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Rendez-vous – 2019 International Calligraphy Conference

The beautiful campus of Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

Bonjour! I am still feeling inspired and my heart is happy after spending a week at Rendez-vous, the 2019 International Calligraphy Conference. It was a wonderful to be able to travel to Montreal and experience the lovely Canadian hospitality. There is much beautiful lettering throughout, including hand-painted signs by Pierre Tardif.

I got into my first choice, Roman Capitals with Elmo von Slingerland. I first met Elmo in 2016 at the A Show of Hands conference, and was awestruck by his work. Roman Capitals always scare and intimidate me as a subject of study, but this time I decided to give it a go. Although I did some monoline practice and am fairly familiar with the letterforms and structures, it was still very challenging to do Roman Capitals with a broad edge nib in the clean, crisp, meticulous and deliberate way that Elmo does.

That said, Elmo is a wonderful teacher who would spend a lot of time with each student to do personal demos. He has a keen and sharp eye and can see where one needs improvement and then will sit down to show you how it’s done. He’s also incredibly humble and kind. I hope to learn from him again soon!

Me and Elmo!
Our class photo

As with previous conferences, one of my favorite events is the faculty demo. This year I was able to capture the teachers who opted to do demo (not all do!). It’s always such a treat to watch them work. It’s so inspiring to see them work in person.

I was also super excited to see my friend Schin / @openinkstand do a demo at the John Neal Bookseller pop-up shop! Schin has a great new book out called Calligraphic Drawing: A how-to guide and gallery exploring the art of the flourish.

Of course, a week flew by as quickly as it had started – on the last day is the “Show and Share” event. It’s amazing every time! I loved seeing everyone’s work over the week and took mental notes on who I would like to study with in the future.

Me with my final piece for the class. Elmo is behind me. I was concentrating on the letters so much that I misspelled “inexhaustable!”

The best part about attending these conferences is meeting new friends and catching up with old friends. I had such a great time sharing my meals with calligra-friends, talking shop, walking to class and hang out at the evening events, relaxing on the grass, and of course, spraying mosquito repellent on each other (LOL)!

Megan, Michelle, Elyse, Hoang, me, Devina, and JB
Sylvia, me, Schin, Michelle, Sunny, Devina, Ale, and JB
Photo: olivierfouque.com

Just look at all these beautiful smiles! Row 1: Michelle, Sunny, JB, Schin, Chisato, Sylvia. Row 2: me (holding Ariel’s badge because he’s camera-shy), Erin, Megan, Ale, Brenna, Devina, Elyse, Bakhyt, Claudio, Hoang, and Anna.

I look forward to see these friends again in 2021 in Dallas, Texas!

Q&A with Joy Deneen for Rendez-vous 2019

I’m not much of a “being in the spotlight” type of person, but I sure talked a lot about how much I love calligraphy and attending conferences in this Q&A!  Thanks to Joy for reaching put and Vichana for the ASOH photos. I look forward to seeing all my calligra-friends and teachers at Rendez-vous 2019!

Read the Q&A here: https://rendezvouscalligraphy.org/en/blog/why-i-attend-the-international-calligraphy-conference

Seattletters 2018 International Calligraphy Conference

The historical campus of Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA

When I heard the 2018 International Conference will be in Seattle, WA, my first reaction was, “When can I register?” :) I’ve never been to Seattle and have always wanted to visit. The conference is on the campus of Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA, about two hours North of Seattle, but it’s a great chance to visit the city after the conference.

When class assignment was announced, I was really happy to get my first choice – Italic Variations with Diane von Arx. I’ve been working hard on improving my Italic Hand, so the chance to study with Diane was on the top of my list!

Diane personalized a folio for each student. My work sheets are in the background.
Playing with Italic variations and textures.

I really enjoyed learning from Diane. She encouraged us all to try different elements to create variations in Italic Hand – using a small nib with a tall x-height, using a large nib with a small x-height, and so on. The practice above creates different textures and create visual interest. I ended up purchasing an Automatic Pen from John Neal Bookseller’s popup shop and used it for the large Italic-style block above. Isn’t it a cool effect?

Speaking of JNB, how awesome is their popup shop? It was in the Library and in a beautiful hall.

On the first night, Sir Donald Jackson gave a talk about his journey to becoming a calligrapher as well as his work on the St. John’s Bible. It was most inspiring and illuminating. We were able to view all 7 books of the Heritage Edition on display!

Sir Donald Jackson during his talk.
St. John’s Bible on display.

As a participant, one of my absolute favorite events is the Faculty Demo. I was able to capture 16 teachers before a fire alarm interrupted us! It wasn’t anything serious, but firefighters had to inspect the building for safety, and the faculty demo night was cut short ;(

One week flew by, and we all worked hard towards Show & Share on the last day. Each class has a table set up with everyone’s projects, and we all walk around admiring the beautiful work from each class.

Last but not least, here I am at our classroom table.

We had the opportunity to take a group photo with Sir Donald Jackson as well as some more group photos!

Me, Sunny, JB, Mr. Jackson, Devina, and Elyse
Calligra-friends! Elyse, Sunny, Megan, Joy, me, JB, and Devina

I had a great time at Seattletters. See you all next near for Rendez-vous in Montreal, QC, Canada!

A Show of Hands 2016

North Carolina hospitality

I just spent a week at A Show of Hands, the 2016 International Calligraphy Conference, and I had one of the most fun calligraphy experiences ever.

This was my first time in North Carolina, and the town of Asheville was just so beautiful and green. I got an AirBnB off-campus with five other calligraphy friends, and we had the best time hanging out, attending classes, and learning in a wonderful atmosphere. The conference took place on the campus of Warren Wilson College which had beautiful grounds, with blooming flowers in the midst of summer.

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