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Lay Members’ Exhibition 2020

As Capital Letters was cancelled this year due to COVID-19, a traditional Lay Members’ Exhibition could not be held. However, the organisers had the fantastic idea of holding a virtual Lay Members’ Exhibition instead.

Twenty-seven individuals and groups submitted work in five categories (The Mayflower, Human Origins, Geometric Principles, Own Work and Collaboration: Where We Come From). We are delighted to be able to present the entries in the following slideshow, with comments kindly written by Mary Noble FSSI.

Thank you to Steve Eades (Capital Letters Team Leader), Gwyneth Hibbett (Lay Members’ Exhibition Organiser), Mary Noble (comments) and Alun Briggs (webmaster/slideshow designer).

Hover over the slides to see navigation arrows, or swipe if you are viewing on a tablet or mobile phone.

 

  • Welcome to

    the virtual

    Lay Members' Exhibition 

    2020
  • Thank you to all Lay Members who have contributed
    to this varied and stimulating Exhibition. As we can’t
    enjoy them in the flesh, this is a great alternative option.

    The Lay Members’ Exhibition Commentary has
    always been given in the spirit of a shared learning
    experience. I am mindful of the generosity and
    exposure of those members submitting work, in
    allowing it to be scrutinised in this rather public
    critique. Feel free to disagree with anything I say!
    Most of all, enjoy the work.

    Mary Noble

  • Entries for Topic 1 
    The Mayflower
  • Celia Lister
    Oceanus

    20cm x 29cm
    Painted papers and 17c maps; nib and brush;
    gouache on Arches Velin


    Oceanus was the name of the only baby born on the Mayflower.
    The text is from the diary at that time on the Mayflower.


    No comments wanted.
  • Gwyneth Hibbett

    21cm x 28cm
    Bleed-proof white, gouache & pencil
  • Very delicate combination of illustration and writing,
    the ship sails confidently encased in reassuringly
    solemn words. It’s a balanced composition with strong
    Italic, possibly a little too much internal flourishing
    for my taste – it seems to me the flourishing would
    work best if kept to the edges and not within the
    interline spaces which get a bit tangled. An
    appropriate choice of Gothicised title flows gently
    above the ship.

     

  • Joy Cuff

    33cm x 49cm
    Watercolours and Gouache paint, mapping pen,
    no.2 Mitchell nib, brushes & sponge

  • A clever idea to incorporate the names of the
    pioneering passengers aboard the Mayflower in this
    entertaining piece. There’s lots to enjoy, like reading
    a child’s storybook with sea creatures rising among
    the names in the water, both coasts evident, and
    a benevolent wind blowing them to their new life.
    I commend the carefully drawn and spaced title,
    that’s a highlight that balances well with the page as
    a whole. If it were for a more formal occasion, I’d want
    greater margins and maybe try to sharpen the small
    writing.

     

  • Ruth Sutherland

    24cm x 33cm
    Gouache, watercolour, gold leaf on Arches paper
  • A splendid evocation of the
    Mayflower’s
    pioneering voyage,
    with skilful combination of
    illustration and appropriately
    lively writing. Only calligraphers
    with an equal mastery of
    illustration can pull off such a
    combination this successfully.
    A deceptively simple design;
    centred, but with the weight
    high up to combine large text
    and ship, flanked with a
    decent-sized chunk of text below
    for balance. The stars give some
    additional movement.

    25
  • Tim Sokell

    65cm x 44cm
    Image: Lino-Cut & Print, brush lettering with Gold Gouache.
    Text: Walnut ink & Mitchell nibs

  • A skilled combination of bold linocut letters
    with a large block of penwritten small Italic
    script. The title wins. Balancing light and
    heavyweight letters so intricately makes an
    eye-catching pattern which is yet very legible.
    The main text of the Compact is contrastingly
    delicate and drew me in to read it. Looking
    at the whole shape of the composition, I felt
    it needed a few more lines of text to lengthen
    the panel of writing for balance of size. The
    golden O, looking like a halo, is a master stroke.

     

  • Entries for Topic 2

    Origins
  • Elaine Gillingham

    37cm x 47cm
    Lettering originally written with an automatic pen,
    then spattered in Finetec paint through a stencil
    onto pastel paper, narrative written in Finetec
    with broad edged nib

  • I do hope you can try to read the tiny writing around
    the outside (expertly written) as they are the key to
    this piece! ‘Stardust’ is coloured to link with the words
    top and right about atoms, and ‘Stories’ to link with
    the other – are we made from atoms or from stories,
    is the question. The central words effectively use a
    stencil technique that enables spattering for the
    stardust effect. At first I found the separation of the
    two words disturbing – there’s a bigger central gap,
    but decided they legitimately belong to the edges.

  • Jacquie Brachi
    Tread Softly Upon The Earth


    20cm x 20cm deep circular
    Engraved glass vase
  • A beautiful bowl, with the engraved writing sensitively
    placed in a descending spiral. The stroke thicknesses
    are a little uneven making some letters a bit unformed –
    s stands out for me - but the overall effect is gently
    flowing and effective.

     

  • Entries for Topic 3

    Geometric Principles
  • Alison Catchpole

    A3
    Ink, fineliner on Bristol board, craft floral decorations

    New Calligrapher
  • Here’s someone who knows their Roman
    Capitals proportions and has found a
    splendid way to show them off. The central
    design suggesting Yin & Yang takes the eye
    to the writing and encourages you to read
    the words. I enjoy the patternmaking -
    though I’d have liked the straight edges to
    be curved. The image may be cropped,
    but it would look splendid if there was
    more side margin to enhance the nice
    tension between circle and credit.
    The flowers in my view are an unnecessary
    distraction (I keep wanting to brush them
    off!).

     

  • Jane Tidswell

    Painted watercolour capitals on vintage linen
  • Good to see some geometry celebrated here,
    in a pleasing composition. Not sure it’s
    entirely accurate though –I believe the inner
    verticals should align with where the circle
    meets the diagonals. There’s a sensitive
    weight balance between the drawing and the
    delicate built-up Capitals. Painting the
    letters onto vintage linen can’t have been
    easy. There’s some unevenness in the
    spacing say between C and I, P and L in the
    bottom word, and some less noticeably
    uneven spacing above. However, great care
    has been given to observing the principles
    illustrated and I especially admire the S.

  • John Wilson

    Gouache and pencil

    New Calligrapher
  • Not sure if this is a comment on the
    intricacy of the construction of capital
    Letters, but this A is composed in
    a very complex structure. Rather
    reminiscent of garden trelliswork,
    but perhaps it’s intended as a
    contemporary knotwork design. If
    that’s the case, it doesn’t quite follow
    the tradition of over-and-under,
    but hey, it’s fun.

     

  • Simon Daniel

    24cm x 46cm
    Arches HP paper; gouache; acrylic ink;
    Mitchell nibs nos. 3.5 and 6; gold leaf
  •  There’s a pleasing balance of three elements,
    illustration, text and credit, with good contrast
    between the 3, with very confident, lively writing in all
    sizes. The illustrations make a great foil to the text,
    with gold adding to the visual interest. If I have any
    criticism it’s that when I look at this from a distance,
    the block of images feels slightly too small – though
    when looking closer, the boxes are the right size; an
    optical problem. It’s a beautiful, clean piece.

  • Entries for Topic 4
    Own Choice
  • Cathy Cooper

    30cm x 42cm
    2  metal pens, gouache & pastel on cartridge paper
  • A very interesting choice of text, and it’s good to see
    the writing doing all the work - no distracting images.
    In this asymmetric composition there’s a pleasing
    balance between the two main pen sizes, and they
    mesh well together. LIFE is nicely treated and lively
    but feels like it could be slightly bigger in my view.
    The smudge of colour in the background is quite
    sufficient embellishment, to suggest perhaps the
    milky way, or nothing in particular.

     

  • Elizabeth Jenks

    38cm x 28.5cm
    Gouache on arches paper with Higgins Eternal ink
  • An attractive combining of Mackintosh
    letterforms with the traditional rose
    ornamentation. I love the choice of
    Mackintosh’s words, it makes you want
    to do your very best in making something
    beautiful! The text and embellishment
    mesh well together, though the text shape
    slowly gets wider towards the bottom
    which disturbs my eye.

     

  • Fernando Lembo di Pino
    Colours (J.de Brebeuf)

    42.4cm x 30.5cm
    Quills, gel pens, inks, gold leaf on gum ammoniac,
    various papers

    No comment wanted
  • Jacquie Brachi

    30cm x 30cm x 6cm
    Ceramic hand moulded dish with drawn letters
  • These drawn letters fit sympathetically within
    the bowl’s uneven form, spiralling into the centre.
    A tricky surface to tackle, successfully done.
    On a flatter surface I might quibble about the
    letterspacing but the overall effect is pleasing.

     

  • Jane Knights


    16.5cm x 9.5cm closed

    16.5cm x 69.5cm open

    Fabriano Artistico paper, pastel and tissue paper; ink,
    bleach, flat and round brushes, pointed and no 4 nibs,
    watercolour, fineliner
  • An exciting piece to be enjoyed both sides. On one
    side the broad, textural, curved strokes are sensitively
    contrasted with lightweight skilfully written stacks of
    text. On the other, in a different treatment, strong
    washes of dark colour are inscribed with gestural
    monoline marks giving another form of dramatic
    contrast. A thing of beauty.

     

  • Liz Barrow


    46cm x 29cm

    Chinese ink and gouache on Canson mi-teintes paper
  • A piece for our time, beautifully thought
    out, written and presented. The block of
    crisp compressed capitals listing the bad
    news is right-aligned to move the eye on
    to the small white caps giving the small
    ‘sparkle of hope’. Using this mid-tone red
    allows for black and white to be used to
    full effect. The self-coloured mount
    completes this perfectly unified work.

     

  • Lorraine Canning
    Haiku I (v.3)


    34.3cm x 22cm

    Schmincke Gouache, Hobbyring Zauberpuder and Sumi ink on Bockingford NOT 140lb

    Haiku written on All Soul’s Day, 2019

    New Calligrapher
  • A very graphic image with appropriate choice
    of letterform to match. The strong plant stems
    are complemented by sensitively placed leaves
    which create attractive negative spaces. The
    placing of the 3 lines of Haiku take account of
    those spaces and add to the dynamic overall
    effect. I would like to see these capitals more
    sharply written with the same quality of line
    shown in the illustration. The splash of
    sponged colour completes the composition.

  • Mike Barnden

    37cm x 31cm

    Inks, quills, mapping pen, on gessoed plywood,
    gold & palladium leaf

    Inspired by the 'Miracle Icon" which was presented
    to Emperor Alexander III

  • A lot of work has gone into making this bright,
    colourful piece which was inspired by a
    traditional icon. All that gold gives it a very rich
    effect. Whilst the background and  border are
    very elaborate with much ornamentation, the
    treatment of Christ is much less defined, (and
    his left hand out of scale) which seems
    incongruous. As a foil to the busy texture
    throughout, the outer border could perhaps
    have been made smooth rather than striated.
    A complex piece.

     

  • Nick Caulkin

    I Watched A Blackbird


    14.8cm x 21cm

    Connoisseur Cream 100% cotton paper,
    Mitchell nibs, mapping pen, pencil, watercolour pencils, ink
  • A simple design carefully written, allowing the text to do
    the job whilst the simple portrayal of the blackbird adds
    interest whilst not dominating. The lightweight Uncial
    script is delicate although could benefit from tightening
    up some letterforms.

     

  • Rebecca Thompson

    43cm x 97cm
    Handmade ceramic tiles, decorated with black slip,
    underglazes and clear glaze

    Matthew 25:40

    New Calligrapher
  • Splendid handmade knotwork tiles surround this
    Biblical quote. The lettering is somewhat overpowered
    by the decorative elements; colouring-in some counters
    helps counteract this but maybe the colours could have
    matched those of the outer tiles. A fascinating approach.

  • Sherri A. Trial

    5cm x 12.7cm
    Opaque watercolor, 22k gold leaf on vellum.
    Written with various Brause nibs
  • Wow, this is just gorgeous. A very sophisticated assemblage of lettering sizes
    and weights that merits close scrutiny and enjoyment. Whilst it hails from
    a medieval manuscript heritage, there is nothing 15
    th century about this.
    Note the clever combination of minuscule (lower-case) with majuscules in
    the dominant top line, then two rows of capitals (Roman with Uncial Es)
    beautifully spaced. The next two smaller black lines combine caps and minuscule
    all at the same x-height, then the final two lines in strong caps flanking the
    strong focal point of the illustration. The skill here is making the small
    illustration work with all the rest; the gold border finishes it off, and links it
    with the top line’s gold diamonds. A fabulous piece.

  • Stephen Eades
    Churchill

    37cm x 27cm
    Fabriano HP paper,Technical pens, gouache and water colour
  • A bold piece of heraldry flanked with
    appropriately sturdy drawn Capitals.
    A well-balanced heraldic painting,
    finely drawn, where some fun has been
    had with the mantling, although this
    obscures more of the HONI SOI QUI
    MAL Y PENSE than Sir Winston might
    wish. The bold capitals fit well around
    the image but would give a more even
    texture if more generously visually
    spaced. Treating CHURCHILL with
    diamonds is a nice decorative touch.

  • Tim Sokell

    38cm x 55cm
    Brush drawn lettering in gouache on
    Saunders Waterford paper
  • Glorious letters in the Tom Perkins mould, this design is
    powerful, balanced and a pleasure to the eye. It takes
    great skill to paint letters as evenly as this, always with
    an eye to even spacing and sensitively drawn edges. The
    narrow interline spacing has a close affinity to the
    letterspacing, making a cohesive whole.

  • Entries for Topic 5
    Collaboration
  • Cinque Port Scribes
    Where We Come From

    42cm x 57cm
    various types of paper, technical pens, gouache, watercolour, gold, book cloth, etc.

    13 calligraphers: Janet Adkin, Meg Chapman,
    Steve Eades, Sally Gill, Rosie Griggs, Frances Liddiard,
    Colin Lumsden, Sylvia Mann, Alison Millin, Ole Selvaer,
    Sue Smith, Jan Turner and Els Van Den Steen.

  • This collaborative piece brings together the
    varied skills of 13 members, combining
    calligraphy, heraldic art and illustration.
    The title is strong, though the list of names
    is somewhat insubstantial in comparison.
    With so many contributors, all with different
    skills, the best bits have been selected for
    the 15 windows making some of the fine
    details worth a closer look; Ashford sports
    some lively Copperplate, Rye looks like your
    next holiday destination, nice bit of gilded
    heraldry on the A20 and lots going on
    around the site of the battle of Hastings… enjoy!

  • Fernando Lembo di Pino
    & Cristiana Coffani
    Where We Come From

    42cm x 30.5cm
    Quills, nibs & brushes, inks, watercolours
    & gouaches, gold leaf & shell gold, various papers

    No comment wanted
  • Exeter Letterers
    Lesley Williams, Simon Gray & Alma Swan
    Where We Come From

    60cm x 36cm
    Gouache, Finetec paint, coloured pencil, metal nibs,
    24ct gold on Strathmore paper

    This piece of artwork depicts a riddle about the name
    of the place where we come from. The name has six
    letters and there is one of these (in gold) in each of
    the circles that, in turn, each give a clue to the
    answer. The background illustrates the answers to
    the clues, too.
  • This riddle takes a while to read and
    work out, I won’t spoil your investigation,
    have a go – you’ll need to read all the
    circles in this collaborative piece. An
    intriguing arrangement of 6 gold circles
    enclosing the clues, with a balance of
    images around them to give some hints.
    The outer lines of gold writing help pull
    the design together. Compositionally,
    I’d like to have seen the circles more
    evenly distributed, as the last two drift
    away; their lighter internal content also
    separates them somewhat. A design
    worthy of a closer look to enjoy the detail.

  • We hope you have enjoyed our virtual Lay Members' Exhibition.
    Thank you to everyone who submitted work.

    Please let us know what you think of this online exhibition
    at lmx@calligraphyonline.org

    We look forward to seeing you at Capital Letters in 2021!

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