Lorna Mulligan, Instructor
The desire for more spontaneity and freedom in our calligraphic creations and painted backgrounds does not necessarily imply an “anything goes” approach. More successful artworks often depend upon various elements all coming together nicely to create unity: line, colour, movement and composition. Working with subtle nuances and strong contrasts, we will balance the two opposing energies of chaos and structure to find ways of expressing our individual concepts. Through guided exercises and exploration, we will develop a series of small paintings, a simply assembled artist’s book and then go on to create one larger piece, incorporating our textual elements along with our imagery as we progress. Far from an illustrative approach, where one might add the calligraphy as a final touch, we will consider our written words as an integral part of the visual process and composition. Starting with the usual cropping of our artwork in order to “find” the best composition, we will go on to focus on making our images work together as a whole, right from our initial concept. This workshop is for those who want to develop confidence, explore meaningful content and acquire a greater artistic freedom with their calligraphic artwork.