Life Lines (Pamela Paulsrud: 2.5 day)
Skill Level: Intermediate
Handwriting is a visual language emanating from our thoughts and emotions, a remnant of a process. Each line, each stroke, is distinguished by the materials, the mood, the day, the rhythm, the breath – a visual language within a language, a cross between a fingerprint and an EKG, telling not only who we are but also how we are in that moment of time. In this class, music, meditation, sound and silence will accompany us as we wend our way through a series of exercises exploring the tempo and voice of our unique line – story, script, gesture and mark – developing flow – letting go of the familiar long enough to greet the unexpected. Our focus will lie not only with line and space, but also with heartbeat, breath, and resonance – that energetic quality, that vibration seemingly so illusive.
We will also investigate and incorporate the meditative underpinnings of the hidden laws of nature – sacred geometry, exploring these forms, synthesizing the linear with the artistic aspect of pattern and beauty. A variety of tools for writing and calculating forms will be employed with graphite, ink, and watercolor to create a portfolio of your own unique expression.
Supply List: Sumi & walnut ink; watercolors or gouache; watercolor pencils; white china marker; 1 or 2 oil pastels (adult crayons!); a fine point black permanent marker; 3 pencils ranging from soft to hard (e.g. 5B, 2B, F); large and small pens and nibs and other experimental tools; kneaded eraser; brushes; water jar; rags; palette; 3-4 sheets Arches Text Wove; 1 sheet Arches Black; 11×14 layout pad; ephemera/paper components for collage; scissors; Xacto knife; cutting matt; masking tape; PVA or glue stick; bone folder; ruler; compass; triangle; any circle, oval or geometric templates; gold & gesso if you are so inclined.
About the instructor: Pamela Paulsrud is a visual artist, creating both intimate pieces and large-scale installations. Her work as a papermaker, calligrapher, book artist, and collaborator has been recognized internationally. She also researches and practices energetic healing modalities which simultaneously informs her art. She received her MFA from Columbia College Chicago. Her work has been published in 500 Handmade Books; Calligraphy and Handmade Paper; Brush Lettering; Making Memory Books by Hand; Exploratopia; Living Artists; Collage, Assemblage, and Altered Art and in Letter Arts Review, and resides in many public and private collections, including the Special Collections at the University of California, San Diego, and the Newberry Library, Chicago. She was awarded the Newberry Library Purchase Prize in 1997. Pamela teaches workshops in lettering and book arts and collaborates in an ongoing project entitled Treewhispers, which includes papermaking demonstrations and activities, storytelling, and site-specific installations. http://www.pamelapaulsrud.com/ and http://www.treewhispers.com/
