I have been coming back to lettering with a new spirit. My goal in my work of all kinds has become clear: to do work that is controlled only by the moment and the materials and in the process fills me with joy, release, and the power of life. I began this week working with lettering on a larger scale: rolls of paper, sumi ink, and brushes as wide as 2 inches. I've been wanting to do it for some time and was inspired to start by the booking of an exhibition in 2017 at the Clare Gallery in Hartford, CT where I will be working with quotations and
creating the work on the spot in the gallery.
Bringing this open attitude, which comes easily to me in the Spirit Books, is a challenge in calligraphy. I think it comes from the fact so much of my early learning from books required me to be highly critical of my letters so that they could improve and attempt to reach the standard of the models. Because I have such respect for the art of calligraphy and the masters in the field, I always want to, if not apologize for my work, at least qualify it, a "thank you but let me explain where it falls short..." if I receive a compliment. What I need to do now is to see the life in the letters and the joy in the expression, to own it as it is, without explanation or qualification.
Having said all of this, I can't stop from saying that these are early experiments complete with mispellings, left out and then tucked in words, and running out of space. I look forward to sharing more of the journey with you.
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