GEMMA BLACK : ARTIST / CALLIGRAPHER

There is something very special about viewing original manuscripts, old and not so old. An oportunity to study the "real thing" is something so rare we grab it when we are able. The National Library of Australia has made this possible for book lovers, calligraphers and interested parties through their Handwritten exhibition. Viewing the collection finishes on 18 March 2012.  The National Library of Australia, Canberra Australia Venue for the Illumination Workshop 19 February 2012 The NLA Foyer ... with a bookshop to lose yourself in ... The plushest classroom I have ever taught in! Eighteen participants fitted beautifully with room to move. Before we got started outside my favourite stained glass windows. My wonderful assistant on the day, Pamela Kemp! My thanks to the Canberra Calligraphy Society and my fellow tutors Jill Robertson & Angela Hillier. Enormous thanks to Maureen Worsnop CCS Treas

This is one of Bilbo Baggins song. It was in both Tolkien novels The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I chose on purpose to use a similar style of simplified Uncial used in the film LotR. The spirals symbolise the road going "ever on and on". Korean stick ink, Brause nibs, designers gouache, pen-white, 23ct gold leaf and hand tooled spirals, metal nibs & brushes on 300gsm Arches hotpress paper.

Walnut ink, designers gouache, 23ct gold leaf, pen-white, pointed nibs, dotting tool on 300gsm Arches hotpress paper The names of the couple and the date of their wedding are scribed in a flowing 23ct gold leaf copperplate beneath the DP.

In the past couple of weeks I have created two more apology manuscripts for the Federal Government. This time for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. One is to be presented to the European Parliament by the Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and the other is to hang in the RG Casey Building in Canberra. It was, yet again, an honour to be asked to prepare these documents. Some swatches on the two different vellums. The vellums came from the Vellum and Parchment Work in Kildare Ireland. Excellent service by Joe Katz! Wiping off the excess gold. I had to work the Coat of Arms upside down. The soft and delicate colours I used to replicate the 1912 official Coat of Arms were achieve by many trials. I finally decided to use Derwent watercolours to achieve the best effects. Close-ups! Always fraught with danger. 

Reed makers David Nuttall, Joe Ortuso and Bettina Crimmins ... this went on all day! Boxes of reeds everywhere! I have found good uses for excess oboe reeds! They make interesting toggles!

Herewith are a few photos of the McGregor Experience.  The McGregor Summer School has been running for over forty years on the University of Southern Queensland campus, Toowoomba.  The school is now a very highly regarded ten day gathering of visual and performing arts. It is run through the USQ Artworx program. With a full orchestra program and a multi-disciplined art program hundreds of people enjoyed the creative and learning atmosphere.  Chamber music concerts in the evening were a lovely distraction from the days teaching program. This year my class was full with thirteen participants. I set my classroom up "cafe style". I don't always do this. I judge the nature of the class then decide what will work best with what we are doing.  Cafe style allows for individuals to chat quietly while they work and easily share their materials if the theme warrants it. The theme for this year's ten-day workshop was "purely pencils" and the "