‘Calligraphy is calming and meditative’
Yvette Harris, 54, volunteers at the National sailing academy in Portland. she lives in Weymouth with her husband andy and son alex, 24.
When I heard that the new Duchess of sussex is a calligrapher, I felt so pleased that now more people may discover this beautiful craft. Calligraphy is defined as the art of producing decorative handwriting or lettering, but it’s much more than that. It’s writing as a visual art form, making beautiful marks, and involves spacing, rhythm and mediums like gold and gouache.
I’ve been fascinated with handwriting since I was a child. My father had amazing penmanship: everything he wrote, down to an address on an envelope, was stunning. When I was a child he bought me a book about lettering and I’d try things out. then life got in the way. I grew up, got married and worked in Revenue and Customs – not the most creative field – for 24 years.
In 2008 I took redundancy when my husband’s job moved to Portsmouth. I was looking to study at the local college and came across a calligraphy course. It was fully booked, but I felt so strongly that this was what I’d like to do, that I called Jan Pickett, the lady who ran it. she told me she also ran a group called Pen Pals from a sailing club in Portsmouth, so I signed up and despite the fact that it’s now a four-hour round trip, I’ve been going for 10 years!
I love being part of Jan’s group of diverse but like-minded people. I’ve met lovely women of all ages – the eldest is in her eighties. there’s no upper age limit to calligraphy – you can do it while you’ve strength enough to hold a pen.
My husband works away in london all week and my son is in the Royal Navy so I can spend long periods on my own. My hobby means I’m always occupied and not lonely. In fact, I can’t imagine my life without calligraphy in it. I always look forward to the monthly class and between times I have a desk so I can work on projects. I don’t do formal commissions but I might be working on some invitations someone has asked me to do, or a piece for a gift. I was just asked to do a certificate for a local charity. I was also one of 200 calligraphers asked to provide a piece for the letters after lindisfarne exhibition at the university of sunderland.
My crafting hobby helps me stay balanced because the work is totally absorbing and the process calming and meditative. It’s also helped me in other ways. When you leave a job that’s so structured it can be difficult. People always ask, “What do you do?” and after being defined in that way you can feel a little lost. Calligraphy helps anchor me and I’m proud to tell people about it. you can clear a room when you tell people you work for Revenue and Customs – but calligraphy is so interesting it draws people in.
For information on local classes visit clas.co.uk