LANDSCAPES

Today, I show you a video, that I did on a wonderful afternoon, on summer of 2012, at the lake of Banyoles, but till today hasn't been possible to edit the video.

I was all day working at my studio, with the hot temperatures of the summer, I must say that is not very comfortable do calligraphy on summer, at least on hot countries, now I understand why calligraphy, has kept more tradition at northern countries, maybe the temperature is a fact.

So like I was saying, tired of being closed at home, I called a good friend and photographer, Yurian Quintanas, that If he would like to come with me to do some calligraphy at the lake, at least was a fresh area, also plenty of mosquito, I set up the paper, I prepared the ink (Chinese sticking Ink) I've stack the paper on a non heavy wood, and let's go to the lake!

With no other intention that write in a fresh place, non a common place to do calligraphy, but it was a wonderful experience, and I think that this is not going to be the last time that I'll do calligraphy outside, maybe for the next time I will get more ready, about what to write, composition, colour, letterforms...

This time was just a trial, but be spontaneous is wonderful, isn't?

Tre Calligraphy & SIA Productions

Where could be the next time? forest? sea? abandoned fabric? middle of the road?

Thanks!

A presto! Fossano, 3 months of Batarde Script and more.

I left Fossano, a piedmont city, that has given me hospitality to allow me to study the manuscripts, and also have an another good experience, I've been in other places before Italy, which I had good experience and I still have some friends, but what I've lived here during this three months and specially what I've learned has been wonderful.

To Give thanks to the city, I did this wonderful piece, saying thanks for all the hospitality that I've received during this time and also showing the batarde script that I've learned. Not only me, the city has been pleased with me, as they explain on the newspapers. http://www.targatocn.it/2012/12/06/sommario/fossanese/leggi-notizia/argomenti/eventi/articolo/carles-gonzalez-lartista-spagnolo-che-ha-contagiato-la-citta-con-la-calligrafia-lascia-fossa.html

Also during this time I taught some calligraphy and with Luca Bedino we have wrote a book about the lettre batarde, called "conversations about the lettre batarde" which I will talk about the book on my next post.

Detail of Batarde Script mixed with Italic Script

Detail of Batarde Script

And now, home sweet home, looking forward for new adventures that will feed my experience throught the calligraphy, "cleaning" the studio to get ready to explore and improve my calligraphy.

Have a good week!

HASTA LA VISTA FOSSANO!

56x76cm Sticking ink color on watercolour paper.

Carles, Tre Calligraphy 12-12-12

Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch' intrate. Calligraphy on the wall.

LASCIATE OGNE SPERANZA, VOI CH'INTRATE by Dante, Inferno.

Leave any hope (expectation), do you want to come in?

Actually I didn't know this famous phrase before I had to write it on the wall, I really like it, and I'm very pleased with the finished result. Using acrylic paint and brush on the wall,  the main problem was to get the proper thickness of the paint, which sometimes allows you to see the "brush stroke" which I really like it, before start to do the work I've asked how they wanted, the work in "black perfect letter" or a "letter which sometimes you can see the brush", they allowed me to leave the stroke of the brush.

The work, took me a while to be avaiable to center it properly, but finally I did it, and the last night before go to do it, I changed everything, the letter size, the name of the author I changed the colour, from red to grey, which really did worked properly. Because is not the same work on paper as a "framed paint" that work on a wall, that belongs to the whole house. And this last modifications worked really well.



Carefull with the Cat! (I've changed a bit the colors to show better the grey text),



How it works the grey text, which belongs to the text, but it wasn't the main thing of the work.
You don't see it at the first sight, you see it at the second, which this is what I wanted.

I'm pleased with the result, and the owners of the house, very pleased.

So all we happy! are you?

Tre Calligraphy - 2012 - November - Fossano.

PARATISSIMA 2012 meeting Enrique Moya and Giancarlo Marcarli

Ciao a tutti!

The post of today, is about the paratissima, an event done in Turin, where lots of artists show their work, wich for the next year I would like to apply to go and be one of them.

Paratissima! I met Enrique Moya Gonzalez and spanish artist which lives in Arezzo (Itali), because of my travel to Fossano which is not far from turin, we finally meet one each other, after long time! His work is amazing I really like it. Also I meet his friend, Giancarlo Marcali, who also was showing his work, very clever installations, amazing work done using the X-Ray, must to be seen, is difficult to explain it with words.

At first stage, Enrique asked me to do a possible performance at his show, but finally, the perform wasn't done, but not really, because I write all the names of his works on the wall using a pencil, and because we deceided this idea a bit later, when the doors were open, I was still doing the work. A really nice experience, work with pencil on a wall, is gives you a nice feeling.... (The last time I did pencil on a wall was to many years ago, maybe when I was just a babe or at the school)

Also I collaborated on his video installation, that Enrique, covered using Aquari Paper, that I wrote on it using a flat brush with red.

More news cooming soon, wish me luck that for next year I could be performing at Paratissima 2013.

Tre.Calligraphy.

El casament (the wedding)

The post of today, is about a wedding job (not a commission) That I've did very proud to my Friends PD&MM. Who are getting married, my first friend who's getting married! Who's going to be the next... I see that far away... there's not a prediction for this king of things.

The funny thing of this work, is that I've did it in the distance, I'm in Italy, they are in Catalonia, Spain, and the surprise too see the pictures on my mailbox, of a work that I've done, that has been printed somewhere else, and becoming an envelope. I'm happy with the result, I did scan the picture, I had no chance to use photoshop (to have some colour control) I was worried, about the quality of the picture for printing, but, it seems that has been done successful.

Actually I like to do the work, talking with the "costumer" in front of them, and discuss, make the samples, ask what they want, what they are looking for, what they are expecting.... Once I get all the information, I put my imagination and I work. Because at the end this work, is not for me, is for them, so them must to be happy with the result,  but also me, I must to be happy with the result, I can't finish a work that I dislike.

I do work with passion, I'm not a machine, Do you?

I've used, a foundational round hand (my one), and an Italic version, which has a far away feeling of the Glamorous script called Copperplate, but is not a Copperplate, could have something similar by  the thick and things, but is an Italic Script. My own version for this case.

Have a nice week!

PD: If someone is getting married and wants something original, just contact me ;)

PD&MM Molti Auguri! Fins aviat!

Tre Calligraphy.

DUT - PETROLIA ERE

Hi!

Last night I've discovered this poem insight this song (you may like the song or not) is Spanish, but the words are incredible, using the metaphor of the dessert, the sea, the stars, and the eco sound of 300.000 pesetas, explains the suffering of the emigration, that does it by the sea, paying to the mafias a high amount of money for a non save trip.

What else wonderful to practice, to write something that you really like, and at the same time you can use it as an exercise to improve your writing, your calligraphy skills, in that case the batarde script.

I attach here the song (is in spanish, I don't feel brave enough to do the translation, you can do it using the translator) here's the song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e18mLvwfzEA the poem starts at minute 3:15.

Petrolioa ere etorkina da,
baina hauxe ez da pateran iritsi.
Giza-baloreen burtsan kotizatzen ez dutenak zer?

Hay un abismo donde habia un estrecho.

Gasolindegi argitan,
irrifarreak iragarkitan.
Hilotzak hotzak hondartzan
ahazturaren ilargitan.

Itsas-artean heriotz zuloa.

300.000 pesetas

lo que es tierra fue mar en el desierto que bosque fue
nosotros islas vagabundas
en un mar que ya no es libre
vándalos entre los desechos de Al-Andalus.

300.000 pesetas

no quiero morir sin haber vivido
llegar lo más lejos que me sea posible y mirar;
eso quiero, mirar hacia delante...
las estrellas nacen en el corazón del desierto
el sol me lo enseñó
camino del Jebel Sahro
el tesoro está escondido tras los ojos de un niño

300.000 pesetas

no veré como desaparecen las ovejas
ni estaré allí cuando para siempre no llueva
mírame hombre blanco, míralo todo
y entierra tus armas de fuego en el sereno silencio
del gran bosque de la noche

no es la primera vez que hago este viaje.
nunca es igual.
quería que mis hermanos me viesen.
ellos también pueden intentarlo.

dios no escucha todo el tiempo.
dios también duerme
y su sueño es nuestro olvido, nuestra libertad

300.000 pesetas

el viento nos llevará cuando seamos olas
no queda ninguna razón para matar
todas han muerto
moriremos en el mar porque del mar venimos
alguien las encuentra siempre y nacen de nuevo

no soy nadie. mi voz no escribe

en nuestro corto viaje ni siquiera hemos aprendido
a salir de casa.

300.000 pesetas

el estrecho se hace gigante.
el ruido del motor parece querer ahogar
todos los pensamientos...sólo consigue mecerlos
sobre el oscuro horizonte.
en permanente huida merodeamos
(como islas vagabundas)
trozos de un naufragio en las ciudades sin sueño

luces en la noche
reflejos azules sobre las aguas negras
estamos perdidos en cualquier lugar
nuestros nombres perdieron su sentido

luces en la noche
la costa está cerca
la costa nunca llega
seré fuerte hasta que llegue mi momento
ahora sé algo sobre la vida en ese lado
hay más estrechos haciéndose abismales
somos tan pequeños... como los granos de arena del desierto,
del desierto que fue mar

Alhucemas - El Morche...
Tánger - Algeciras...
Tirana - Bari...
La Habana - Miami...
Belgrado - Berlin...
El Paso - Las Cruces...
Grozni - Beirut...
Nogales - Tucson...

 

 

 

Dut - Petrolia ere

Hasta la proxima!

Tre Calligraphy

l'Oltre l'Ade / Memento Mori

Hello!

I had a "break" on my batarde studies, setting up the event of "l'Oltre l'Ade" with Luca Bedino, a great friend, Paleographer and the archivist of the Historic Archive of Fossano.  If I'm writing about that, I could say, that is thanks him.

I said a break with the batarde, actually yes during this week, but I had a performance for this event, two, one inside a church, and the other one at the Castle of Alcaia, where I did use the batarde script, using a proper quill that I cutted for the event (lucky me, that it worked) and the quill worked well.

Detail

I set up a ruled up paper, to leave above the paper to write, to follow the lanes, but actually I couldn't see the lanes, so I gave up and just I kept writing, and not bad the result, as my teacher Ewan Clayton told me once, - a good calligrapher has to be avaiable to write without lanes - At the beggining I did not felt save writing without lanes, but then just allowed myself to keep going and happy about that! and also happy with the result of the batarda script, for first time I saw that this batarde had the same feeling as the manuscripts I've been studying, maybe is because I wrote it, without lanes and this helped to "destroy" the perfection.

Here some other pictures of the performance, look how I was dressed!

Writing....

Sharping the quill, the last cut!

At the curch (Now I can say that I've been writing where the priest does the function)

Those were some pictures that I could pick up from the event, and here I show you some other pictures about work that I did for the event.

Sic Transit Gloria Mundi

Vanitas Vanitatum Omnium Vanitas, this was above the "death" but I had no chance to take the picture, now is above this wonderful head ;)

The explanation of the performance, was called Memento Mori

And well, that's all for now, today I've been cleaning all the event, and tomorrow... I'll continue with the batarde script!

Ci vediamo!

Carles Gonzalez, Tre Calligraphy from Fossano!

Hi!

After some days struggling with some other documents of Batarde Script, most of them written really fast, and getting really confused, because, each scribe did it as they pleased to do it. (that's the beauty of any script called Batarde is not like this is not like that). I did some trials, trying to write fast, actually some good forms showed up, looking forward to apply this on my personal work.

As I was saying, I decided to just keep writing, I did a book A4 size and I've been writing, today Friday I've finish it (just 10 pages) and starting an another one for the following week. For this week I've choosed a text of Eduardo Galeano, called THE RIGHT TO DREAM. once I finish to write that, I guess that I will continue with Eduardo Galeano, I like his words.

During this week also I've been applying some Batarde script on a box, for the even of the 27th of October, where I will also perform, I'll post the pictures after the event, once everything is finished and placed.

I attach the pictures of the first "book" and some samples of "my free gestural batarde" and the first page of Eduardo Galeano that I've just just finished to write.

Have a nice weekend! Tomorrow the calligraphy course, which I'll have 5 new students! Seems that they enjoyed the first lesson and they are going to bring some friends at the course!

Ci vediamo!

The Detail of the page of Eduardo Galeano

On the left side the book of this week, and on the right side the page of Eduardo Galeano

text of Eduardo Galeano

Gestual Batarde "SOLO LOS PECES MUERTOS SIGUEN LA CORRIENTE Y YO UNA MALA BATARDA"

Tre

Well... Is good to be formal, and follow everything step by step.

Yesterday it wasn't a good day, and like I love to do, is just allow my self to do it free, and here's the result. a "free gestual batarde" and a "formal batarde"

It was a horrible day, even I had problems to make the ink flow. was a metal nib.

Today with a proper quill.

All the best.

Tre

The beauty and the mess of the Batarde.

 

The Batarde script, actually better to say, the Batarde handwriting, all documents I've seen are different, first I attached to one "formal" writing, the one I've learnt the proprieties of this handwriting, the writing was very constant. (last post). But now that I'm looking forward at more handwriting Batarde scripts, some are written straight, and not with a -30 degrees of slant, and now seems to be straight, some endings of S,F and s at then en of word sometimes finish with a dot, sometimes straight, sometimes oval, and like the early writings with a stroke, like if it was a flag. who knows, the scribe liked to have fun while was writing or it depends how they felt! who knows there are no videos on youtube of them.

.

Is a wonderful script to write, and has a lovely composition, lovely for read.

In my opinion is an honest script, has all the beauty without make-up.

.

And tomorrow starts the calligraphy course that I'm going to do here in Fossano, I hope that the students will enjoy the class, I'll try my best. as usual.



And here I show you on this picture all my trials, all done with metal nib, I brought the quills back and well, what to say, with a quill is much much better!



La Batarde

La Batarde,

A wonderful script, and non well know script which I think it's very personal and unique for any of the scribes who used to do it, all the documents I've seen until now in a period of 100 years. from 1405 till 1498. All have the same feeling, the same "letter form" but all with a different personality. Of course the early writing are a bit close to the Gothic and with the past of the years La Batarde becomes more Batarde losing the familiarity with any Gothic script.

A quick script, and wonderful to write, this is just the beginning, the first samples after I've been doing all the analysis of one concrete letter, sent by Philipus dux di Savoia, dated from 1497 approx. If I am not wrong.

Next step is try to write this script more freely, letting the flow to connect each letter, trying to write as a normal "handwriting" like they used to do.