Michiana Calligraphy Guild

July 2020 Scribnote

A MESSAGE FROM THE GUILD PRESIDENT
 

First off – It is July and the dues are due! $15.00 you can mail this to Laurie Heyden at 18292 Courtland Dr., South Bend, Indiana 46637 or bring to the picnic on August 1^st. Note the picnic has been changed due to church availability.

Well, here we are still mired down in this Corona Virus. I have struggled and am still struggling with the need to create something. I seem to be caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Caught in a quarantine fog of no ideas so I sign up for a class and then 2 classes and then 3 and then no time to concentrate on a specific project. So I have managed to keep myself busy, but with no real playtime. I really need to get organized! Make myself a schedule and stick to it.

I have an ongoing subscription to Skillshare and Tracey Lizotte Academy, plus I’ve bought individual classes from Teachable and Udemy.

In April I took Harvest Crittenden’s “The Graceful Curve”. Making feathers and banners and birds was pure joy!

Birthday card for my grandson

Practice piece for the Graceful Curve

Graduation card for my Grandson

This past month I have taken “Fun and Funky Letters” and “Akim” with Julie Wildman. This was my second time with Akim and I am glad I took it, I was in one of her first classes of Akim (first time in person) and she has added so much more to the class.

I took “Downstroke and Upstroke – The Pencil Rhythm” with Jurgen Vercaemst and that was amazing.

I took a copperplate “Bootcamp” with Nina Tran there were 4 one hour classes over a two week period. Plus I follow Nina on Instagram and she has a half hour demo every Wednesday at 9:30am (our time 6:30am hers)

Starting this Saturday I will be taking a class with Maria Helena Hoksch, through the European Pointed Pen Collective on design basics. She is an amazing calligrapher and does beautiful pieces. On July 13^th I will be doing Fractur with Gemma Black, and I that class starts at 5:00am our time!

All of this brings me to a question. Do they have an AA for calligraphers? I will limit myself from now on, believe me there are classes out there that I didn’t sign up for that I wanted to. Zoom has opened me up to a whole new world and I have enjoyed it very much. I have been able to go to study groups for the Chicago Calligraphy Collective and Pen Dragons in Kalamazoo that I never would have been able to attend otherwise. I hope that once this virus goes away (I hope) that classes will continue to be offered in this format.

The past few months have been very trying, with my dog adding to my stress. She is an 11 year old English Bulldog (life span is generally 8-10 years). She has been very healthy up until this last year. In January she developed corneal ulcers in one eye and then the other. Vet visits every couple of weeks for a while for her to debride the eyes after which Stella had to wear a cone. Stella became depressed and for a while we thought we would have to put her down. Then the doctor put her on steroids and what a difference! Almost her old self! For the time being she is doing well and may give us a little more time with her. She has always been a puppy, very playful and lively so the last few months have been very hard. Maybe that is why I threw myself in the calligraphy classes , to escape the pain of possibly losing her.

 

RECAP OF OUR MEETINGS

April Meeting was canceled due to Covid 19

May 2, 2020 Meeting on Zoom –

Quote – “You may not be able to alter reality, but you can alter your attitude toward it.” – Margaret Atwood.

12 members in attendance.  We discussed the upcoming picnic in August (Note: Date change), also that the Amity Parks workshop was rescheduled for next year, hopefully the virus will be gone or there will be a vaccine by then! Show and tell via powerpoint. I did a feather demo from my class with Harvest Crittenden.

June 6, 2020 Meeting on Zoom –

Quote – “An artist is a collector, not a hoarder, mind you, there is a difference. Hoarders collect indiscriminately, the artist collects selectively. They only collect things that they love.” Austin Kleon

12 members in attendance. We discussed workshops with Julie Wildman via zoom, both Renee and Ginny have signed up. Linda Elder took a class with Barbara Close on pointed pen uncial. Show and Tell via power point.

Angie West Books using her marbled papers

Angie West books using her marbled papers

Anna Schlemma's silent bells

Anna Schlemma's cranes

Painting by Anna Schklemma

Anna's silent bells

Renee's birthday cards

Renee's mail from Linda Master-Parker a Georgia Calligrapher

Ginny's card

Ginny's Card

Ginny VanderHey Mark making

Ginny Vander Hey circular gothic

Card by Judy Theuerl

Card by Judy Theuerl

Judys birthday cards

Judy Theuerl's bister ink practice

Linda Elder - pointed pen uncial

CALENDAR

July 11,2020 –Zoom meeting  Yearly dues of $15.00 are due.  Send any pictures to Renee at rtuveson@hotmail.com that you want to share for Show and Tell! This format is easier as it allows everyone to get a good look.

August 1, 2020 – Annual Picnic has been moved back to August 1 due to the availability of the church. This will not be a potluck. Bring your own lunch and drink. Bring a folding chair to sit on. We will do a book exchange. Bring your wrapped book (wrap in any type of paper, even newspaper) and place inside a ziplock bag. I will bring Clorox wipes to wipe down the bags.

September 5, 2020 – Meeting either zoom or in person TBD

October 2, 2020 - Meeting either zoom or in person TBD

November 7, 2020 – Meeting either zoom or in person TBD

December 5, 2020 – Annual Christmas Party Meeting either zoom or in person TBD

THINGS OF INTEREST

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Amity Parks – May 20,21, and 22, 2021 NOTE: this is a Thursday, Friday and Saturday Amity Parks – “A Sharp Pencil and a Keen Eye”

POLICY FOR MCG

Our workshops seem to have people sign up and then decide not to attend. We have been very generous in returning monies paid for the workshop if someone decides not to attend at the last minute, but we are going to have a change in this policy. There will be a nominal fee if you drop out of a workshop. If there would be an emergency, for instance the birth of a grandchild, illness, etc., then the board will take this under advisement to decide on a course of action regarding a refund. Also, if the workshop is filled, and there is someone to take your place, that would also qualify for a refund. So please, if you want to sign up foe the workshop, make sure that you put that date on your calendar as a commitment. We have a small calligraphy group and we struggle to fill workshops at times. We need all of you to attend as many as possible so that we can continue to have quality instructors.

ARE YOU ON FACEBOOK?

If so, look up your favorite calligraphers, because they are on Facebook also. I like to look at Barbara Blose, Reggie Ezell, Julian Waters, John Stevens, Rachel Yallop, Pendragons, Capital City Scribes, Yukimi Annand, etc.. There are lots of beautiful calligraphy on these pages that will get you inspired. Also look at Joanne Fink and Barbara Lever’s Facebook pages. Be sure to check Pinterest, so many places to be inspired!

P.O. BOX IN SOUTH BEND

Due to a lack of much mail at our Post Office box in South Bend we have suspended any mail sent to that address. If you have anything to send to the Michiana Calligraphy Guild, please send to Laurie Heyden, 18292 Courtland Dr., South Bend, Indiana 46637 or Renee Tuveson, 928 Finch Dr., South Bend, Indiana 46614.

AMERICAN FRAME

Just a reminder that if you order from American Frame, please mention MCG, and  the will give is a small stipend.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP

Annual dues of $15 are due at the July meeting. Our annual dues have not changed in many years and are put to good use for supplies for our Make It/Take It at meetings and our annual raffle in August, and in December our donation to local charities. Please remember to bring your dues to the July meeting or send to Laurie Heyden, our treasurer at 18292 Courtland Dr., South Bend, Indiana 46637.

OFFICIERS

Renee Tuveson, President and Blog, 574-291-3621 rtuveson@hotmail.com

Marty Mitchell, Vice President, martyjmm@gmail.com

Laurie Heyden, Treasurer, silverbird323@jahoo.com

Judy Theurel, Secretary, judy@theurel.com

Sharon Esmont, Study Group sesmont@aol.com