Category: Artwork

Holiday Shopping

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Christmas is nearly here and if you are like me it is time to get gifts sent to far away family and friends. Consider giving artwork or my book —Life in Letters: A Christian Young Person’s Guide to Virtue, Integrity and Peace. Save 10% on your entire order from my store PLUS get free standard shipping (USA only).  Hurry!  Offer expires Dec. 16, 2020.

library-bound, full color book for children and families

Life in Letters is a library-bound full color book in which the letters of the alphabet are contemporary versions of ancient illuminated letters. If you are a parent or a young person who has questions about how the Bible pertains to everyday life, Life in Letters is for you. Combining arresting color illustrations and hand-lettered advice to children with Scripture passages and discussion questions for parents, Life in Letters is straightforward advice for young people and solid help to parents seeking to obey Scripture’s call to teach God’s commands and ways to the next generation–“Tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD…teach them to know that they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments…” Psalm 78:4-7 (NASB). Readers of any age will find that Life in Letters provides an effective tool for building moral character and an inspiration to life a life pleasing to God.

Everything in my store is on sale so be sure to look at the artwork and cards. Click on images for more information about each item. Some are original, glassed and framed art.

Save 10% on your entire order from my store PLUS get free standard shipping (USA only).  Hurry!  Offer expires Dec. 16, 2020. Go to the “My Store” tab above and enter coupon code DEC2020 at checkout.

Thanks for coming to visit! Have a very happy Christmas!

 

A Little Letter Play

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Travel and garden produce preservation projects have kept me from my studio in recent weeks. Today was a “free day” so I dug out my inks, pens and practice paper. I played with an alphabet learned from well-known calligrapher, Barry Morentz. (Here’s his website: https://acornarts.org/barry-morentz-gothicized.html  or you can find him on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/barrymorentz/ His “Gothicized Italic” letters are his hallmark. I admire them very much. I used the Speedball Textbook with his exemplar to guide my letter play today. Also used my Westwind practice pad, calli red ink and walnut ink and a size 2 Mitchell nib to do this lettering.

Here is my “dinking around.” LOTS of mistakes, but it is fun to get back in the calligraphy saddle after a long time away.

practice lettering using “gothicized italic” letters developed by Barry Morentz

Hidee-ho, off I go. Time to get ready for “Girls’ Night Out” with a gaggle of friends.

QUESTION:

What have you neglected to do that would be fun and “good for your soul”? Will you carve out a bit of time to do that fun thing this weekend? Hope so!

Does Love Enthrall?

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Here is another letter in my Alphabet of Love (see posts for July 12 and August 2). Check out the word “enthrall.” I’m not so great at pointed pen writing, but the word itself is fascinating.

The letter E

In preparing to letter the words for the letter E, I found the word “enthrall.” It is rather old fashioned and almost medieval in its connotations.

enthrall \in-thrȯl\ vt 1: to hold in or reduce to slavery 2: to hold spellbound: CHARM

I belong to Jesus Christ. He has made me His own by dying in my place under the curse of God on my sin. The book of Romans describes my relationship to Him this way.

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?  But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.  Romans 6:8-18

 

This Scripture really impacts me. The idea of being a slave is sobering. Imagine being a servant (slave) in the household of a wealthy feudal baron. The castle is a stone structure. Your quarters are probably in an unheated attic. You must rise before dawn, dress and hurry to prepare every need for your master.  Not one hour of your day, not one day of your week not one week of your year, or one part of your life is free from the whims and needs of another. Indeed, a difficult situation if you are slave to a kind master, but utterly miserable if he is a cruel, thoughtless or demanding owner. Life is an unending cycle of work which, at best, does not enrich you one bit. At worst, your life is a grinding, miserable endurance contest.

Now, think of what Paul is saying about our relationship to sin- and ultimately the tyrannous evil lord of sin: satan. “You were slaves of sin.” (v. 17) In other words, you were “enthralled” by satan. Every single ugly word from your mouth, every mean thought, and every dishonest action was part of your slavery. “the devil made you do it” –you were enslaved by sin and couldn’t help but sin. It was part of your spiritual DNA.

Romans 6: 17-18

But hear the glorious good news! You have died with Christ so death and sin are no longer your masters. Now you are the “slave of righteousness.” You are free from the wicked, misery of slavery to sin. The shackles of shame, guilt and consequences are broken. You are free! Free Forever! Free to love God and others. Free to enjoy the perfect liberty of Christ.

Jesus’ good gift to me of His life in place of mine has me enthralled by Him. I am His Love-slave. Oh, what a happy situation! I am forgiven. I no longer bear the shame of my sin. I no longer am tyrannized and unable to keep myself from sinning. Jesus helps me live rightly and in the way of Love. I am enthralled by Jesus!

QUESTION: To whom are you enslaved? The devil? Jesus?

Alphabet of Love- Part 2

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

I’ve completed several more letters for my Alphabet of Love. (For the first two letters see the post July 12, 2019, “Alphabets”)

the letter “C”
The letter D

The letters C and D which you see here have some words that stir my thoughts about love. Listen to the definition of LOVE as a noun.

“1: affection based on admiration or benevolence. 2: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion. 3: unselfish concern that freely accepts another in loyalty and seeks his good. 4: the attraction based on sexual desire: the affection and tenderness felt by lovers.

And hear it defined as a transitive verb.

 “1: to hold dear: cherish 2: to feel a lover’s passion, devotion or tenderness for.”

These definitions cause me to think about my relationships with God, my husband, my mother, siblings, and friends…AND with “things”.  I get a serious nudge from the Holy Spirit. I am commanded not to love the world or the things of it. Arghhh. That comes uncomfortably close! My preoccupation with my clothes, my household furnishings, my car, my “expertise” at painting or calligraphy. Anything that becomes a focus in place of my allegiance to God is the wrong way to spend my “love.”

Now that I have made these art pieces, when I look at the words I chose much comes to mind.

Beginning with words starting with theh letter C there is much to ponder.

God’s love for me will never change. He is CONSTANT. My prayer: ‘Lord, help me love You in return with constancy.’

“For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” Malachi 3:6

I continue to marvel that Beloved Spouse decided to ask me to dance in that “social dance” class at college. I am indeed CHOSEN. What a happy thing it has been these many years with him. And even greater joy is to be called the child of God. I’m CHOSEN by the Creator of the Universe! Amazing!

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are,…” 1 John 3:1

The relationship between two people who “love” each other requires COHESION to weather the storms of life. Thankfully God has blessed Beloved Spouse and me with the gift of learning to “cohere” in spite of our totally different personalities and ways of doing things.

“But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

I am so thankful that God has promised to help me when I have no strength of my own. He will CARRY me in His bosom as His beloved lamb.

“Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.” Isaiah 40:11

God knows every thought of my mind and every trouble in my heart. He has given me His own dear presence as COMFORT in this fallen world.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4

And then there is the letter D. Let’s dive in to the ways “D” words develop our theme. (Pardon the alliteration… I love to play with words and sounds.)

Have you heard the song by Chris Rice Deep Enough to Dream?  He sings about dreaming of heaven. When I think of the love that God has lavished on me that will give me that deep and everlasting joy of His presence, I know love. His love for me is DEEP and it is such a wonderful thing to DREAM of my eternity with Him enjoying every delight of heaven.

Question: What comes to your mind when you ponder the words written by each letter so far? Can you see the connection to LOVE?

Alphabets

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey
I love Letters! 26 letters that strung together in millions of combinations make so many ways to convey what is in our mind

I am fascinated with alphabets. The various calligraphic hands have so many variations for the marks we make to convey meaning. More often than not, each letterform is a beautiful work of art all by itself. When I study an alphabet the aspects that give it its own unique character are so intriguing. When I sit down to practice my calligraphy I often write words in an alphabet list that are all of a theme, such as food: apple, banana, cabbage, doughnut, flapjack, gateau, etc. Or, animals: aardvark, bumblebee, cougar, dinosaur, elephant, flea, etc. Now, I am ready to try a new project. I want to practice the various calligraphic hands I know and use them to explore one theme, one letter at a time.  Here’s the backstory.

For my birthday, my Beloved Daughter gave me a book called Hind’s Feet in High Places: An Engaging Visual Journey by Hannah Hurnard (Author), Jill De Haan (Illustrator), Rachel McNaughton (Illustrator). It is a lovely new take on the old book written by Hannah Hurnard in the early 20th Century. The allegory, very reminiscent of Pilgrim’s Progress, has become a devotional classic. I was profoundly affected by it back in the early 1980’s when I first read it as a paperback. In this updated version, De Haan and McNaughton have illustrated and made the book a visual delight so the spiritual impact is even greater.

As I began reading again, I was struck by the following conversation between the Shepherd and Much-Afraid.

“As Love grows in you, Much-Afraid, you will come to understand many things which you never dreamed of before. You will develop the gift of understanding many ‘unknown tongues’ and you will learn to speak Love’s own language too, but first you must learn to spell out the alphabet of Love and to develop hinds’ feet. Both these things you will learn on the journey to the High Places…”    (Chapter 4)

Right then, I decided to try to make “an Alphabet of Love” and began casting about my creative crevices to think of a way to ponder LOVE in all its depth using calligraphy. I dragged out my college-days Merriam-Webster and began perusing the listings under A and B. I jotted down words that apply to love in some way. Then I started playing with various ways of presenting the alphabet and the words. As I began to letter the words I chose, I tried to use alphabets that convey something of the character of the word. As you read the words surrounding the central letter, ponder the connection to LOVE. What kind of love is implied by the word? What action does love take or cause?

Here is my first try with the first two letters. I’d be interested to know what you think. Pay attention… new letters may appear in weeks ahead.

QUESTION: Should I continue this project this way? What other ideas might work? Shoot me a comment or suggestion—I’d love to hear from you!

Small Things

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

We just returned from a trip to Central Oregon with a stop in the Wine Country of Walla Walla. It was a beautiful, eventful trip loaded with so much fun and love. Family, family and lots of “new” family, especially at a wedding reception for Great Nephew which gave us lots of “new” relatives with which to become acquainted. But there is always time for art. While waiting for the festivities to begin, we socialized with Sister and Brother In-law at RV camp. And ART-TIME! I painted rocks while enjoying coffee and company in morning sun. Small things as subject matter suit the tools I packed for this trip. Rocks are pretty unremarkable. “Small things” that get ignored by most of us most of the time. But, in the effort to make time for art, I decided to paint these small things.

preparing to paint on the picnic table- coffee cup at the ready

I took three rocks from the RV pad, pulled out my little paint kit and travel sketch book. Nothing spectacular, but it was a really good exercise in seeing the various values (lightness and darkness) of the grays. And it is quite amazing how various a non-descript color like “gray” can actually be. Tricky time trying to find the right “blueness” or “green-ness” to make distinctions in this little water color.

“small things”- rocks to paint
rocks- sketched and painted

What do you think of the sketch on the left and the watercolor on the right? I realized that it would have been better to use hot press watercolor paper. The rough texture of the cold press paper made getting smooth shadows and clear delineation of detail difficult.  The way to remember the difference between hot and cold press is imagining trying to iron a shirt with a cold iron. Wrinkles remain. Hot iron—wrinkles removed and a smooth shirt is your result. Same with paper. When it is made, the paper is sent through rollers to flatten it. Heat and extra pressure create a smoother texture in the “hot press” paper compared to the “cold press” which receives a much gentler, cooler rolling. And “rough” watercolor paper gets barely any pressing so its surface is very “rugged.”

This painting rocks made me think of a Bible verse about “despising the day of small things.” Rocks are so unremarkable. Most of us never notice or give them any thought. Since I wasn’t sure where the remembered verse is located I just looked it up. Reading it in context stirred interesting ideas in my mind. In Zechariah chapter 4, God’s messenger angel is speaking to Zechariah giving him a vision message for the people of God. Zechariah is shown golden lampstands flanked by olive trees. When asked about the vision, Zechariah declares he doesn’t know what it means. The angel replies and declares that the symbols represent the coming Messiah. The Promised One’s beginning will be small but will result in Him- the “Capstone of the Temple of God” dwelling among men. And the question is put: “For who has despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10)  I take it to mean that although our Savior Jesus’ entry into the world was small and seemingly inconspicuous, He is great and the LORD of all.

Upon reflection I see Jesus– so very different than my non-descript rocks and my life which is so insignificant in the scheme of the world. In spite of His Greatness, He has made me His own and so I dare not “despise the day of small things.” I will count my belonging to Him, small as I am, a very great thing!

This is one of my most cherished Bible verses. What an amazing declaration from my Heavenly Father!

Question: What small things do you “despise” (not appreciate)? How big is Jesus to you?

Envelope Inspiration: A Stamp Starts It All

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Today I have created a decorated envelope that draws its inspiration from a stamp. With a season of events that need decorated envelopes to carry the greetings, I’ve been using the opportunity to work at my art and make memorable greetings. “Decorated Envelopes” for a friend who has had surgery, a cousin who is having a birthday and a great niece who is graduating from college—what a fun way to play in my studio! The stamp, and sometimes the commercially made card design itself, inspire my envelopes. Watch this short video to see one “happen.”

Decorated Envelopes ready to send

I’m using gouache paint which is an opaque watercolor. The stamp I am inspired by is one you can get from the US Post Office. If it isn’t available at your PO, go online to  https://store.usps.com/store/results/stamps/_/N-9y93lv     You can order stamps and they are delivered right to your mailbox. How cool is that?

Hope you enjoy the video.  Now, I’m off to shower and prepare for a graduation celebration.

https://youtu.be/VZQ2uV-w424

Question: What stamp can inspire you to create a decorated envelope for someone special in your life?

Envelopes, Please!

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Have you ever received a decorated envelope?

This week I have been making a fresh set of 14 decorated envelopes because I am the organizer of the annual Decorated Envelope Exchange for Write On Calligraphers. (http://writeoncalligraphers.org/) This calligraphy guild is in Western Washington and has members from all over the northern West Coast. The participants in the Decorated Envelope Exchange attend the annual Letters of Joy (LOJ) Calligraphy conference in early May. Some sign up to be part of the exchange of decorated envelopes over the months between conferences.

The concept is simple. The list of those who sign up to participate is organized into groups of 6 to 8 people per list. Over the year each person sends an envelope to each name on the list in which they are included. The envelopes can be simple or elaborate but each is a delightful work of art. Calligraphers especially seem to relish this creative opportunity. It is a fun way to share calligraphic skills and artistic inspiration.

I often use the stamp as a “jump-off” point for my designs.

                     The envelopes I sent in 2017 were based on stamps that showcased various Hispanic foods.

This year my envelopes are designed around the Post Office’s “scratch and sniff” stamps with 2 popsicles on each one.

This year, each envelope has a colored pencil drawing based on the popsicles on the stamps so no two envelopes are the same.

Check out the archived decorated envelope designs from those entered in the annual Graceful Envelope Contest. It is sponsored by the Washington (DC) Calligraphers Guild and the National Association of Letter Carriers. https://www.calligraphersguild.org/envelope.html  This year’s theme was “Put Your Stamp On It.” You can peruse several years of past entries and it is a really fascinating “eye candy” experience! I entered an envelope this year and am waiting to find out if it made it into the honorable mention column.

Another fun place to look at decorated envelopes is in Bound and Lettered magazine. (This magazine is a publication from John Neal Books. It is a supplier to calligraphy and bookmaking artists.) John Neal sponsored a contest last year in conjunction with the annual International Calligraphy Convention called “SeattLetters.” I entered an envelope with my design based on a stamp. It made the pages of Bound and Lettered.  Check out my envelope by scrolling down in the PDF here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.johnnealbooks.com/downloads/15-4pgs.pdf

I am a wild enthusiast of hand-lettered and decorated envelopes. It is a fun way to share my love of calligraphy and my art. It also lets my friends and family know how much I love them by making their names in “fancy” letters and painting or drawing something special just for them.

QUESTION: Who could you send a decorated envelope to? Are you brave enough to add a bit of artwork to the envelope of the birthday or graduation cared you are about to send off? Don’t you think your Mail Carrier will enjoy it (not to mention the Receiver-of-the-Envelope)?

On Waiting: Uncertainty and Anxiety

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

I’m waiting with my husband for the time he will be rolled into surgery. It has been a long and stressful morning of preparation for this procedure. Here he is, all scrubbed, poked and prepped for a big “event” (knee replacement, as it happens), but the actual surgery is more than an hour away. This flurry of action followed by a “wait” is unsettling. I feel off-balance. The whole situation makes me think of how our lives are made up of these experiences of hurry and rush followed by the uncertainty and anxiety of a “wait.”

Knowing that we were facing weeks of limited mobility following this surgery made the daily “to-do” list fairly long. But being busy kept the anxiety and uncertainty of the impending operation at bay. But now, sitting in this blank-walled, “other-world,” I have ample time for all sorts of “what ifs” to play out in my head. So—taking a deep breath, I am taking my thoughts in hand and bring them into captivity to Christ.

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raise up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  2 Corinthians 10:5b

What does Scripture say about waiting? About anxiety? About the outcome in store for me? Waiting for God is a command. He is the Holy Creator. I am a sinful creature. The vast difference between God and me is enough that I must lay my hand on my mouth in reverent silence and submission to Him and His plans.

The future is invisible to our finite eyes, but God sees. Trust Him.

God, the Eternal and Unchangeable One, is never late and never early. His plans are ripening exactly as He purposes and every second of my life, indeed all of human activity is completely under His control. He knows every aspect, every thought and action of every person. Nothing escapes His all-knowing gaze.

I am anxious about the outcome of this surgery. What if Beloved Spouse is crippled, ends up in a coma, or worse yet, were to die? The same truth regarding the power, wisdom and good purposes of God bring comfort. God knows all that will come. He loves me and assures me that everything that come to me is for my good.

What amazing comfort that God will work EVERYTHING to our best. He is so good!

He has told me that all that makes me anxious, causes me fear or prompts concern, should be cast on Him.

At our darkest times, God cares. Tell Him and He will shoulder your troubles.

He is the All-Powerful One. He is able to deal with anything that will come to me. He has promised His Holy Spirit will guide and direct me. The Word of promise to me is that He will provide all I need. So, as I wait, my thoughts are quieted before my wonderful loving Heavenly Father. He has made me His child by His Son, Jesus.

God loves me! Remember the Sunday school song, “Jesus Loves Me.”? It is true. “The Bible tells me so.”

His love and concern for me are vast and eternal.  The eternal God is a dwelling place and underneath are the everlasting arms.     Deuteronomy 33: 27a

I am able to relax. I am able to wait. The tides of uncertainty may swirl but I can rest and wait in perfect quietness and confidence. God has it all in hand.

QUESTION: What are you waiting for? Does God’s power, sovereignty and love for you help you obediently wait?

P.S. I wrote this post last week and then after I finished writing it, I found this quote today in the daily devotional book Beloved Spouse and I read together each morning. There is a passage of Scripture to read, a very helpful article explaining it and then as a sidebar called Coram Deo (Living before the face of God). This is the quote from May 10.

God offered David many specific encouragements when he was on the run from Saul. The Lord continues to encourage His people today through His Word, which assures us of God’s presence and power. When you need fresh assurance that the Lord is with you, turn to His Word, for its promises of God’s presence, power, and provision are sure.

The magazine is called Tabletalk. It is a monthly publication of Ligonier Ministries. Find it by going to: tabletalkmagazine.com. The subscription cost is quite modest and well worth the getting. They are willing to send you a sample copy if you request it.

AND… God is healing Beloved Spouse very quickly. Praise God!

A piece of calligraphy I did trying to use the lessons in the uncial alphabet and the lesson on how to create Celtic knots.

 

 

A Lettering Project

Posted on by Karyn Jeffrey

Hello! I am so glad you stopped by.  I hope this post will give you a bit of a look behind the scenes of my art-making. I am sharing a video I made of myself doing a project for a lettering class I am taking at my local art supply store (Spokane Art Supply  http://spokaneartsupply.com/). The class is intended for beginning students in calligraphy. It is open to more advanced students who want weekly accountability and critique. I fall into the latter category and am so glad I decided to do this. Our teacher taught calligraphy at the local Community College and is very knowledgeable about the history of lettering. It has been very interesting to hear and see (he demonstrates so well!) the way letters have developed into the forms we recognize today.

Our first formal lettering project was to use the alphabet designed by Rudolf Koch- a German type designer and artist who lived during the early 20th century. Neuland is blocky and sans serif. Because every stroke is the same width the appearance is very dense. Sans serif means “without serifs.” Serifs are the little feet and shoulders on letters. Here is a diagram showing the difference between a font with serif and a font san serif. (Thanks, Bing online images!)

The little green circles show you the places that the little “shoulders” and “feet” are on the serifed font and where they are absent on the sans serif font.

 

Sans Serif alphabets are somewhat easier to read if the shapes of the letters don’t get too creative.

Here you can compare readabilityof fonts with and without serifs. What do you think?

Here is a sample of “Neuland” that Koch designed. It is a bit tricky to read because of the evenness of the type. Compare it to the “Arial” font in the chart above.

Notice the dense, overall texture that this lettering style creates. Readability is definitely diminished, don’t you think?

But one of the fun parts of the Neuland font is that it is open to adding color and designs in the spaces around and between the letters as well as within the “counters” of letters. The counters are the spaces enclosed by the shapes of letters—the circle within the ‘O’ and the triangle within the ‘A’ and so on.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals

Here is another sample of Koch’s work with color added in the counters and between some letters. He has also been more free with the letter shapes (not so blocky) and the height of the letters is more than the usual so the letters have a “slimmer”, more open look. Which sample do you like best?

 

Aha! You have just learned something about letters and lettering. And you didn’t even need to take a class!

And now here is my video. I think it will explain itself. I hope you enjoy watching the progress of the project for my class.

PS… I could have done a different design that would have gotten a “better grade”… Teacher had some critiques that I may take into account if and when I’m create version #2. Stay tuned.

QUESTION:  What sort of project are you doing this week? What new thing have you learned?