What lies within us

What lies behind us? What lies before us? More importantly, what lies within us?

A few years ago, I found myself walking — or “ambling” — along the lush New England path that Thoreau and Emerson traversed between Emerson’s house and Walden Pond. I treasure the memory of that day, happily living in the moment and taking some time to think about my own resilience and inner strength.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

These hand embellished calligraphy prints with Emerson’s quote are currently available in my shop!

The mountains are calling and I must go!

Have you visited my Etsy online shop? Here’s a sneak peak at a recent addition: custom calligraphy on 8x10 mats, to help you celebrate your visit to one of our glorious National Parks. I hand letter these in gold ink on white or black mats, with or without your photo!

(This photo was taken during a trip to Denver with my daughter in the summer of 2025. Our vantage point was breathtaking, pun intended!)

To see various options, follow this link. Then, start packing your bags!

National Parks

Custom calligraphy

on 8x10 mats

A Studio Update

If you received my May 2026 newsletter, you may be a former client or a fellow artist. Perhaps you are a family member, a work colleague, or a long-time friend. You might even be a brand new friend or colleague! You may live close by or far away. No matter how we came to know each other, I have some exciting news to share. Beginning this month, I am devoting significantly more time to my creative pursuits, which means I’m once again available to happily focus on meaningful calligraphy commissions, exhibit my work, and create a wide variety of art to sell online. If you have not yet received the newsletter but would like to be added to the mailing list, please sign up using the NEWSLETTER tab at the top of the home page.

My artistic style offers uplifting, colorful, and nature inspired themes. Literary quotes often find their way into my work as well. Playing with words brings me joy!

Spring is in the Air

The seasons come and go, sometimes taking us by surprise with their unexpected twists and turns, even when we know that change is in the air. Change is usually welcome and always inevitable, but what remains constant? What strengths do you have that run like a thread through the woven fabric of your life? For me, words like Resilience, Authenticity, and Optimism come to mind. Think about your words and hold them close.

In the coming weeks I plan to work on some exciting new commissions, prepare for shows, create personalized gifts, bind hand-lettered books, and reach out to many of my creative colleagues. Spring is a time of renewal, growth, and connection. I hope that some of you will think about “your words” and share them with me. What inner qualities nurture you on your journey? Click on Contact to share. You never know when your words might inspire some new works of art! Stop by my Etsy shop this season to find out!

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Making Time to Create

Do you give yourself some grace while navigating life’s twists and turns? Artists occasionally tend to wander away from our “creative homes” — sometimes quite intentionally, sometimes because we are drawn elsewhere temporarily, and sometimes just because we need a little break. But we always come back, mostly because we cannot imagine giving up the pursuits we love. One of my favorite quotes comes to mind:

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect, but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.” - Carl Jung

Whether playing with letterforms on the page, or playing with yarn and weaving something new, or even concocting something delicious in my kitchen, I only truly feel like myself when I make time to create.

Where are you on this journey? Are you taking a little break, or joyfully returning to your creative spirit? No matter the current path you’re on, be gentle with yourself and enjoy the much needed respite, the thoughtful planning, the studio preparation, or the creative frenzy! As for me, it’s almost spring — a time for renewed energy and and a fresh start. You’ll see me around a little more often during the next few years; I think it’s safe to say I’m BACK, pen in hand!


WCG 50th Anniversary

This year, the Washington Calligraphers Guild celebrates 50 years! As noted on the guild website, “the Washington Calligraphers Guild promotes the study and practice of calligraphy while fostering a wider appreciation and deeper understanding of artistic hand lettering and related disciplines. A non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization, the Guild was founded in 1976 by acclaimed calligrapher Sheila Waters with her colleagues and students.”

As excitement builds and sparks of gratitude seep into our collective memories, I am reminded of my own calligraphic journey — and the mentors who inspired me — including the years when I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to study with Sheila. I miss her incredible expertise, her thoughtful guidance and encouragement, her candid critiques, and especially her twinkling eyes and mischievous grin.

January joy

Somewhere along the way — about 15 years ago — my calligraphic journey paused just long enough for me to pursue another ancient art form when I purchased my 45” floor loom! Weaving is another methodical, meditative activity that allows my creative heart to play with design and color. Here’s a sneak peak of my most recent project, in two shades of green. This one was a labor of love, with a new-to-me fiber (cottolin) and my first attempt at the shadow weave technique. Life long learning is a path to pure joy!

GREETING CARDS for every season of your life

This spring and summer, did you feel any sudden changes in the air? Each of us had the opportunity to slow down just a bit, reflect, and listen to the quiet. Sometimes these moments, however unexpected, can soothe our souls and draw us closer to activities and passions that we have long loved but sometimes set aside for a time. For me, there were days of complete inertia — but also welcome bursts of renewed energy in the studio.

One of my new creations is a fresh line of greeting cards. To start, I created “Calligraphy Collection 1” — a favorite Irish Blessing print of my hand lettered calligraphy on a painted background in four colors. I have used this quote for occasions such as weddings, graduations and even new homes.

Next is a brand new and growing line of blank photo cards that I will offer both as “image-only” and “image with text,” to include simple greetings such as Happy Birthday, Thank you, Thinking of you, and So proud of you! The “image with text” cards feature a favorite font - in lieu of my usual hand lettering — with a focus on photography for a nice change of pace.

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Be well!

LETTERING ON MATS

HAND CUT MATS with HAND LETTERING

Photography by Bob Keating

Photography by Bob Keating

You have a perfect photo and you long to create that special gift — but you don’t know where to begin. Have you thought about a custom cut mat with hand lettering just below the opening? Just send the dimensions of the photo and your vision of the finished mat, and I’ll do the math and make suggestions. Maybe you just want a name, or a name and a date, or two names, or a just a date, or even a single word. Have you recently visited a National Park? Do you have a collection of vacation photos that need a caption? Maybe you have a short quote (in the public domain) that reminds you of the places you’ve been together. Just about any color ink (or gouache) is available; I particularly enjoy lettering in gold. Together, we’ll figure it out. Share your vision with me!

INQUIRIES ALWAYS WELCOME

Explore the possibilities

Please inquire even if you only have a spark of an idea. I specialize in finding creative ways to tailor the project to your desires, budget and time frame, and I welcome the dialogue that gets our project started.

Concertina books

Sometimes, a small, thoughtful gift is all you need. If you have a short quote of 17-34 words, I can hand letter your message in gold gouache and create book covers from hand painted and decorated papers from my stash. You choose the color scheme, and I take it from there! Each concertina book is packaged in a matching sheer draw-string bag for that special touch.