The Society of Scribes and Illuminators

Explore the beauty of calligraphy

Susie Leiper

FELLOWS’ GALLERIES » SUSIE LEIPER

What might be … Doors painted with text relating to past, present and future of disused vaults Hidden Door Festival, East Market Street, Edinburgh, 2014
The coming of snow From ‘The Living Mountain’ by Nan Shepherd Oil and casein paint on wood H 21 cm, W 15 cm, 2018
Together From 'The flowers of the body' by Robert Bringhurst White casein paint on painted pine H 28 cm, W 15 cm
Wedding place cards Ayr, 2018
Royal Bank of Scotland polymer banknotes: Scottish secretary hand calligraphy for poetry by Sorley MacLean (£5), 2015 and Norman MacCaig (£10), 2017
Noctambulism Text from 'The Wild Places' by Robert Macfarlane, Granta Books 2007 Star book: gouache on card H 24.5 cm, W 12.5 cm, 2009 Collection National Library of Scotland
Words From 'Night in Martindale' by Kathleen Raine Graphite on Chinese paper H 45 cm, W 30 cm, 2014
Sublime From 'The Living Mountain' by Nan Shepherd Oil and graphite on wood H 30 cm, W 20 cm, 2014
Dry lightning From 'Demons and Men' by Robert Bringhurst Ink and resist on Chinese paper H 30 cm, W 17.5 cm, 2016
The one life 道 The character dao 道 underlies excerpts from 'The Prelude' by William Wordsworth. Oil and plaka on canvas H 1.8 m, W 2 m, 2012
MAPS: where can they take us? Wall of visitor responses painted during vas:t, annual exhibition of Visual Arts Scotland Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, 2015

As a calligrapher and painter Susie navigates between the monumental and the miniscule. After an unorthodox formal calligraphic training on Donald Jackson’s St John’s Bible, she was inspired to take up painting and now combines text and paint, sometimes on the same work, sometimes separately. She works with brushes, pens and quills on everything from large walls and canvases to small tablets and handmade books. Susie has a passion for mountains and Chinese art, and lives in hope that one day Western calligraphy will attain the status that calligraphy has in China.

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