cyberscribes on facebook

If you've been on either facebook or cyberscribes over the past week and a bit you no doubt will have noticed the establishment of the facebook cyberscribes fan page (such excitement) - seemingly overnight every calligraphic facebook soul jumped on board.... now I've got a confession to make... I've never been a part of cyberscribes (I know, I know - CRAZY.... but there's only so many hours in the day and webby things a small girl can be a part of) well, not that is until I connected via the FB fan page..... 

and talking connection, to tell the tale of the establishment of the page I've roped in the the creator of the FB page - June Maffin ..... over to you June...

Serendipity.  I love that word - the way it sounds - the way it looks - what it means - its history.  Horace Walpole coined the word in the late 1700's from a Persian fairy tale whose heroes were "always making discoveries by accidents and sagacity of things they were not in quest of."    In a nutshell, that's the story of the Facebook Cyberscribes Fan Page whose origins are quite serendipitous ...

After reading posting after posting after posting of Cyberscribers wanting to connect on Facebook, I decided to create an alphabetical listing for myself so I could delete the "Me, too!" emails that were coming fast and furious to Cyberscribes (a great Yahoo Group begun by Teri Martin (Yay, Teri!).  Then the "Others might welcome such a listing" thought came to me, so I sent a note to the group and before I knew it, the "Me, too / Add me" emails stopped going to the group and were coming directly to my inbox.  Mmmmm.

Something was evolving here that I'd not planned.  Then came suggestions that I create a Facebook Fan Page for Cyberscribers.   More evolution.  I contacted Teri for her thoughts and she joined the "Create it!" voices.  So, I did and on April 8, 2010, the Cyberscribes FB Fan Page was created. Before I knew it, Cyberscribers were joining the FB group - and calligraphers who were on FB but not on Cyberscribes were joining the Cyberscribes Yahoo Group!  Cross-fertilization, new opportunity for networking/discussing/sharing.  ;-)

Today, ten days later, 308 people have joined the group ... calligraphers who found the FB Fan Page discovered the Yahoo Group ... international connections were made ... friends discovered friends they didn't know were on FB through the group.  Such fun!  Along the way, I asked Nan de Luca if she would create a graphic which she did - a beautiful one done in Copperplate. And, she not only kindly offered to help administer the group when I'm giving workshops/on holidays but came up with the idea of inviting other calligraphers to create a graphic which would be used on the FB Fan Page on a rotation basis.  What a creative idea! Yay, Nan!

I love this idea ... many calligraphers sharing in the design of the group's graphic ... various members showcasing their talent and creativity ... seeing different ways the word "cyberscribes" can be calligraphed.  I hope Cyberscribers will take up this invitation.

As for the Cyberscribes Facebook Fan Page - all are welcome to join - begin a discussion - create a graphic for the group - let us know of your website - send photos of your work - share the URL of your blog - whatever!  Who knows where this will all lead.  What fun!

Serendipity?  Yes, the creation of the Cyberscribes Facebook Fan Page has indeed been serendipitous!                   

June Maffin, Vancouver Island




How great is that!




so here are the connection details - the facebook fan page lives here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/CyberScribes/107430969296032?ref=mf


and of course cyberscribes group is here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cyberscribes/


just in case you haven't found both of them already - see you there or there!

blogging best...

Over the following year we are planning to post a series of reviews and links to blogging calligraphers and calligraphy blogs. If you have or know of a great blog that prominently features calligraphy in its posts – well you need to let us know about it!

You can nominate your own blog or tell us about one you've stumbled over – it can be new or established, feature traditional or contemporary, amateur or professional work, by individuals or groups, from any point of the globe*

Basically - it just needs to feature calligraphy. Over the coming 12-18 months we will intermittently feature blogs that YOU nominate (if it fits the guidelines, we will post it) and then we will also add featured blogs to a blog link page

we hope you'll all enjoy being a part of this evolving project

here's how to get involved

please email us the following information (or as much of it as you know...):

BLOG URL: (that's the blogs web address - this is essential!)

BLOG NAME:

BLOG AUTHOR:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION of the BLOG: (eg: in a few words tell us about the contents and focus of the blog – the type of calligraphy featured and whatever info you feel sums up what viewers will find when they visit)

FAVOURITE FEATURE/POST:

YOUR NAME/CONTACT EMAIL (this will only be used for the purpose of verification and will not be used for any other purpose)

soooooo let's get going people – tell us about your favourite blogs today (you can send multiple blogs if you can't choose a favourite!) and let us tell the wwworld!

* only blogs in English or with translation will be featured in this initial review.

We would love you to join us ... visit A Letter a Week now: http://aletteraweek2010.blogspot.com/
Any questions ... I'll be happy to help.

Happy (calligraphic) New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!

We wish you a peachy-keen 2010

filled to the brim with calligraphic endeavours

In the coming year we are hoping to bring you many more calligraphic stories and lots and lots of delicious photos - and in the next week or two we are going to be sharing with you ways that you can be more involved in bringing calligraphic 'news, views, reviews, interviews and how-tos'  to the blogging universe via calligraffia.

Right now here in Australia it's a sunny summer New Years day – and my thoughts are on heading to the beach for a fabulous day of sun, surf and sand.

wherever you are may 2010 be a happy and creative one for you and your loved ones.

SEASONS GREETINGS

We'd like to wish you a very happy and peaceful festive season. We'll be back in the New Year with more exciting interviews and calligraphic happenings from around the world.


(Peace card by Julie Williams)

coming soon...

Any time now our first guest blogger is about to arrive at calligraffia HQ - and we think you are going to just love what he is going to share.

As a hint you can check out his website


are you excited yet? - well you won't have to wait long.

Meet the Team - Rhonda Ayliffe

To all of us down under, Rhonda Ayliffe, affectionately known as Ronnie, hardly needs an introduction. Her many years of involvement, interest and achievements in the calligraphic, fine art and book art fields are mighty impressive.

A 5th generation country girl, Rhonda lives with her husband and two young children on a 360 acre farm "Sam's Creek" on the picturesque far south coast of NSW... a rural farming community from which she creates and practices her art, grows her own food, and tends to her beloved garden....

"I'm very, very, very, very attached to my little corner of the world - you know the saying "you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl"?...well you can't take this girl out of the country - at least not for very long! I'd miss the wombats and wallabies."

"Mixed Emotions"
assemblage - 1950's mixmaster, paper, gouache, wire (1995)

Perhaps becase of this, Ronnie has become an 'expert' at Distance Education; to add to her BA (Art History), Grad. Dip ED (Visual Art), and Diploma of Western Calligraphy (all completed via distance education), Ronnie is currently finishing her Master of Visual Arts. Whilst undertaking the course she had the honour of being admitted to the Golden Key International Honour Society.

Location hasn't stopped Rhonda from fully immersing herself in all things arty....she doesn't blink at travelling hundreds of kilometers to attend courses of interest...and....(drum roll please) she is the creator and instigator behind calligraffia.

'Weight of Words'
Acrylic, gouache, ink on canvas panels 150cm x 60cm (2007)

Rhonda has only occasionally worked as a commercial calligrapher since being awarded as ASC Guild level Membership in 1995, but uses her love of calligraphy for many other things, especially via her passion for book arts. She has had work published in Letter Arts Review around 1997, but it is her achievements in the book arts that make her stand out from the crowd.

'you are'
(poem by artist)
ink, gouache, collage on concertina booklet (2006)

Over a number of years, Rhonda's creative works have been included in Lark Books '500 Handmade Books', she has work regularly selected for national major book art exhibitions/awards....Books '05, Books '07, SCU Acquisitive Award....and as recently as a fortnight ago, received a Judges' commendation in the National Book Arts award at East Gippsland Art Gallery.... and has just had work shortlisted for the Meroogal Womens Art Award

'Verbatim'
carved reclaimed 2 volume dictionary (2009)

"Calligraphy and book arts go together like wine and cheese (yum!) They are natural and complementary partners. Within my arts practice, I enjoy taking these crafts on a journey, stretching their possibilities as far as I can before form, all traditions and discernable 'skill' are lost completely. Recently with my works, I've been exploring ideas of knowledge and theories of knowledge - and the changing role of books in a blogging world. With the seeming replacement of books by the internet, I think that books as objects, and particularly the traditional crafts associated with them, are more important than at any other stage in human history....but as a calligrapher and book artist, maybe my opinion is biased...."

Work in progress from burning books series (2009)
Ephemeral sculpture utilising discarded encyclopaedias - this is hot out of the studio!
(see /read more about the creation of this work here)

Besides attending to calligraffia, Ronnie regularly contributes to her own arty blog, Art & Etc. Her website is currently undergoing a major revamp, so we will just have to wait a little while to view her latest creations. In the meantime, a selection of her older works can be enjoyed on Cecilia Sharpley's website.

....and Ronnie tells me she is hoping to go on to complete a PhD course - perhaps as early as next year...

"Yes, sometime in the near future, I hope to be able to insist on being addressed as Doc Ronnie...hee hee hee"