Calligraphy @ the NLA

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 Treasurer, for her tremendous monetary efforts,
Brendan Dahl from the National Library of Australia who made the day run brilliantly and all my diligent participants who had fun while learning lots about illuminated letters.


Sincere thanks to Pam for putting me up and putting up with me!

550 emails later ... phew ... I'm exhausted!


Comments

Michele the Celebrant - Michele Bolitho said…
Gemma, after all these years I have found you! And you were in Canberra last month! I wonder what has happened to my serendipity? It must be out of synch, I'm sad to say.

A beautifully framed piece of your wonderful work hung in a Manuka cafe for some time and I was so determined to buy it. I was actually saving up. One day it was gone. Do you ever replicate or is everything a one-off piece? Can I commission another?

The quote was in Latin, something like: 'Writers write so posterity can learn.' There was gold ornamentation that looked so good.

Will you come to Canberra again some time? I would love to do your workshop.

With very very best wishes
Michele
(My blogger blogs:
Michele the Celebrant
Come to My Heart Garden)
March 14, 2012 at 2:07 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The journey begins ...

Image
To say I am fortunate is an understatement. Time and time again I find myself in the most wonderful of situations that allow me to experience extraordinary things.  What I love most is I am always ... always learning something new. Today for example I saw my first driver less car.  Never!!!! I could barely believe it.  Some one reading this in fifty to one hundred years time may chuckle and say "cars had drivers?" .  I am in Pittsburgh after all. I guess you could say today is day two of this particular journey. Day one was spent on a series of aircraft to get me from Tasmania to Pittsburgh USA. The route I like to take when traveling to the US is Sydney - Dallas avoiding that horrible commuter nightmare, LA.  All the flights went well, reasonably on time and smooth transitions. I am getting to know Dallas/Fort Worth very well and would highly recommend it.  For me it is a suitable hub for flying in from Australia and connects me to pretty well anywhere in the States in
Read more

"The Johannesburg Group"

Image
"The Johannesburg Group" Catherine, Marj, Jill, Antonette, Pearl, Barbara, Louise, Dianne & Jeff  And per se and! Meet Tiny. What a woman! Here is a wonderful array of work from the Retro Deco three-day course in Johannesburg. Thank you to all my diligent participants who worked ever so hard to achieve these works. A huge thank you to Pearl de Chalain for being the the mover & shaker for the JB group. Also my thanks to Pearl & Paul for their generous hospitality.
Read more

Making time my friend ... and poly myalgia rheumatica

Image
  The past fifteen months has taken its toll on me as there has been a lot of pressure and stress. Self-inflicted of course, as that is the way of things with me. Subsequently I have been diagnosed with (nothing sinister) poly myalgia rheumatica which has seen me at a low painful ebb. Coupled with very high blood pressure which is not a good mix, we are now just getting that under control. As my lovely doctor says "Gemma, you do not want to have a stroke" .  To address the PMR issue I have just started a steroidal pain management treatment and the prognosis is very good. I have known for some six months or so that something was not sitting quite right with my health so it was only about a month ago that the body responded with a " stop now ". It’s just a bit of a pain really but I do wish to live a long a fruitful life. Who doesn't, right!? Some of you know I have taken steps to slow the rhythm of my everyday life to manageable and more enjoyable levels. While t
Read more