Alesia Zorn Calligraphy

'Sprechen Sie Deutsch?'

Nein.  Okay, a little bit - "ein bier bitte" comes to mind.  However, I'm always up for a challenge and this job brought TWO!

(once again, I am the best advertising a professional photographer could have. Don't try this at home. Do as I say, not as I do ;-)

I was commissioned to letter a stanza from a poem in English, Spanish & German.  I'm fine with English most days.  Spanish? Once upon a time I was fluent, now random things come back.  German? See above paragraph.

I do know a few things about written German, one of which is proper nouns are capitalized.  FUN! Especially with Pointed Italic, the capitals are very dramatic! The 3 pieces will be matted in one piece with 3 windows and then framed.  Estoy muy emocionado!

Irish Wedding Blessing

 

Happy Day After St. Patrick's Day!

This morning I'm handing over this sweet Irish blessing to a lovely Irish groom who's getting married this Saturday and he commissioned me to do this as his gift for his bride.  How sweet - and timely - is this?!

Celebrating a wonderful occasion

Every once in a while I work on something a little bigger than an envelope - or a lot bigger, in this case.  That's always exciting and this was even more special.  Friends who fall under the category of "chosen family" just adopted a little girl and named her .. well, Kinley, obviously.

The canvas is 2 foot by 4 foot.  I used acrylics, molding paste and cool Golden Acrylics Mica paste in the hearts in the upper right and lower left corners.  The photo is with the flash to show the "VPD" in the background (last name initials,) in regular view it's much more subtle.

It was heart warming to create this piece for such a loving family - and I loved signing the back "Auntie Alesia." 

When Fall Comes To New England ...

... it will arrive via Priority Mail in Boston, sometime this week. 

Last year, I was invited, along with a number of other calligraphers to contribute art for a book project entitled "The Songs of Cheryl Wheeler."  Cheryl Wheeler is a delightful singer/songwriter in Massachusetts.  The artists were to pick a song and do an art piece in response to that song.  I didn't have a moment's hesitation about doing this for my friends or which song I would choose.

While I am an Oregonian now - with an amazing ability to order a wide variety of coffee drinks in an infinite number of combinations, and the ability to point to a volcano even if it's cloudy and the mountains aren't "out" - I was first a New Englander, a daughter of Massachusetts.  I had to have "When Fall Comes to New England."

  I love autumn, it makes me positively giddy.  I'm so glad Cheryl's lyrics are so visual so I don't have to torture you with my attempts to describe what a thrill the season is.

This mixed media piece is done on a 9x12" canvas.  The finished book is going to be 8.5x11" so I wanted to stay close to those proportions.  I lettered a million different ways trying to get all the words and keep visual art elements.  I had to narrow it down, a hard task when all the words mean so much to me.  "All the words" are going to have to be on the next project that's brewing in my head.

Here's what happened... using many of the techniques I learned from Jacqueline Sullivan, I started with a 9x12" canvas.  I painted a background with acrylic paints.  I used clear tar gel on the left to build up texture.  Just to get in a touch of Oregon, I lettered the title on copper slug tape and ran it down the right side.  I put painted tissue over the upper right and lower left corners.  I then broke out the wonderous, fabulous molding paste and used that for the falling leaves and the acorns & oak leaves and painted over that. 

I lettered the lyrics on off-white paper with red acrylic ink, then stained the color with an acrylic wash.  I used matte medium to attach the papers to mat board, then covered the edges of the 3 small pieces and the right edge of the canvas with more painted tissue.  I glued the fringe trim to the back of the little pieces, then decided the little pieces needed leaves of molding paste.  Word to the wise, don't do that last, do that before the fringe goes on, otherwise you may have to watch a Law & Order episode while picking the dried molding paste out of the fringe.  I'm just sayin'.  I stuck the three pieces down with strips of foam tape to give it some dimension.

Now I'm going to carefully pack it up and get it ready to head to Massachusetts tomorrow.  Goodbye, my little piece, I'll see you next summer in Boston at ODYSSEY, the 30th Annual Gathering of Lettering Artists. Maybe I'll even have the completed sister project that's brewing in my head...

ILSSA Plead for Skills 7.7.09

Note: Yes, Constant Reader, I know this long on verbage, short on pretty pictures but I hope you'll indulge me.)

Earlier this year I joined an arts community called ILSSA - here's the descriptive straight from the website: 

 

IMPRACTICAL LABOR IN SERVICE OF THE SPECULATIVE ARTS (ILSSA) is a membership organization for those who make experimental or conceptual work with obsolete technology. The goals of ILSSA include: (1) the establishment of a Union to foster community, solidarity and peer review; and (2) the formation of a Research Institute to support new ideas, communications, and resources.

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Impractical Labor is a protest against contemporary industrial practices and values. Instead it favors independent workshop production by antiquated means and in relatively limited quantities. Economy of scale goes out the window, as does the myth that time must equal money. Impractical Labor seeks to restore the relationship between a maker and her tools; a maker and her time; a maker and what she makes. The process is the end, not the product. Impractical Labor is idealized labor: the labor of love.

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AS MANY HOURS AS IT TAKES!!!

 

How could I not love this?  It's like a modern day William Morris call to action for personal hand-craft.  I'm fortunate that my job is calligraphy and I do love calligraphy.  My job doesn't always allow me to cut as loose as I'd like sometimes so I was thrilled when ILSSA released the Please for Skills, which read, in part:

 

Greetings Impractical Laborers! We are writing to invite each ILSSA Union Member to participate in our first collective project. This summer, on the 7th day of the 7th month, we will celebrate our own version of the The Festival to Plead for Skills. The festival is derived from the Chinese holiday of Qi Xi and the Japanese festival of Tanabata, in which celebrants wish for the betterment of their own craftsmanship. Instead of wishing, the ILSSA festival will be a holiday of practicing.

We are inviting all ILSSA Members to observe the first annual ILSSA Festival to Plead for Skills by practicing a skill. This could involve using a new tool, working in a different medium, or honing your technique – it's all up to you! As a framework for this event, each ILSSA Member is invited to make 50 objects (no larger than 2 inches in height, width and depth) as iterations of their practice. Conceive of this project as something you can complete entirely on the day of the Festival. We imagine Impractical Laborers across the land, practicing together in observance of the holiday on July 7th.

After the Festival, we ask that each ILSSA Member mail the resulting 50 objects to ILSSA. We will then compile the objects into 50 custom, handmade enclosures that will house one object from each participant. One copy of the box set will then be mailed out to each ILSSA Member as a commemorative archive of the holiday and a physical manifestation of our collective action.

 

My muse dope slapped me on the head and told me I MUST participate.  What better excuse to take a day for ME during the very busy wedding season!  It was a salve to the soul.

 

I started out with paint palettes I need to "clean" and painted backgrounds.  Once those dried I lettered - and forgot all about my camera to document that process.

 

I was listening to The Pogues when I was painting - anyone familiar with the kickin' Irish punk band will maybe see the influence (this was "If I Should Fall from Grace".)  My studio was quiet for the lettering and it started out pretty controlled, but then my inner James Dean decided a little rebellion was in order and I pitched the lines.  I'm amazed at how straight things stayed.  I didn't worry too much about layout or ascenders & descenders colliding since everything was getting cut up anyway.  (The words are the lyrics to Modest Mouse's "One Chance")

 

I knew this wouldn't be enough for my 55 so I went

back to the pile and found another background:

 

This was painted to the much calmer "Lorelei."  Since the painting was calmer I wanted a contrast to the above (crazy painting/ sedate lettering, sedate painting, crazy lettering) so I broke out my ruling pen and just let 'er rip.  I love my rowdy tools!  The words are lyrics to Modest Mouse's "Ocean Breathes Salty."  In both cases I wanted words that I knew backwards and forwards so I wouldn't worry about transcription.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning everything was dry enough for the cutter.  Now I have my pile of squares, ready to be mailed...  I sincerely hope there's a second annual Plead for Skills, I'm on it like stink on a monkey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alesia Zorn

Local 503 Shop AZ

Don't you love surprises?

 Last week I received a voice mail from a woman who needed a poem lettered, and she needed it quick.  Thinking I had a very packed schedule and would probably have to say no, I called her back and asked her what she needed.*  She explained the poem was commissioned for the founder of The Arbor School of Arts & Sciences and was going to be presented to her on Saturday night as part of a celebration of the school's 20th anniversary.  The caller explained the founder is a very special woman and this would be very meaningful.

I am a sucker for helping folks celebrate the meaningful moments in their lives (I've decided it's vicarious warm & fuzzies,) how could I say no?  I opened the e-mail with the poem and started reading and it was incredible - as well it should be as the author was Kim Stafford!

  We talked about lettering style and decided on book hand, it's very legible and has short ascenders & descenders, with a poem this long one has to be conscious of real estate or you'll pay a fortune in framing!!  (Book hand is also the script I used on the piece in my previous post - I sense a theme!)

The turn around on this was so quick I only had time to snap a picture of it on my dining room table as the woman who commissioned the piece was literally on her way over and I while I was pretty sure it was dry, I didn't want to tempt The Fates by slapping it on the scanner bed.

 *There's a moral to this story - always return every call always and always ask what they need, you just never know.  I learned this last year when I received a call from a woman who needed signage literally overnight.  Some little spark of something made me ask here what she needed and it was signage for The Portland Opera and it was a very cool & creative job!

Menus for "Pimp My Warehouse"

I was asked to produce buffet card menus for the monthly ISES (International Special Events Society) meeting.  It was held in a car warehouse, the theme being "Pimp My Warehouse."  It was the coolest thing possibly ever.  There was an area of the warehouse separated by pipe & drape - the drape being chocolate brown velour.  I walked into the grooviest lounge space, with couches, cocktail tables, big plushy chairs - all in brown, red and white.  Very urban and very groovy!

It was my tortuous pleasure to do the menus that sat on the buffet tables.  The caterers were Premiere Catering, who I've raved about before - and I'll rave about them again.  The food was fantastic, as I commented on my facebook page, I wouldn't want to live in a world without Premiere Catering.

The meeting's theme was also very fun, I had a great time with the menus...

Here's a scan for a close up.

I lettered the menu on white watercolor paper.  I did the little red squares with red Inktense watercolor pencil, the lettering is done with a pointed pen in walnut ink and is based on Frank Lloyd Wright's Exhibition type.  The menu was mounted on the dark red squiggly 8.5x11 inch backer card with foam tape so there was some dimension.  The four red squares in the corners are also the red watercolor pencil, with free-form calligraphic marks made with the same pointed pen and walnut ink and mounted with foam tape as well. 

There were 2 different menus.  I'm going to be a bud and only tempt you with one.  Trust me, it was goooood.

I certainly enjoyed creating little works of art and do my small part to pimp the warehouse!

Weekend workshop

I was very fortunate to spend the past 3 days in workshops with German calligrapher Thomas Hoyer.  One day we learned about writing with the unruly ruling pen, the next 2 days were spent on design elements.  I put some of the things I learned together for this exercise: 

 

"love" is written with the ruling pen, which is what provide the exciting and delightful stutters and splatters.  The quote is from William S. Burroughs, something he said the day before he died.

I had a wonderful time learning from Thomas, I highly recommend his classes!