Handwritting as Art

I enjoyed watching the PBS video with El Anatsui. One of the things that struck me was how when he was a little boy, before he could read, he was enthralled by lettering on buildings. Even though he couldn’t read, he liked the look of the letters, their lines and curves. He spoke of how interesting he found the letter “G”—something like a “C”, but more intricate. He spoke of how he would draw out the letters even though he didn’t know what they were. That interview struck home with me—I love looking at different written languages, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, for their elements of linear design. I remember when my daughter was in 3rd grade, and learning how to write in cursive. Her homework each night was to write the same letters over and over again. aaaaa ccccc, etc. She got so bored with it, that suggested that she combine the letters in different patterns. After she did that for a bit, she says, “Mommy, this looks like your quilting designs”. True enough! Now, I use that as a teaching exercise when I am teaching free motion quilting, for people to start with designs they know, and what is more natural than writing. They make up different quilting patterns out of e’s or l’s or combinations of letters. I love to look at people’s handwriting—the loops and curves, the character of the line, that is unique for everyone. What is more unique than a signature? Our handwriting is an artistic expression of ourselves. The art of Calligraphy, the art of Graffiti, artistic Journaling….