Art | ArtSpirit7

August 18, 2012June 14, 2015

Inspiration From the Work of Master Scribe Thomas Ingmire

Calligraphy by Thomas Ingmire — “Everything is For Sale,” by Thomas Ingmire, 23 x 12

A few months ago I blogged about seeing a rock star in the World of Intuitive Painting, Michele Cassou.

Now, I want you meet a rock star in the World of Calligraphy you may not know about.

He was the first American elected to England’s Society of Scribes and Illuminators with a craft membership status. He lives in San Francisco and his work is in public and private collections around the world including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Stiftung Academy of Art in Berlin, Germany.

A friend from the Capital City Scribes (of Austin) referred me to Thomas Ingmire in 1996. I met him briefly, long enough to get his beautiful book, Words of Risk: The Art of Thomas Ingmire, written by Michael Gullick.

In the Kalligraphia 13 show of the work of the Friends of Calligraphy you can see one of Ingmire’s pieces on display at the San Francisco Public Library’s 6th floor Skylight Gallery (last day is August 26th).

During a walk-through of the art on display, Ingmire flipped through a book he has in the show which was a collaboration with Robert Sheppard. It’s called Afghanistan: a Visual/Verbal Book by Thomas Ingmire and Robert Sheppard and it’s open to a page (see previous post) that gives you a glimpse of Ingmire’s work.

You can see more of his creations on his website or more at Scriptorium St. Francis, and some of his works are for sale.

I still get inspiration looking through the book Words of Risk. Fortunately it is in print.

“Thomas Ingmire writes pictures. He is a visionary artist whose work resonates with warmth and passion….Ingmire has turned words into images, and combined words with images, to make potent visual magic.” – Michael Gullick, author of Words of Risk.

A Hundred Passionate Words Collide

"Flourish & Flame," by Carla Tenret — “Flourish & Flame,” by Carla Tenret, acrylics, markers, pens; canvas, other fabrics

"Launched," by Sherrie Lovler — “Launched,” by Sherrie Lovler

Thomas Ingmire (right) leads a talk about the Friends of Calligraphy's Kalligraphia 13 Exhibition at the Skylight Gallery of the San Francisco Public Library — Thomas Ingmire (right) leads a talk about the Friends of Calligraphy’s “Kalligraphia 13” Exhibition at the Skylight Gallery of the San Francisco Public Library

Something clicked when I heard that the Friends of Calligraphy were having a show at the San Francisco Public Library. I dropped in to find myself reveling in a well-presented adventure of the hand drawn line.

In Kalligraphia 13 you’ll see elegant letter forms applied in unexpected ways:

-bear puns all over a teddy bear (by Jenny Hunter Groat);
-a handmade miniature book growing out of an antique camera (by Terry Spodick);
-hand cut lettering featuring the poetry of a homeless man (by Doug Jones); and
-twisted into silver earrings (by Melissa Titone).

And there’s Chris McDonald’s piece that “takes a stab at the f-word,” with lyrics from an Amy Winehouse song.

Kalligraphia comes around once every three years the it’s on its thirteenth time. The exhibition is on the sixth floor Skylight Gallery of the San Francisco Public Library showcases the work of the Friends of Calligraphy.

The show runs through August 26th, 2012. Exhibition viewing times are: Sunday noon to 5pm, Monday 10am to 6pm, Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday, 9am to 6pm, Friday noon to 6pm, and Saturday 10am to 6pm.

For the remaining Saturdays till the show closes there will be a calligraphy demonstration from 2pm to 4pm in the Lower Level Latino-Hispanic Community Room. Last week I saw Melissa Titone‘s demonstration of the pointed pen. (I thought this video would give you a sense of how the pen is held).

-August 4, Carl Rohrs will demonstrate Brush Writing
-August 11, Monica Dengo will demonstrate Improvised Composition
-August 18, Judy Detrick will demonstrate Unical and Rustic Scripts

If you’re in San Francisco on or before August 26th treat yourself to some visual magic!

You might also enjoy:
–Big Red Breathing Lotus Flower
–A Fantastic Free Photo Editing Tool
–For the Love of Letterpress

July 16, 2012November 18, 2012

A Lively Shape Celebrating 75 Years

Her work has a sense of playfulness yet shows a serious understanding of color, line and form.

“International Orange” is a silkscreen print created by San Francisco artist, Kathrin Feser, to celebrate the Golden Gate Bridge’s 75th Anniversary.

She created a limited edition of 75 prints that sell for $40 apiece, and come signed, numbered and dated.

You can purchase a print through Feser’s cool website. Through July 26th you can see more of her work in a series called “Orbital Drawings,” at 31 Rausch Street (at Folsom Street) in San Francisco. Contact Chris at chrismccaw dot com to set an appointment.

You might also enjoy:
–Messages from a Spirit Photographer
–4 Examples of the Artistry of Upcycling
–Discovering Artist Nancy Adair

July 12, 2012August 6, 2012

The Irony of Education

The Heart Has Its Reasons... a Quote by Blaise Pascal

Learning is about A-D-D-I-E or P-I-E.

But is it really?

Those are two common instructional design models I learned in the instructional technology specialization I studied for my master’s degree in education.

A-D-D-I-E stands for Analysis-Design-Development-Implement-Evaluate. P-I-E stands for Plan-Implement-Evaluate.

There’s hundreds and hundreds of learning models developed to guide the teaching process. They involve various combinations of analysis of the needs of the learner, delivery of the information, and some method to measure or survey what was learned.

And an effective lesson plan addresses the auditory, kinesthetic or visual learner.

How do you learn?

After studying a zillion learning theories and paying for years of formal education I find that I learn many things from stories. And storytelling is a skill that wasn’t in the curriculum.

Which reminds me of a counselor I know that uses heroic metaphorical stories to show her clients new solutions. Brilliant!

Is there a School of Storytelling?

Ok, a few hours later I’m adding this…the school of storytelling is film school.

You might like:
–Two Building Blocks of Storytelling
–4 Simple Tools for Storytelling
–7 Elements to Include in Digital Storytelling