The most meaningful calligraphy piece I’ve ever written
I still think about this calligraphy artwork. I’d never written anything like it before, and haven’t since - but it’s not the design which stays with me - it’s the story behind the commission.
Words hold all kinds of things, you see. They show love, they bring hope, and they carry memories. They mark all kinds of milestones - and in Olivia’s case, the words I wrote in calligraphy were like none I’d ever written before.
Olivia and her family were supported by the charity Beads of Courage through her cancer treatment. Beads of Courage empowers children to tell their stories of courage through colourful beads that represent their treatment journey.
Calligraphy written by hand onto a circular cut mount board, surrounding Olivia’s beads from Beads of Courage
So this calligraphy commission was different. Every piece I write means a lot to my customers, but this time it celebrated a string of achievements, traumas, successful treatments and hospital visits in a young girl’s cancer journey.
Each word in calligraphy indicated a different stage of treatment, marked by a colourful or character bead rewarded at the time. The family had strung all of these little beads into a spiral thread, and had a mount cut (beautifully!) by a specialist picture framer. My challenge was to add calligraphy words around the circular cutout.
A real close up of the calligraphy, which was entirely written by hand
Design-wise, I’d never written in circles quite like this before. Olivia’s dad grinned when we agreed it was going to be a challenge and a learning curve, but trusted me to create something beautiful. And trust like that really sparks my creativity!
With no deadlines, I had a few weeks to practice writing calligraphy in circles, and with help from a huge set of compasses - a new toy I was incredibly excited to play with! - I sketched out the design.
Red ink circular calligraphy | By Moon & Tide
I arranged six ink colours around the circle - I did love the pink and purple side.
An enormous roll of printer paper my dad had given me came in very handy, as I sketched the layout for each circle one by one. Making the words fit perfectly into each circle was just the kind of challenge I love. Writing the final piece was lovely - the inks in red, orange, pink, green, blue and purple were super smooth gouache, and I finished the design with 23 carat gold dots. (As anyone who’s been to one of my calligraphy workshops will know, I do love a dot!)
The full calligraphy design (with dip pen and nib for scale!)
This calligraphy piece was more than a story of survival. It tangled up frightening words with colour and craft to produce something beautiful, intimate and meaningful. It reminded me that the words I write here in my studio are so much more than pretty calligraphy.
The final calligraphy piece in the family home, once the framer had stuck the beads onto a black mount and framed the finished commission.
Not just another calligraphy commission: a story of hope, resilience and survival, translated into beads and decorated with ink and gold.
Beads of Courage UK is a non-profit organisation that is committed to enhancing the well-being of children and adolescents facing significant health challenges, as well as supporting their families and the healthcare professionals who provide care. The beads give children a positive, tangible means to communicate with their peers about their journey whilst also opening up lines of communication surrounding the lack of knowledge of childhood cancers as well as other illnesses. https://www.justgiving.com/charity/BOCuk
If there’s something special I can write for you in calligraphy, you can contact me here.