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Some technical notes:
Because I was not a calligrapher, the
first few blocks of
text I did were made up of letters I drew, outlined and painted in.
This was a time consuming process with a less-than-fabulous result.
It didn’t take me long to seek out Sally Sanders Garrett, a
wonderful Missoula calligrapher and teacher who gave me a crash course in pens,
ink and calligraphy basics.
Spending days on end drawing letters had given me a lot of insight into the
structure of the hand I wanted to use. I have been building on Sally’s
instruction for years. (Folks from the Missoula calligraphers’ guild have been
generous and supportive far beyond what my scant skills warrant.
Bless them.)
Early in my illuminating, I decided to work on skin
parchment rather than paper. Many
of the books from which I have drawn my inspiration were made in Europe before
paper was available from the Orient.
I paint on calf, sheep or goat skins from a parchment maker in England.
The surface is very smooth and has a gelatinous feel.
The pigment and medium from which watercolor paints are made slide around
on the surface rather than being absorbed.
Under these circumstances an extraordinary level of detail is possible.
I
use a home made gesso as a ground for the gold leafed portions of the
illuminations.
see work
for sale.
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