Scribbled Lives Week 18—In Your Own Words

Calligraphers often hunt down texts that others have composed. However, this week, Scribbled Lives members were asked to be original and come up with our own. I’m currently taking a series of classes with Brody Neuenschwander, and he has encouraged students to come up with our own texts.

I’ve been thinking about my friend’s niece. These thoughts were written on the morning she was to testify in court about her assault. “Release me to my destiny for I am broken and undone.”

This month, I’m studying the expressive line with Brody. For this exercise, the entire text is repeated multiple times to emulate obsession. I was thinking about the resilience it would take following a traumatic experience to hold it together without spinning out of control.

Automatic 4 and Speedball C-3, C-4, C6 and various concentrations of walnut ink on Sax Sulphite practice paper.