about me

I have been in love with pen and ink for most of my life. My first calligraphic teaching was in the Arabic script, writing out lines of Persian language poetry in elementary school. Our teacher would walk around the class and cut a nib on each student’s reed pen and write out a line of poetry at the top of a notebook page. We would lean over our pages, copying the line of poetry over and over again. My, what a mess of indelible blots we made with those reed pens dipped in bottles of ink!

As an artist calligrapher designer I still use the qalam ney reed pens and metal dip pens with reservoirs. I also love using Chinese brushes, ruling pens, thin strips of flexible wood veneer, or even my fingers!

Enjoy Unique Calligraphic Offerings

For most of my career as an artist I have focused almost entirely on creating one of a kind commissions for customers. With the launch of WorldCalligraphy.com I am making it possible for far more people to enjoy the unique calligraphic work that I continue to create on a daily basis. My art includes what we traditionally think of calligraphy–beautiful words–and also wordless calligraphic brush paintings and watercolors. Enjoy greeting cards, apparel, fine art and limited editions.

Calligraphy Specialties

I specialize in world calligraphy including most of the major scripts in use in the world today as well as many historical scripts, styles and variants. If you have a project in mind, please let me know. I look forward to hearing from you.

As a calligrapher I bring together skills as an artist, an artisan, a graphic designer and a linguist. I work closely with specialists in different languages to make sure that the work I provide is accurate. I work closely with each client to make sure that you are completely satisfied with the designs that I provide.

My work includes calligraphy in the Latin script in any language and in almost all calligraphic styles;  Arabic script as used in Arabic, Persian (Farsi), Urdu, Dari, Punjabi, Balti and other languages; Devanagari script as used for Sanskrit, Pali, Hindi and many other Indian languages; and Chinese calligraphy in several styles.

I also do calligraphy work in Ge’ez or Amharic (from Ethiopia), Aramaic (Syriac), Avestan and Pahlavi, Greek, Hebrew and host of scripts from South and Southeast Asia, including Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Sinhala, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, etc.

Illustration and Illumination

Many of my larger calligraphy works include elaborate border designs, illumination and watercolour illustration. I create original border designs in the tradition of manuscripts and miniature paintings from the Middle East, Europe and India.

Areas of Arts Expertise

• Calligraphy
• Design for Print and Web
• Watercolour and Chinese Style Brush Painting
• Printmaking: Fine Art Stone Lithography Printing, Chine Collé, Paper Marbling
• Book Arts: Illumination, Bookbinding, Non-Adhesive Book Structures, Pop-up Books

Education

• Degree in history from Haverford College with Chinese language study at the University of Pennsylvania.
• Fine arts degree with a major in printmaking from the University of the Arts (Philadelphia College of Art)
• Teaching experience at all age levels, curriculum development, education consultant, exhibition design, and educational programming for museums

Current Positions

• Faculty Member, Academy for Five Element Acupuncture, Gainesville, Florida, where I teach concepts in • Chinese Calligraphy, History of Chinese Medicine and QiGong.
• Founding member of Vox Populi Artists Cooperative (Philadelphia) and a founding and current member of Sweetwater Print Cooperative (Gainesville, Florida)

Classes and Workshops

• If you would like notification of classes and workshops I teach, please join my mailing list.
• If you would like to invite me to teach a class or workshop, please contact me regarding my availability.

Persian Calligraphy Wall Art | Sanskrit Calligraphy Wall Art | Chinese Painting and Chinese Calligraphy Wall Art | Farsi Calligraphy | Farsi Calligraphy Wall Art | Arabic Calligraphy Art