At Salem’s Capital Calligraphers’ monthly meeting on February 6th, I presented a short talk, demonstration, and interactive lesson on Offhand Flourishing in the American tradition. This free presentation was streamed on Zoom during the event, and all who possess an interest in calligraphy were invited to attend!

Is there a calligrapher in your life? This is the ultimate calligraphy gift guide for buying a well-researched calligraphy gift that hits the spot every time. I understand that buying special interest gifts can be really difficult—no matter how well intentioned. Calligraphers, like many artists, tend to buy the exact materials and tools that they want for very specific reasons, making gift-giving a tricky task!

Earlier this month, the Internet Archive suffered a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, resulting in a loss of services that lasted nearly a week. While the Archive came back online on 10/24/24, the lack of access to historic penmanship material during this outage shines an important light on the fragility of the preservation efforts […]

I’ve had an ongoing relationship with perfectionism since childhood. Until recently, I even took pride in calling myself a “perfectionist,” as I believed it was required to achieve my ambitions. I now realize how much it was holding me back; how it robbed me of the joy in what I pursued. I’ve faced three burnouts in my life, all with perfectionism at the root.

Each year, the Oregon State Fair holds a calligraphy competition that accepts submissions from all Oregon residents. There are several divisions to choose from when entering: Intermediate-Advanced Adult, Beginner Adult, Student, and a special Oregon category…

This was the fourth annual DIS Graduation Ceremony. How times flies! We honored thirteen individuals during the ceremony and displayed twelve Certificates of Merit on screen during the stream.

DIS Engrosser’s Script students were tasked with penning a nameplate to be hung on the door of their first engrossing studio in a make-believe scenario that encourages each Dreamer to imagine themselves pursuing the pen for a living. Students are encouraged to let their individuality and artistry shine through in their selection of a personalized tagline and use of artistic ornamentation.

Ten years ago, we had a dream to see Portland lettering folks bring some of their work together once a month, talk shop, and share their experience with friends. This was the catalyst that sparked the formation of The Portland Lettering Collective.

Genuinely, I love writing calligraphy for people. I like the smiles on their faces when I’m done. I like the questions that they ask and the way they reach out excitedly to take the piece of paper when I extend it to them. I like the way they hold it carefully while the ink is wet, like a tiny bird they found that had fallen from its nest.

The Nameplate Project In a continuation of the DIS Tradition, these DIS Engrosser’s Script students were tasked with penning a nameplate to be “engraved” and hung on the door of their first engrossing studio in a make-believe scenario that encourages each Dreamer to imagine themselves pursuing the pen as a living. The general format, layout, […]