The Foundational Hand

“Hand” is the term that calligraphers use to define an historic alphabet style. There are about ten hands that make up the essential repertoire of the well-rounded calligrapher, from the classic Roman capitals of 2000 years ago to the script hand, generically r e f e r r e d t o a s “copperplate”, of the 17th through 19th centuries. Every typeface, computer font and writing “style” in use today is based upon one or more of these

“parents.”

In the 10th century, a manuscript was created that now resides in the archives of Winchester Cathedral in London, England. It was

written in a hand that is generally referred to as late Carolingian or Humanist. In the late 19th century, a gentleman named Edward Johnston used this manuscript as a model to develop a hand that he could use to teach his students the art of “making beautiful letters and spacing them well” – what we now call Calligraphy. He called his new alphabet Foundational , since it was, and still is to this day, the primary and most effective means by which the budding calligrapher can learn the basic concepts and techniques of good letter-making.

I urge everyone, young or otherwise, whether or not you can “draw a straight line” (I can’t either!), to try this wonderful craft/art form. If you have tried to teach yourself, from a book or with a calligraphy kit, and found that you “couldn’t do it”; if you have never seriously tried your hand; or if you are familiar with calligraphy but have never had a Foundational class, you should sign up for one. Call me and tell me of your

interest; perhaps I’ll be offering a class in the near future.

“Light”

Fall 2007

— Don King

Commit to the LIGHT

Given the desire of several people in obtaining smaller ver-sions of LIGHT, pictured on the front of this newsletter and viewable in color at www.dkingstudio.com, Don is consider-ing producing high-end quarter-size or half-size prints of the piece. The prints would be giclees, not open editions. They’d run in the $50 range for an 11x15, about $100 for a 16 ¼ x 22, and in the neighborhood of $300 for a full-size 22x30. Custom archival matting and framing by Don can also be arranged.

Don needs at least six firm commitments to proceed. Feel free to contact him today (919-847-9408, dking@dkingstudio.com) with questions or to place an order.

Tap Your Inner Calligrapher

If you’re over age 14, have an appreciation for the visual arts, and have ever toyed with the idea of learning more about cal-ligraphy, then “Calligraphy for Everyone” is for you. Taught by Don at Meredith College in Raleigh, the class is part of the school’s community outreach program.

No art expertise is needed for this broad-based introduction to the technical, historical and cultural aspects of the art of callig-raphy. Three essential calligraphic “hands” — foundational, italic and copperplate — will be studied using traditional tools and materials.

The 10-session course will run every Tuesday from 7-9:30 p.m. beginning September 25th. Cost: $250 tuition, plus $65-70 for equipment and supplies. Interested? Then hurry. The registra-tion deadline is Friday, September 21st.

You may register online at www.meredith.edu/outreach/art.htm or by calling the Graduate and Professional Studies office at 919-760-8450 and paying with MasterCard or VISA.

Honoring the Fallen

On Saturday, November 10th, Wake County will offer a graceful salute to all Americans who have died in Iraq or Afghanistan in service to their coun-try. During the Veteran’s Day Parade in downtown Raleigh, locals and visitors will notice more than 4,000 biodegradable paper tags fluttering from tree branches along Fayetteville Street. Each tag will bear the calligraphed name and age of an individ-ual.

The project, inspired by a similar one in New Mex-ico last spring, was instigated by the Carolina Let-tering Arts Society and shepherded by Don, the for-mer head of CLAS and a veteran of the Vietnam War. Members of CLAS located in North Carolina’s Triangle area have assembled and inscribed the tags. Many of these same people in addition to vet-eran’s organizations, ROTC units of local schools, Scout troops and family members of the fallen he-roes will be in Raleigh on November 9th to assist in the hanging of the tags.

This is a public, visually stirring and apolitical way to recognize the sacrifices of our military on today’s battlefields. If you can, please visit North Carolina’s Capital City on Veteran’s Day, or at the least watch the parade on TV.

D. King Studio 317 Killington Drive Raleigh, NC 27609-3712

Visit www.dkingstudio.com