April 2010
Artists' Books and Calligraphy
Charu Colorado Book of Nests
Artists' Books
Juried Exhibit
In celebration of National Poetry Month, our April show focuses on the art of the word. Nine Book Artists from Oregon and northern California were selected for this special juried exhibit. Each book is a unique representation of the individual artist’s talent and creativity, utilizing an array of media. In addition to the Artist Books, the calligraphy of Diane Amarotico will be on display this month. The featured artists in this exhibit include: Diane Amarotico, Charu Colorado, Cathy DeForest, Elaine Frenett, Alisa Golden, Michael Holstein, Kathleen Meagher, Sabina Nies, and Susan Springer.
Diane Amarotico Calligraphy
Diane Amarotico
I was born and raised on the East Coast, graduated from Westtown Friends School in Westtown, Pennsylvania, and spent 1951-1955 at the Moore Institute of Art in Philadelphia where I was awarded the JohnFrederick Lewis Traveling Fellowship (Italy). Marriage, four children, and an interest in Motessori education and teaching took precedence, until my early forties when calligraphy captured my attention.
Ten years later, when it was necessary to earn my own living, I decided to turn my hobby into a profession. From 1987-1989, I studied calligraphy and book binding at the Roehampton Institute in London, including numerous workshops, private instruction, and training under Friedrich Neugebauer in Salzburg, Austria.
As a free lance calligrapher and designer, I soon found a wide market doing certificates, envelopes, and genealogy charts, as well as designs for engraving on glass, Lenox, church doors, T shirts, and the Royal College of Arms documents. I was also an instructor at the New School for Social Research in New York from 1990-1996, when I left the East Coast following my children and sister to Ashland.