Writing 2011 Symposium 24th to 30th July 2011 at the University of Sunderland

I have my summer holiday planned already...I'm going to Sunderland to participate in the calligraphy Symposium with calligrapher Thomas Ingmire and poet David Annwn. It is going to be a wonderful experience. Feel free to check this out: http://ircc.org.uk/symposium.html

I have admired Thomas Ingmire's work for a long time and cannot wait to be in his masterclass. I also think that it is great that we are going to be inspired by the poet David Annwn, whom I do not know of from before. I have always felt that the text I write for my calligraphy pieces need to inspire me. It makes it so much more fun to experiment and try out things that enhances the meaning of the text. It does not always have to be the words themselves that "speak the message"...if I can do it visually too that is the challenge. In other words, the text need to speak to me, in order for me to find inspiration and be creative with the text. What would be better than actually hear poetry from the source and then go to the drawing boards.

There were other tutors that I would have liked to take classes with, working with glass is one. Making calligraphic marks using glass...and also sandblast letters into glass plates. That would have been awesome, however, I do not know how to continue that back here unless I hooked up with a glass artist here in Norway - and they do exist!

I also thought it would have been fun to work on a manuscript book. I have long wanted to write a childrens book, but never had time to really find a good story for it. I think that idea needs to mature for a while longer. Perhaps Ingmire will inspire me with his marks and gestures and creativity and techniques, so that I can work on my childrens book-project later.

I hope to meet a lot of interesting people there too, and buy some more calligraphy and bookbinding equipment while I'm over there...I need to stop in London too. I miss it so - haven't been there since 2001!