Biblos needed a member gift for the holidays. A recent trip to
England inspired by the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible was
the theme for this desktop calendar. My intention was to create a piece
that reflected the unique and authentic look and feel of these
manuscripts without relying on a photograph of the manuscript itself.
But the challenge was how to incorporate this authenticity while at the
same time making each month’s image unique and colorful.
My final strategy was to print out examples of the actual manuscripts
on my printer and trace by hand the lettering and decorative elements
onto vellum paper. This was an interesting process since it made me
really focus on the beauty of each letter or decorative element and then
also to recognize the different languages throughout the centuries. I
really did feel a bit like a monk or a scribe patiently tracing out each
letter! The illustrations then were inspired by my love of paint and
really freed my choices to embrace and respond directly to the feel of
each month with color. The result is hopefully a unique piece of artwork
that can be appreciate each month.
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