Calligraphic Trails lecture & workshop in Santa Fe

I'll be giving a talk, "Calligraphic Trails," Friday evening, November 18, 6 pm at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe.  This free lecture is presented in conjunction with "Illuminating the Word" (St. John's Bible) and "Contemplative Landscapes," a photography exhibition. 

 

Calligraphy is the remnant trail of hand and pen that moved along a page. "Calligraphic Trails"  explores various aspects of calligraphy as trail: analysis of writing in early manuscripts; calligraphy as contemplative practice; calligraphy as a metaphor for land forms.   Like tracks in sand, written letters record touch, weight, rhythm, purpose.  Trails, like written words, are ways of going from one place to another.  A good trail, like functional calligraphy or typography, makes the journey easy without calling attention to itself.     The journey of calligrapher or pilgrim leaves a trail; it may follow or create a path, a Way.  In many traditions, such a Way is a spiritual trail, and in many spiritual traditions, calligraphy--the writing of sacred texts--is a contemplative practice; a kind of contemplative landscape. 

 

On Saturday, November 19, I'll teach a day-long workshop on Irish manuscript calligraphy. 

The workshop (10 am-4 pm) is $80. For workshop info, please call 505-476-5096