Treasures from 2003!

[Erica McPhee]

I was so happy to have a relaxing day today with nothing to do but what I wanted! So I started sorting my large calligraphy bin of exemplars, originals, etc. I was so happy to find a folder from 2003 containing some amazing envelopes from some of the finest of Spencerian scribes: Brian Walker, Bob Hurford, Keith Faller, Vivian Mungall, Maureen Vickery, and new to the OP world a now very recognizable Heather Held!

I was a member of Ornamental Penmanship way back around 2001 and participated in some letter exchanges. At the time things were really rough for me as this was when my son was in the thick of treatments and life from that time is quite literally a blur. There are large parts I don't remember. Only God and the people who received them know what awfulness I mailed out at that time! So thankful time has given me a chance to redeem myself in some way with our exchanges.

I never gave it a second thought back then but realized today how important these exchanges are. They are a record in time. Even though calligraphy is gaining popularity, it is still a relatively unique art/craft. These envelopes and cards we exchange and save will some day become "the archives" of our work. I found this a very cool thought.

Here are a few examples from my treasure trove. A beautiful envelope from Brian Walker, an example of his exquisite Spencerian, and a fabulous envelope from Bob Hurford.

[AndyT]

Super: thank you for sharing those Erica.

[Starlee]

These are gems Erica...and you are so right! Thank you for sharing these!!

[jaimelynne]

These are beautiful Erica! Thank you for sharing! It would be really cool to do an exchange where we describe how life is right now so when we look back at the gems down the road, or our kids and grandkids find them, they can be beautiful keepsakes that share a little bit of what life was like in our day  !

[Milonguera]

Oh my gosh, how beautiful.  Such delicate strokes and colors, too.  Thank you for sharing these, Erica. 

[elsa.d]

Oh wow! Those are treasures indeed!

[Erica McPhee]

I love this idea Jaime Lynne! Like a current events letter exchange. 

These are beautiful Erica! Thank you for sharing! It would be really cool to do an exchange where we describe how life is right now so when we look back at the gems down the road, or our kids and grandkids find them, they can be beautiful keepsakes that share a little bit of what life was like in our day  !

[schin]

Wow, that letter from Brian Walker is exquisite

[Salman Khattak]

Very cool Erica - I don't get envious often but these color me green.

S.

[Erica McPhee]

Wow, that letter from Brian Walker is exquisite

Indeed! And even more so in person. I have another as well. The ink is fading. I probably stared at it for too long. 

[Erica McPhee]

Very cool Erica - I don't get envious often but these color me green.

S.

Me, too. 

[tintenfuchs]

Erica,

luckily you've kept them so you can appreciate them again.
And it's good you participated back then, I'm sure that during that stressful time it was good to have some beauty in your life.

[Ken Fraser]

Wow, that letter from Brian Walker is exquisite

Am I the only one who finds a great deal of reproduced Spencerian extremely difficult to read and therefore enjoy and evaluate?

In all honesty, I just can't read the example of the letter. All  I can make out is very faint, largely indecipherable writing interspersed with occasional blobs of shading. It may well be beautiful (knowing the work of the writer, it probably is) but can anyone, hand on heart, say that they can read it throughout? And if not, how can it be evaluated?

This is a problem with much of Spencerian which is usually written very small and with fine strokes. It just doesn't stand up to photographic reproduction......or else, my computer monitor needs replacing!! 

Ken

[AndyT]

Am I the only one who finds a great deal of reproduced Spencerian extremely difficult to read and therefore enjoy and evaluate?

By no means - we find ourselves in agreement once again! 

It's quite irksome, trying to illustrate a discussion of Spencerian with well reproduced examples, because there aren't any.  Well very few, anyway: the hairlines usually either disappear or come out chubby ... Erica's done well to photograph a whole letter without either happening.  I can read it, but won't pretend that it was easy.  Have you tried right-clicking on the image and opening it in a new tab so that you can zoom in?

[Ken Fraser]

Thanks. Enlarging does help a bit, but it's still extremely difficult to read and the occasional word still escapes me. Perhaps it's like a one-off masterpiece painting...only of real value in its original state!