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This morning I’m excited to introduce you to Genevieve Ali of Lady G Paperie, a local Westminster, MD calligrapher. Together with Celebrating Love by Marcie, we are co-hosting a Modern Calligraphy Workshop led by Genevieve on Sunday, November 13th from 2-4pm at our studio space in downtown Westminster, MD. Email me today to reserve your seat!
The following, by Genevieve Ali:
I am a coffee sipper, book devourer, sleep enthusiast, and total word nerd. I fell in love with words at a young age, listening and taking them in, refusing to speak until I could form full, complete letter sounds perfectly (my first word was not “mama” or “dada;” it was “cookie”).
As my love for words grew, so did my love for fine art. At age eight, as my penmanship developed alongside my artistic eye, my mother gave me my first calligraphy fountain pen and workbook. I was hooked. To me, calligraphy is a perfect intersection of language and art; a merging of both modalities to create the beautiful expression of a sum that is greater than its individual parts.
Over the years after I began calligraphy, I fell in and out of practice, ultimately coming back to it for good when I was in college and began practicing more fluid, expressive modern calligraphy. During that time I was trying to find a balance between wanting my art to be perfect while understanding the necessity and inevitability of imperfection. With modern calligraphy I could mix precise, calculated angles with swooping, smooth curves and flourishes that were less harsh than my earlier fountain pen days. I ultimately began teaching calligraphy classes in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California when I was studying Creative Writing. After than, I began calligraphing envelopes, cards, signs, and other paper goods for clients.
In 2014 I moved to Maryland with my husband, at which point I also began experimenting deeper with merging watercolor painting and calligraphy art. I fell in love with the fluidity and delicacy of watercolor and with the meditative precision of calligraphing letterforms. Once I began merging my calligraphy and artistic design, there was no turning back. Lady G Paperie, my fine art calligraphy and stationery design business, was born!
Now settled in Westminster, Maryland, I was thrilled to meet Jenna Shriver and Marcie Lenick when I found out about the Center Street Wedding Collective. The two of them have such uplifting and inspiring energies and their studio space is light and airy with beautiful windows and high ceilings. When they asked if I would be interested in co-hosting a modern calligraphy workshop I didn’t hesitate—of course I was!
And I cannot wait to meet and get to know the students of the first #LadyGCalligraphyWorkshop at the Studio on Center Street! During the workshop, we will dive deeply into proper form and technique, learn a beginner modern calligraphy alphabet and basic flourishes, and practice addressing envelopes.
In the relaxed, inspiring setting of the studio, all students will be able to witness live demonstrations by me, ask any burning calligraphy questions they have, receive individualized feedback on their, and—the best part about attending a live workshop—meet fellow creative souls. Plus, attendees will be able to continue practicing on their own after the workshop because each will take home a full beginner’s modern calligraphy kit that includes one pen holder, two nibs, one jar of black ink, one instructional workbook with letter guide and lined practice sheets, and one eighty-sheet calligraphy paper practice pad.
November 13th can’t get here soon enough! I am so excited to share my passion for calligraphy with all the workshop attendees (and I apologize in advance if I start geeking out about how my brain processes letterforms mathematically—it would not be the first time that has happened!).
If you’d like to learn more about the workshop or ask me any questions, please hop over to our event page and once you’re ready to sign up for the workshop, email jenna@jennashriver.com to reserve your spot. The final day to register is Saturday, November 4. Hope to see you there!
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