterme.

Left, third from top: Leterme’s undulating

expressive capitals.

Left: Demonstration of

brush lettering.

Right, top: Steps of the correction process with a student’s skeleton.

— Photo by Chris Tischer.

Above: The final result in gouache, white gesso, mineral pigment

and ink.

continued on page 5...

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Above: My works in progress.

We were advised to recognize the fine balance of trying to move quickly but still with intention and thoughtfulness. It helped that Yves reminded us to focus on the process and not on producing a final piece. If we felt that a composition needed more work, there was no pressure to finish in time.

Overall, the workshop was challenging, informative and fun. Yes, there were frustrated sighs and shrugs, but there were many laughs as well. Yves provided lots of demonstrations on technique and adjusted his syllabus to accommodate our interest in more writing exercises. He gave ample feedback, spending a lot of individual time answering questions and guiding us through our decision-making. Yves did so with a lot of encouragement, particularly when walking some of us back from the cliff of despair.

So when we feel ready to take another step towards watchful experimentation, we just need to remind ourselves: Go with the flow, make smart decisions, and always keep that gesso close.

Left and center: Onyx and Hematite —

layered compositions by Chris Tischer.

2018 zapfscholarship

award

On behalf of the Washington Calligraphers Guild, I would like to congratulate Marilyn Davis as the recipient of the 2018 Zapf Scholarship Award. Marilyn will use the funds to study Foundational with Marta Legeckis in the fall. She plans on using her newly honed skills to conduct a calligraphic project with the elderly in her community. This is a wonderful way to reach out to the public and acquaint them with the world of calligraphy.February 26 of every year is now the deadline for sending in your Zapf Scholarship applications. Below is a more detailed explanation of what you have to know before applying:

✒ Hermann Zapf specified that the scholarship be awarded to “promising students” seriously dedicated to continuing their study of broad edge calligraphy. ✒ The scholarship fosters further studies for an individual who has shown a commitment to a serious study of calligraphy. The scholarship is not designed for students with limited calligraphic experience.

✒ Work submitted should demonstrate the applicant’s understanding of the basic hands, i.e. Foundational, Roman, Italic.

✒ The applicant should list the calligraphy classes taken and the names of the instructors as further evidence of their interest in pursuing their study of calligraphy.

✒ The samples of work should include examples of one or more hands: Foundational, Roman, Italic. Work in progress may be submitted. ✒ Work should be photographed or scanned, be presented as JPEG attachments or as laser or ink jet prints. Clear, focused images of the calligraphic work is essential. External decorations such as ribbons, or flowers distract from the work.

✒ The images and thoughtfully, neatly written responses to the questions on the application enable the committee to consider the applicant’s abilities and goals. ✒ Judging is done “blind.” The applicant’s name must not appear on the images, and should only be on the written form. The committee chair is the only one who sees the name.

✒ Applicants may apply for a full or partial scholarship. The committee decides the amount awarded, if any.

If you have any questions, please contact Marta Legeckis at morkaleg@yahoo.com or 301.493-8806.

— Photos by Janice Reyes

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g a l l e ry s pac e

Top left and right–top and bottom: Three pieces by

Deanna Jay Chu Nim

Right: Gilded piece by

Deanna Jay Chu Nim

Bottom: a piece by Carah Tabar

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Clockwise from top left: “I love these simple, yet powerful, words of Malala Yousafzai. I used a piece of cedar for the large word, a B-nib for the monoline Uncial and cut a stencil to emboss the number 1 all on 100% rag Indian paper.” Carol DuBosch; two pieces by Carah Tabar; a piece by Phawnda Moore.

g a l l e ry s pac e

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nonprofit org.u.s. postage

paidmerrifield vapermit no. 742

ÐÇñÇÏ

call for entries

p.o. box 3688, merrifield, va 22116 • www.calligraphersguild.org

address service requested 4 / 2018

a juried and invitational exhibitin recognition of

wcg 40th anniversaryjune 16-july 29, 2018-

opening receptionthursday june 21 • 7-9 pm

the mansion at strathmorenorth bethesda, maryland

Our exhibit will complement the Strathmore-sponsored Surrealist Exhibit in the upstairs gallery. We recommend participants search the work of Surrealist poets and writers for inspiration. This is a unique

opportunity for us as artists to challenge ourselves to create work around a specific theme. Artwork should reflect the definition of

Surrealism quoted below:

surrealism seeks to express the workings of the mind and imagination free from conscious control of reason and

convention.From the Poets and Writers website, a good source for listings of

Surrealist poets and authors.

Send good quality color prints/photos (5x7 or 8x10) for jurying by April 20 to Maureen Squires, 314 Whitestone Road, Silver Spring,

Maryland 20901. Visit our website for more information or to download the Call for Entries form.

— artwork (above) by Martin Parkerwww.zazzle.com/parquilliandesign/collections