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In early April I had the privilege of spending three days in Toronto at a workshop with well-known calligrapher from New Mexico, Nancy Culmone.
Friday morning we all struggled in juggling an enormous array of supplies, while greeting old friends and meeting new ones.
Before beginning, Nancy required each of us to vocalize what we expected to gain from the workshop, give some personal information and indicate what we were passionate about, and what were our favorite colours. Sharing such information helps dispel the feeling of being with strangers and in no time there was a lot of laughter and camaraderie. Someone suggested that Nancy answer her own questions, which she did with grace and humor.
Paste paper was the order of the day, an entirely new experience for me. What a delightful day that was - no pressure, pure play! Nancy had prepared the paste ahead of time and it was already coloured and divided into individual containers. After demonstrations from Nancy, we plunged in, and as the day wore on, the hallway gradually filled from one end to the other with a mass array of colour and design.
Day two was an introduction to the artistry of coloured pencil. Throughout the morning we worked on various exercises to get the feel of the pencils. Using a dark colour pencil, we gradually worked to the lightest value, taking care to keep the transition so smooth that it feathered right out to invisible. In the same manner we worked light to dark with no visible transition. The rest of the day was spent doing various exercises, pressure to no pressure, cross hatching, layering in different directions, etc.
The day flew by all too quickly. Our assignment for the following day was to do some monoline lettering, which we embossed into the paper and then worked around the outside of the letters with coloured pencil.
Sunday morning we taped our homework to the wall and had great fun looking at the many different interpretations of the same assignment. Nancy gave kind and generous praise and encouragement to each one.
We were treated to a slide presentation of some of Nancy's lovely work, and spent the remainder of the day doing different assignments. We lettered with a basket reed, as well as a little cluster of Ponderosa pine needles taped together. Nancy was always quick to help, and offered suggestions and information that gave new insight.
We left the workshop eager to try our paste paper and to explore the avenue of coloured pencils.
Thank you Nancy. By Joan Gooderham