This is the opening poem of The Flowers Of Evil by Charles Baudelaire.
Hence the flourishing decoration, made of flowers, and the color choice, black & red.
In case you like this script, there’s an ongoing online course on the subejct, you can check it at : https://www.thegentlepenman.com/frenchgothicbastarda
To change my mind a bit, I just made a small gilded versal on a pebble.
The patterns are inspired by those found in a 12th century manuscript and I will teach the construction of this kind of initials (but not on a pebble) in March 2023 in an online course in English that will be broadcasted by the gentle penman
I am making progress on my materials for the course on 12th century initials and filigrees that will take place next April.
But, of course, nothing beats creating to put into practice the elements found in the manuscripts. So here is a small piece of a work in progress.
Yes, it’s green (sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone), soon a complete view of this composition and, in the meantime, you can already register for the course at the Arche de Saint-Antoine.
I have been neglecting you lately, I apologise.
I’m posting on social networks because it’s quicker than describing my whole journey and taking the time to really address you here.
So a new message so that those who are not on those evil networks can see that I am still thinking of them.
These days I’m working on a commission from the town hall of Plouider, a small seaside town in Finistère. I like this township, they plant a tree for each birth in the township and asked me to calligraph the children’s names so that we can know which tree corresponds to whom. I did it last year and will do it again this year.
But today, it is another project: to calligraph 3 fragments of poems about the chapels and to put them around the Saint Fiacre chapel. The order is to do it on slate, it’s up to me to choose how.
So I decided to use Art Nouveau lettering and acrylic paint on large 40x40cm slates. The advantage is that I will be able to use the same layout for the 3 poems and thus have a unity of treatment that I would have had more difficulty in obtaining with another writing.
Here is the first text, a french translation of Shakespeare.
And whilst I’ve got your attention, I’d like to talk about something completely different. I have been selected to participate in the Write on the Edge International Calligraphy Conference in Sonoma, USA, next summer, and as part of that I have just answered a number of questions about my practice. You can find the transcript of this conversation here. And if you want to register for the courses, you can find the description of my two contributions here and there.
It is often difficult to find compositions to enhance a short sentence or a single word.
Luckily, there are solutions!
You are a star !
I’m offering a class on puzzle versals and how to use them for small compositions.
It will take place on November 13th & 14th, more information and registration on this page.
And don’t forget, we are all stars!
There are a few seats left for the next online course in English about filigrees on September 25th and 26th.
Information & registration there
If you speak French, there’s another course on October 9th & 10th.
For those of you who are not on instagram, I am currently participating in a little challenge launched by a group of Swedish women.
It’s about calligraphy words or expressions in Swedish.
Here are my first realizations.
tindra which means “twinkle”
äntligen fredag which means “thanks god it’s friday”
fika for “getting together over a cup of coffee”
