Whence did the wondrous mystic art arise,
of painting speech and speaking to the eyes?
That we by tracing magic lines are taught
how to embody and to colour thought.
- William Massey
of painting speech and speaking to the eyes?
That we by tracing magic lines are taught
how to embody and to colour thought.
- William Massey
Artist Statement
As long as I can remember there has been the debate whether calligraphy is an art or ‘merely’ a craft. When first starting out, I may have felt the need to debate that question but now I am not interested in how my work might be categorized. I am more interested in how someone might be moved by my art. Does it have a message? Does it make the viewer happy? Does it make them think differently? Does it open a door to an idea? Is it comforting? Is it challenging?
My current work (whether readable or not) is an attempt to demonstrate the impact of hand-written words. We are bombarded with digital fonts, memes, and virtual text that, to me, makes the message less personal. There are some very talented font designers, graphic designers and typographers out there. The exceptional ones are very good at getting their message across, however, I am more interested in exploring how much more impact words can have when there is evidence of their creation by a human hand. How do I choose the words to write out? First, they are usually something that moves me. Words that make me reflect on my own life, my own development. Second, it is always my hope that the words I choose – even a single word – can inspire, uplift, and encourage the viewer. The current political climate and recent events have me focusing on the need to remind myself and others that there is good in the world. I try to use words of kindness and compassion that foster self-reflection. As we see all too often, it is so easy to type hateful, divisive things. It is my hope that creating and sharing words of love, empowerment, and compassion, I can touch another human’s heart in some way. Art? Craft? Doesn’t matter: I create
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