letter arts review 26:2 . The Annual Juried Issue

$17.

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20 Letter Arts Review 26:2

Mike GoldOhio

The Gold Variations (numbers 1-3)Giclee prints

18 × 12 inches (Each print)These three works are part of a six-work series.

By day, I work as a senior designer specializing in the arcane craft of hand lettering at American Greetings

in Cleveland. Outside of work, I’m a husband and a father to two young boys. I squeeze in personal art and

teaching as time and energy permits. The approach I take to my art has to do with my role as a calligrapher.

As a calligrapher, I feel a kinship to the Asian calligraphers who used the art as a spiritual practice,

as a means, not an end. My practice is influenced by the author of The Zen of Seeing, Frederick

Franck. Franck, who passed away at the age of 97 in 2006, was a physician who served with Dr. Albert

Schweitzer in Africa and who later devoted his life to art and teaching. The Gold Variations, titled as a

tribute to Bach’s Goldberg Variations, were created using Photoshop to create numerous looks for the

same art elements, all of which were initially painted or hand drawn. The exercise is one I often employ in

making art on canvas or paper, where I try to see how many different ways I can compose the same passage.

35Letter Arts Review 26:2

Nancy LeavittMaineNew LandUnique bookCollage15.5 × 8.5 inches

The book is composed of found text from calligraphic works and studies. This is a unique study book of collages. Both image collages and lettering collages are composed of found text from various calligraphic studies and finished work, pasted directly into the 24-page binding. Nancy Leavitt creates one-of-a-kind manuscripts which are hand-lettered and painted and bound books. A storyteller at heart, she weaves narratives from ideas gathered through writing about her observations of the natural world, the dream world, and the world of literature. In 2011 she completed her one-hundredth hand lettered title. Her work is included in many prestigious private and public institutions around the world. Nancy lives and works in Stillwater, Maine. www.nancyleavitt.com www.nancyruthleavitt.wordpress.com

48 Letter Arts Review 26:2

Pamela PaulsrudIllinois

TuttiArtist’s book

Sumi, gouache, and Xerox transfer 9.75 × 4 × .25 inches

Pamela Paulsrud is a visual artist recognized internationally as a papermaker, calligrapher, book

artist and collaborator creating both intimate pieces and large-scale installations. She teaches workshops

in lettering and book arts. Her work is included in numerous private and public collections and has been

published in many magazines, books, and journals. Pamela’s exploration in energy and vibration, letters

and lines, her love of the land, and the earth and its resonance, inspire both her work and her life. Her

research and practice in energetic healing modalities simultaneously inform her art. Pamela is extremely

passionate about an ongoing project which she co-created entitled Treewhispers

(www.treewhispers.com), an international collaboration awakening a heart-felt connection to trees.

www.pamelapaulsrud.com