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 Georgia brought many samples of her gorgeous calligraphy and gilding for us to view. She also packed a stack of books that were treasures in themselves for us to peruse. She told us about a group of renowned calligraphers who competed to see who could write the smallest. Then she passed around a sample of her resulting calligraphy and it was the tiniest calligraphy writing I have ever seen. Some of us couldn’t even have read the writing without a magnifying glass! Georgia said that in order to write this small, she didn’t really “see” the writing at all, that she just felt the rhythm of the calligraphy. Amazing.
Georgia interjected bits of historical information about calligraphy and also entertained us with anticdotes about her calligraphy career. One of the charming stories was about a young man who she wrote a letter to in calligraphy. She even rewrote it to ensure it was perfect. He told her “It was like getting a letter from the queen!”
At a recent gathering at Sunderland in England with master calligraphers from around the world, Georgia said they were told, “Leave your ego at the door,” so the workshop could be a time of sharing and learning as equals.
We practiced Italic writing in sync with Georgia while we viewed the live image via the digital projector from our seats. The opportunity to watch this highly skilled calligrapher at work is enthralling. She critiqued our Italic practice pages and noted our individual Italic calligraphy styles.
Georgia passed around her “Calligraphy Practice Book”. These are pages of her calligraphy practice with notes about the paper and the ink that was used. It had black paper covers with two holes punched and a ribbon to tie the pages together. Georgia adds new practice pages all the time. It was an intimate look at how a master calligraper is dedicated to continual practice and to honing her skills.
We all admired Georgia’s black and gold quilted fabric case, which unrolled to reveal an assortment of pens and feather quills. It had Georgia’s name and the Greek alphabet machine stitched, quilting the layers. We were encouraged to try her different pen nibs (many were vintage) and to write with the quills on paper and on the parchment that was provided. This was the first time I ever wrote with a feather and it was awesome.
Sunday afternoon we learned how to do flat gilding and then de-bossed a design into it that created a rich texture. Agate burnishers, gold leaf sample charts from England and Georgia’s own gilding notes were available for us to look at. Georgia’s instructional gilding cards delighted us all. They were works of art in themselves. On one chart, there was a tiny, tiny gilded horse symbol that was so beautiful. Georgia’s notes to herself in the margins of these charts were an inspiration.
There was so much more to this workshop that I have left out. Did I leave with a finished project? No, but I left with the knowledge that I spent two whole days with Georgia Angelopoulos, a master calligrapher, dedicated to preserving the enduring art of calligraphy. It was an honor, a privilege and a great joy. I hope that other calligraphers who took this workshop enjoyed it as much as I did. And as always, thanks to Yvonne for all her hard work on this workshop!
By Nancy Lee
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