Just Breathe

These were three brush renderings I did when a friend from High School contacted me about a fundraiser for a certain individual who will be undergoing a Double Lung Transplant this year. 

This is just what it might look like... I do
not have a final rendering yet... I am told
the lettering will fit better on the shirt.

She originally wanted it to be a part of the whole design of a t shirt they had in mind.   At first, they were just going to have the lettering below a weeping willow tree blowing in the wind with another element, a long stemmed, PINK rosebud standing upright underneath.  

The tree, blowing in the wind, would signify the chaos in my life due to Cystic Fibrosis,  the writing signifying the need for lungs and breath and below all  would be the single, stemmed rose bud not swaying, whatsoever, signifying the years of growth and strength in the time of chaos...The bud would also signify the new lungs and the blooming which will come thereafter. In the tree there would also be an 83 to represent the year of graduation but will not be noticed unless pointed out. It would represent the whole class who is behind this person...They are doing everything they can, together, to help, 

This "certain individual" happens to be MYSELF.   I will be taking a hiatus from my calligraphy work and concentrating on my strength, health and recovery.  I will not be taking any calligraphy requests until I am post transplant.  Thank you for your understanding.  

I appreciate the love and support from Donna, who spearheaded this whole endeavor and Audre who took the ball and Made It Happen! I am also appreciative of other alumni in my high school who have embraced this endeavor and who are doing their own fundraisers to help my cause.
There is SO MUCH LOVE out there!  I truly am overwhelmed.

If you would like to donate to my campaign please go to my site/blog: http://operationdeepbreathe.blogspot.com/   Thank you in advance!

This is what they had in mind.... but not anymore.
They decided on simplicity and will just have the lettering in black
with the t shirt in pink or sea foam green *See above*. If you are interested in
purchasing one of these shirts, please contact me
and I will send you the link (Trish Taylor )
50% of the proceeds go toward my fundraising goal for the
transplant expenses.

Winnie the Poohism

I lettered this to honor my good friend, Jane. RIP dear friend!
I am breathless by your passing... my loss. What will I do without you!?

Latest Wedding obstacle solved....

When the bride ordered her wedding invitations, she overlooked the fact
that she didn't have a return address printed on the back flap of the invite and
on the response card envelopes....

I guess she thought that the calligrapher would do a couple hundred,
very tiny writing of the same address, over and over again....

So, what I suggested to the lovely bride, after she asked her printer if they could
take them back and print the addresses on them for her and they told her "YES, but
for an exorbitant price", was that I could calligraph a stamp in the same hand which
I did her envelopes with of her mother's address and she can use that after the invitations are done.

I chose an acrylic, self inking stamp, but since this was my first time...
lessons learned, I would have ordered the traditional, wood handled stamp
and inked it myself.... with Colorbox pigment ink.  This was an oil
based ink....

I think it was largely due to the absorbant envelopes that the impression wasn't as
crisp as I wanted it to be, because the actual stamp was cut perfectly and very clear.

It depended on how much pressure you put on the stamp as to whether it
was a little too dark or spotty...without enough pressure on the stamp handle.
There were some things I had to work through and I ended up having to rub
gum sandarac all over the surface of the paper before stamping...
which helped a lot!

Here is the ensemble with my hand lettered envelope on the left.

After all these years... I am still learning... and growing.

I will now have another item in my stash of treasures to call on if
I need a stamp for the future. 

We gave a great, local company which does a bulk of stamps and has
been around for as long as I've lived here.... a long time!

Gone from my sight, that's all!

This is my latest piece for a client who heard this poem read at a
very close friend's memorial service.... It's very beautiful, by Henry Van Dyke.

Here it is .. framed and in the happy recipient's home.

This is a close up....
All done on paste paper.... with gouache for the blue lettering as well
as Copperplate Gold for the gold lettering.

Video of my Copperplate in action

Hand rendered quickly for my friends in Oregon Click on this lettering for video to appear

Outside the box....

From this.... to ON the SKIN....

This!   Satisfied Customer!  Whew!

The Road Not Taken... Robert Frost

This piece was created for a client of mine recently. 
He secretly contacted me and told me a story of his wife and daughter
reading this poem together.  His wife mentioned that it was one of her
Favorite poems (Mine, too). So, he asked if I could create a calligraphic
piece with illumination in time for her birthday, April 23rd, 2013.

The pictures don't do it justice, really, as it turned out even nicer than what
it shows.  I used Instacoll and 23K Patent gold for the "T", watercolors for
the vines and Ziller Black Powder Ink for the lettering.  We discussed what
he wanted and he liked the traditional qualities of Black on White so we stuck
with that adding a little color as a meandering border.

When it was all said and done, my client loved it and also emailed me
later, saying how much his wife had loved the surprise, too!  I will quote his
exact words:
Trish,

Thank you so much for all your hard work and talent.
I want to let you know that my wife, Wendy, loved! her birthday gift. 
We will both enjoy it for years to come.

I would recommend you very highly!
I'll send you a pic once we get it back from the framers.
Best,
Steve

I hold this poem near and dear to my heart because this was at the
top of the hill where I lived and grew up at my grandmothers' house
The Rockwell Homestead, in Hadley, New York, for most of my life
and it still stands on the green today! It says,
"I took the road less traveled and that made all the difference!"

..........................

As an addendum... the client sent me pictures of the piece after they framed it.
I had to alter it a little due to the flash, but here is it's final look.

Newlyweds....

Created for a newly married couple

Perfect "gift" when you cannot be there in person! 
Let me do the "impressionistic" work for you!

Poem for a loved one....

Dimensions: 22 x 30 inches

I recently was contacted by a client who saw a piece I had done about
7 years ago that I had posted here on this blog.  He wanted specific
ramifications but when it came right down to it... he mainly wanted it to be
very "organic" and raw looking with emphasis in certain places using a different
script or bolder lettering.  Ultimately, he let me take the reigns and go with it, but I
needed to convince him that I would ensure the quality he entrusted me with.
I sent him this photo, still with the lines on it to get his opinion and his exact words were:
"You have exceeded my expectations". 
When I met with him to deliver it he mentioned that
"it was even more beautiful than the picture, if that was possible."
Of course, I cleaned it up and erased the lines first.
I aim to please!

Cards and cartouches

A friend is a gift

Conference Invite and Envelopes

Never stop taking chances....

This was fun to create for a special person in my life... as per request!

Inspirational Pebbles

I have been playing around with writing on pebbles.... I am going to
sell a little bag of several words and just wanted to share...

A Collaboration of Talents.... Taryne Lewey's book

This was a book which Taryne created the pages for before a bookmaking
class which Maggie and Leslie from San Antonio taught in Austin... March 2012

I was lucky enough to sit next to and get to know Taryne by being her
table mate!  She and I got to talking about doing a collaboration of
sorts using her bookmaking skills and my calligraphy.

She showed up at a meeting with a BEAUTIFUL book which she created
for me to keep and brought this one... blank at the time, for me to fill with
some of her favorite quotes and lettering styles of my choice.
"Always know in your heart that you are far bigger than anything that can happen to you."

When I delivered it to her, completed with lettering to bring it ALIVE,
I could tell that she was quite pleased and she said she "Loved it".

It was a fun project and something so personal since Taryne gave
me certain quotes that were near and dear to her heart.
"Never save something for a special occasion.  Everyday in your life is a special occasion."

Given only minimal direction, I created, what I thought was,
a tribute to the lettering arts.

"Courage doesn't always roar, sometimes courage is the
quiet voice at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow'".
Mary Anne Radmacher

The book that Taryne made and gave to me for doing the calligraphy for her....

I lettered this on the back page in honor of our collaboration and friendship together