According to members of the Utah Calligraphic Artists, the art of ornate handwriting is more attractive than ever these days. For a dozen reasons. To begin with, our machine-minded era of computers, microwaves and motor homes cries out for the human touch. Handmade items not only offer variety, they are touchstones for our humanity. And also the art of calligraphy itself has changed. Today entire worlds - not just words - flow from the calligrapher's pen.
But Patty Hammarstedt, president-elect of the UCA, sums up the feelings of a good many of the group's 50 members."My life is a hectic life with children, husband and everything else," she says, "so calligraphy became a satisfying thing for me. It was a moment to sit down and reflect and relax. And I don't feel I'm wasting time because calligraphy is such a usable art I can find all kinds of ways to apply it."
The local group meets the third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the county complex on 2100 South State. To keep the meetings fresh, internationally known calligraphers are brought in twice a year to lecture and teach. Recently Sheila Waters paid a visit. Waters, a British calligrapher whose projects over the years have included work on the Royal Air Force Roll of Honour (33,000 names, in formal Roman on calf vellum), map designs for Penguin Books and the new and acclaimed edition of "Under Milk Wood" by Dylan Thomas, was a major hit.
A precise, forthright person, Waters offered no nonsense instruction in the art of calligraphy along with many exercises to develop control. Her remarks included barbs for those who do makeshift work and a couple of rebukes for the press corps, who she felt were careless and often inaccurate in their work.
One would expect nothing less from a calligrapher of such international caliber.
Calligraphy as an art, of course, dates back to the walls of prehistoric caves. Tools and surfaces have dictated the various styles. In Asia, where a brush was used, calligraphy took on the look of painting. In the West, with its quill pens and paper, the letters had the feel of cryptic symbols. The most glorious example of calligraphy in the West is likely the Book of Kells, an ancient text that is breathtaking in its intricate patterns and painstaking attention to detail. In Islamic countries, copying the Koran in calligraphic letters is still considered a holy occupation, and many of the typefaces used in printing around the world were originally designed by calligraphers who tried to reproduce pen strokes in movable type.
Locally, calligraphy is often used for personalized invitations, mass marketing campaigns that want personal flourish, and in the design of logos and letterheads. James Fedor, a Utah calligrapher, mixes and matches calligraphic letters with design to create original and striking works of art.
"It's not just black letters on white paper anymore," says Hammarstedt. "And it's not just loving hands at home, Aunt Martha. It's more and more an art. We're seeing the integration of letters, emotions, color and movement in combinations never dreamed of before. It's an exciting time to be a calligrapher.
"And with the revival of interest in antiquity - Renaissance festivals and fairs, for instance - calligraphers can actually make some money doing what they love to do."
For those interested in joining, the UCA charges $21 a year for dues. You can inquire about the group by writing Utah Calligraphic Artists, P.O. Box 1086, Draper, UT 84020 or by calling 576-0070.