GEMMA BLACK : ARTIST / CALLIGRAPHER

In my work it is refreashing to revisit "simplicity".  Here is a lovely little piece I did today for a soon-to-be six your old. I loved this poem when I was a child and I still love it. It is The End  from Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne.   Schmincke gouache, metal nibs and a touch of gilding on Ormoline size. I have kept the lines in the manner that they were originally written.

I always love to choose some flowers from Salamanca markets to see me through the week ... just a couple of dollars for these lovely glads.

The support is canvas the materials used are acrylic paints, gesso, sgraffito and lead pencil lettering.

The problems associated with choosing a book from David Walsh' White Library at MONA You can see others had problems too!

Look closely! I think you will have to click on the images to see more clearly. My little lace piece from today at the drawing board.  I did this work after several trials, working white on white. The original looks really pretty, photographing it is another matter.

My plan for the day was to start with listening to Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas whilst reading Sheila Waters' exquisitely designed manuscript of Under Milk Wood at the same time. As I thought, it was an all encompassing experience. We ... David and I ... sat back in our armchairs, legs outstretched and listened to the rich voices of Richard Burton, Hugh Griffiths, Richard Bebb and cast reading the play. We both enjoyed the visual images throughout the manuscript, the absolute ease at which we could read Sheila's specially designed Carolingian while enjoying the story as read to us. This is not something that we usually plan in do in our frenetic worlds but it was a lovely and very enjoyable experience. Sheila Waters Under Milk Wood manuscript: ISBN 0 9623131 0 6 My copy of Sheila’s manuscript I have had since 1991. The CD was given to us by our friend Duncan Abercromby, a Dylan Thomas fan who said we would enjoy the play. So David and I returned him the favour and g

I am a little ahead of myself here for the ALaW project so I thought I would share a how to with you.  If you haven't been exposed to these as a child then here is how to make a conversation ... a little talking piece.  Read on! Decorate your paper On the black side, fold your corners into the middle Turn over as shown here Fold in half using a bone folder or an agate burnisher as I am using here Turn 90 degrees and fold in half again Al ways making sure your folds are crisp and absolutely accurate to the 1/2 mm Fold all the corners back in to the middle so that the decorative side now comes to the front as shown Turn over and you should have the remaining decorative side Now we are going to get tiny and tricky! Fold all the corners into the middle as shown Burnish well trying not to take any of the decorative media off the surface This is what it should look like folded in Now ... getting trickier Fold the work in half Open this then fold the o