Monday, November 18, 2013

Botanical Table Name Paintings

Done for a recent bride, these paintings were framed and sat at the Wedding Reception tables in Piedmont Park, instead of table numbers. Wish I could have been there, but the paintings were so much fun. Gouache applied as ink for lettering with a pointed pen, and with a brush for the plant forms. And when the MOB saw them, she cried. :) Always a great sign - happy tears.

To see the full album and closeups, go here!

~Anne





Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Case Bound Book Weekend Workshop at Spruill next weekend!

Stitch, fold, & glue a book with friends you've yet to meet,
with help from Anne Elser all along the way. 
Case Bound Bookbinding Weekend Workshop

Save $20.00 with a Membership- New & Renewal
Course Number:
134PPWB020
Dates:
Su, Sa, November 9-10, 2013
    Check for other dates or times
Sessions:
2
Meets:
10:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Instructor:
Anne Elser
Fee:
$210  Fee Breakdown

Course Description

Spend a delightful weekend making your own Case Bound Book! Learn to make a book block of pierced and folded blank pages that are stitched together and then glued. Create a custom cover and spine with raw chipboard you then cover with imported handmade papers (Washi Paper). Case books are both sturdy and handsome and feature a supported spine, bookmark and headbands. It is the most recognized book type and is built to last on bookshelves for years to come. This functional, decorative work of art makes a great gift for you or someone who would enjoy filling it! We'll take a break to eat lunch both days and by the end of class, you'll be very proud of your first Case Bound book. Supply List available on www.spruillarts.org.
   
There is no Supply List for this course.

There are still openings remaining at this time.
A valid credit card will be required for payment. Please have your card information ready.



Monday, October 28, 2013

November Broad Edge Calligraphy Classes

November 6th & 7th I've got two new Afternoon and Evening 6-week Italic Calligraphy classes starting in different Atlanta locations (Buckhead and Dunwoody).

The broad edge provides a wide swash of ink in which once can swim and play and dance. Learning to lay down that much power in one stroke is a powerful sensation. With calligraphy, there are carefully placed strokes, gifting a blank white thirsty page. Each stroke is placed at a specific angle, in a specific sequence and at an easy, slow pace. It just plain feels good.

An Italic calligraphy class is a wonderful way to jump into calligraphy. It feeds your soul, calms the mind, relaxes the body, and provides years and years of delight for the maker, and the recipient - if you'd like to share it.

Click the links below to sign up for a class!

Wednesday Evening Italic Calligraphy with Anne Elser at Binders Art Supply in Buckhead

Details

Calligraphy One: Italic with Anne Elser
6 Sessions | Beginner to Intermediate
ARTZ1314 | Wednesdays, November 6 - December 18, 6 - 8:30pm
 
Description:
The Italic calligraphic hand is one of the most widely used and versatile alphabets around. It's generously wide strokes, produced with a broad edge nib can easily be dressed up or down. Italic is the perfect hand to learn for the beginning calligrapher yet versatile enough to experiment with for the advanced. During this six week course, students will be given handouts and guide sheets, learning the upper and lower case characters. We will also cover spacing and layout for addressing envelopes. Calligraphy is less about pretty handwriting and more about DRAWING each and every letter. It's about establishing a pacing and rhythmic motion as you write - giving you a consistency of shapes and letters, and spaces in between words and lines. It is highly relaxing and meditative. Like yoga for the hands, it centers, calms, and enchants the person making as well as and the person admiring it.
THIS CLASS IS AT OUR ATLANTA STORE.

Additional Information

SKUARTZ1314
Oversized ItemNo
Brand NameBinders Art
Department NameART RELATED MATERIALS
Unit of SaleNo
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price$190.00
During this six week art class, students will be given handouts and guide sheets, learning the upper and lower case characters.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON ITALIC CALLIGRAPHY WITH ANNE ELSER AT SPRUILL

Save $20.00 with a Membership- New & Renewal
Course Number:
134DACA210
Dates:
Thursday, November 7 - December 19, 2013
    Check for other dates or times
Exception Dates:
No class 11/28
Sessions:
6
Meets:
1:30 PM to 4:00 PM
Instructor:
Anne Elser
Fee:
$210  Fee Breakdown

Course Description

The Italic calligraphic hand is one of the most widely used and versatile alphabets around. It's generously wide strokes, produced with a broad edge nib, can easily be dressed up or down. Italic is the perfect hand to learn for the beginning calligrapher yet versatile enough to experiment with for the advanced. During the six-week course, students will be given handouts and guide sheets, learning the upper and lower case characters. We will also address spacing and layout for addressing envelopes. This class is appropriate for Beginner to Intermediate students.
   
Supply List

There are still openings remaining at this time.
A valid credit card will be required for payment. Please have your card information ready.



Thursday, September 12, 2013

Beginning Bookbinding at Spruill begins next Tuesday evening!

BEGINNING BOOKBINDING WITH ANNE ELSER

Save $20.00 with a Membership- New & Renewal
Course Number:
134PPBB010
Dates:
Tuesday, September 17 - October 22, 2013  Check for other dates or times
Sessions:
6
Meets:
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Instructor:
Anne Elser
Fee:
$210  Fee Breakdown

Course Description

If you enjoy stitching, paper, and color in the company of good friends, you'll love this beginning bookbinding class. In Bookbinding 1, discover the fascinating anatomy of a book from cover to spine to fly sheet and how to make one sing in the spirit of good craftsmanship while celebrating your own aesthetic. Not only will you learn to make books (4!) and a custom slipcase for one of them, you'll be making the tools used to create them that make the process easy and enjoyable. Detailed handouts and an inventive and caring instructor are waiting for your heart and hands. This course is great for all crafters, artists, and scrapbookers of all levels and for those who want help in luring their creative side to the surface. Projects included: Piercing Cradle, The Merfect, Side Stab Books, Coptic Book with Visible Spine, Tape Bound Book, Slip Case, and a Case Bound Book. Supply List available on www.spruillarts.org.


Monday, September 09, 2013

Copperplate Calligraphy Classes (day and night) begin this Thursday at Spruill!

CALLIGRAPHY: COPPERPLATE WITH ANNE ELSER: 1:30-4PM

Save $20.00 with a Membership- New & Renewal
Course Number:
134DACA250
Dates:
Thursday, September 12 - October 17, 2013  Check for other dates or times
Sessions:
6
Meets:
1:30 PM to 4:00 PM
Instructor:
Anne Elser
Fee:
$210  Fee Breakdown

Course Description

Copperplate Hand poster by Anne ElserThis is an introductory look at Copperplate, an elegant and elastic hand frequently used for formal invitations, documents and bridal events. Completely enchanting, the dramatic thicks and thins of this delicate hand will make you swoon. During the six-week course, students will be given handouts and guide sheets, learning the upper and lower case characters. We will also address spacing and layout for addressing envelopes. This class is appropriate for Beginner to Intermediate students.
   
Supply List

There are still openings remaining at this time.
A valid credit card will be required for payment. Please have your card information ready.



CALLIGRAPHY: COPPERPLATE WITH ANNE ELSER 6-8PM

Save $20.00 with a Membership- New & Renewal
Course Number:
134DACA260
Dates:
Thursday, September 12 - October 17, 2013  Check for other dates or times
Sessions:
6
Meets:
6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Instructor:
Anne Elser
Fee:
$210  Fee Breakdown

Course Description

Copperplate Hand poster by Anne ElserThis is an introductory look at Copperplate, an elegant and elastic hand frequently used for formal invitations, documents and bridal events. Completely enchanting, the dramatic thicks and thins of this delicate hand will make you swoon. During the six-week course, students will be given handouts and guide sheets, learning the upper and lower case characters. We will also address spacing and layout for addressing envelopes. This class is appropriate for Beginner to Intermediate students.

There are still openings remaining at this time.
A valid credit card will be required for payment. Please have your card information ready.

Sunday, September 08, 2013

Calligraphic Hand-Painted Anniversary or Wedding Hankerchief


Ever since my wedding vow hankies made it to the pages of Martha Stewart Real Weddings, I've had a lot of requests for more. But at $340 per hankie, not a lot of newlyweds have that extra money in their budgets to have two hankies made, each with the vows they read to their intended, as they walk down the aisle. What makes these worth the expense, though, is that you've got a family heirloom waiting to be framed and hung on the wall for generations to admire. And you've also helped put my son through college. :)


If two hankies isn't in your budget, this anniversary present might suit you just fine. Select the best portion of your wedding vows to be painted on one hankie, along with your names and the date of your wedding. Keep it under 40 words, choose a linen color and poof - you're set to go.


You might also select to have me calligraph just one name, or create a monogram, or a specific piece for something blue to carry down the aisle, or one for each of your groomsmen or bridesmaids. There are infinite options.


The paint I use is permanent fabric paint and stands up very well to multiple washings. I'm a hankie user myself - preferring the feel of fabric as opposed to kleenex. You can use your hankie for one year, then frame it at your following anniversary.


I actually still have the table napkin my great, great grandfather used on the ship during his immigration from Norway to Ellis Island. My aunt framed it and left the butter stains intact - so you get a glimmer of the full experience of how our family started in this country. It tells such a wonderful story.



Want to see more Anniversary hankie shots? Go here to browse the full collection

Go here to see the process shots from sketch to final

Go here to see other hand-painted linen ideas from hankies to hand towels. 

Wednesday, September 04, 2013

Tonight: Calligraphy 3 begins at 6PM!

Calligraphy Three: Advanced

MORE VIEWS

Calligraphy Three: Advanced

$190.00
| Class/Wkshp by Anne Elser|
OR

Details

Calligraphy Three: Advanced with Anne Elser
6 Sessions | Intermediate to Advanced
ARTZ1328 | September 4 - October 9, 6 - 8:30pm

Description:
Calligraphy 3 is an advanced beginner calligraphy class designed for those who have taken Calligraphy 2 & 3 or who already know the fundamentals of any calligraphic hand and are ready for the challenge of applying the words and other elements to the page.Whether you are addressing envelopes, designing a monogram, laying out a certificate, document, or quote of any size, this class will help you understand the concept of hierarchy on a page, drama, stable compositions, and the balance of elements. You will also be encouraged to take the plunge into the world of flourishing! Experimentation with color inks, gouache, metallics and paper is also encouraged. Bring in your free spirits and let's have fun!

Friday, August 09, 2013

Italic Calligraphy Workshop August 24th-25th, 2013

Friends! If you've wanted to learn Italic Calligraphy but can't spare the time it takes to commit to a six week course, you can condense the basics easily in a full weekend workshop.

I'll be teaching this workshop later this month on August 24th and 25th at Binders Art School. Slots are still available and you will love how good you'll feel at the end, having gifted yourself with the soothing experience of pen, ink, strokes, peace, and paper.

Click the link to sign up!

~Anne

Italic Calligraphy with Anne Elser



Description
The Italic calligraphic hand is one of the most widely used and versatile alphabets around. It's generously wide strokes, produced with a broad edge nib can easily be dressed up or down. Italic is the perfect hand to learn for the beginning calligrapher yet versatile enough to experiment with for the advanced.

During this weekend workshop, students will be given handouts and guide sheets, learning the upper and lower case characters. We will also cover spacing and layout for addressing envelopes.

Calligraphy is less about pretty handwriting and more about DRAWING each and every letter. It’s about establishing a pacing and rhythmic motion as you write - giving you a consistency of shapes and letters, and spaces in between words and lines. It is highly relaxing and meditative. Like yoga for the hands, it centers, calms, and enchants the person making as well as and the person admiring it.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Blooming Brushes: Atlanta Penabler meeting, Friday August 2, 2013

Blooming BrushesJoin us for our next Atlanta Penabler meeting, Blooming Brushes on Friday, August 2nd from 6-8PM at Binders Art School for an evening of experimentation with the brush. Whether you're a broad edge or pointed pen enthusiast, there's a brush out there waiting for you.

We'll discuss the numerous advantages to using a brush, over a steel nib, bamboo shoot, or quill and demonstrate with each other the possibilities a brush gives you in both texture, weight, and size.
We'll also give a quick recap of Barbara Calzolari's most recent American Cursive Handwriting workshop. Take a look at the fun we had here!

And don't forget, Carl Rhors will be with us in October for a weekend brush workshop, so dive deep with us and be prepared for your calligraphic hand to be liberated by the movement and grace of the brush. If you'd like to be updated personally about sign-up availability for Carl's workshop, please contact Jacob Gunter at Jacob@BindersArt.com.

What to bring:
• Paper (as large as possible)
• Pencil & eraser
• Ink
• Brushes (old, new, flat (for broad edge) or round (for pointed pen), watercolor, Pentel Color Brush, or Niji Waterbrushes)
• A snack or drink to share
• Yo Bad Self

See you there!

Monday, July 22, 2013

New July-August Italic Calligraphy Courses at Spruill!

Two new Italic Calligraphy courses are beginning at Spruill Center for the Arts this month: Daytime Italic and Evening Italic starting this Thursday, July 25th!

CALLIGRAPHY: ITALIC WITH ANNE ELSER

Save $20.00 with a Membership- New & Renewal
Course Number:
133DACA210
Dates:
Thursday, July 25 - August 29, 2013  Check for other dates or times
July 25, Aug 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Sessions:
6
Meets:
3:30 PM to 6:00 PM
Instructor:
Anne Elser
Fee:
$210  Fee Breakdown

Course Description

Italic Hand poster by Anne ElserThe Italic calligraphic hand is one of the most widely used and versatile alphabets around. Its generously wide strokes, produced with a broad edge nib, can easily be dressed up or down. Italic is the perfect hand to learn for the beginning calligrapher yet versatile enough to experiment with for the advanced. During the six-week course, students will be given handouts and guide sheets, learning the upper and lower case characters. We will also address spacing and layout for addressing envelopes. This class is appropriate for Beginner to Intermediate students.
   
Supply List

There are still openings remaining at this time.
A valid credit card will be required for payment. Please have your card information ready.



====================================

CALLIGRAPHY: ITALIC WITH ANNE ELSER

Save $20.00 with a Membership- New & Renewal
Course Number:
133DACA220
Dates:
Thursday, July 25 - August 29, 2013  Check for other dates or times
July 25, Aug 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Sessions:
6
Meets:
6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Instructor:
Anne Elser
Fee:
$210  Fee Breakdown

Course Description

Italic Hand poster by Anne ElserThe Italic calligraphic hand is one of the most widely used and versatile alphabets around. Its generously wide strokes, produced with a broad edge nib, can easily be dressed up or down. Italic is the perfect hand to learn for the beginning calligrapher yet versatile enough to experiment with for the advanced. During the six-week course, students will be given handouts and guide sheets, learning the upper and lower case characters. We will also address spacing and layout for addressing envelopes. This class is appropriate for Beginner to Intermediate students.
   
Supply List

There are still openings remaining at this time.
A valid credit card will be required for payment. Please have your card information ready.

Epic Hankie Making


Martha Stewart Weddings just posted a wonderful article about my Epic Hand-Painted Calligraphic Hankies, with a step by step view of the entire process. SO much fun!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

American Cursive Workshop begins tonight with Barbara Calzolari!

Hi Friends,

There are still seats open for this week's American Cursive Handwriting workshop with Barbara Calzolari at Binders Art School. I'll be there and am so excited - come sit next to me!!
Click here to sign up!

~Anne

BArbara
Barbara Calzolari is coming back this summer to Binders Art School. Her new workshop, American Cursive with Barbara Calzolari will fill up three weeknight evenings this July: Wednesday – Friday, July 17, 18, & 19 from 5-9PM. We are all so excited to see her again. If you think you know cursive, think again! Cursive handwriting is the skeletal structure of Spencerian. Its history is as profound as any other calligraphic hand and its benefits are numerous.
Last summer we conducted an interview with her and are publishing it yet again. If you’d like to get more of a taste of her profound talent and sensibilities, take her Cursive workshop later this month. I (Anne Elser) will be there – so come sit next to me!! The irony of having a highly talented and poetic Italian Calligrapher come all the way to the states to teach us the beginning of this story is not lost on us! Wouldn’t you rather be led through the experience by a passionate poet like Barbara, instead of trying to revive your dimly lit and dry memories of learning handwriting in grade school? I sure would. :)
calzolari_american_image
American Cursive with Barbara Calzolari: 3 Sessions | Beginner to Intermediate | Price: $190 | Max.18
ARTZ1391 | Wednesday – Friday, July 17 – 19, 5 – 9pm  
Description
This American Cursive workshop with Italian designer Barbara Calzolari will be an all new opportunity to delve into the understanding that simple lines become beautiful letters wherever you envision them to be!
Based on Jenkins alphabets, the six shapes that formed the group of 26 letters are still studied today and used from people that want to achieve a fast elegant and personal way to write. Barbara will share the magnificent lines that turn into letters, and letters that will join together into words.
From lines into words… the capital will complete the rhythm of this beautiful style that from 1791 has been loved from people the world over that are passionate about penmanship.
Complete a page for a letter, a document, or just for everyday messages. Celebrate your new found expressions at the end of class with merriment and presentation of your work!
~Anne, Mary, & George

Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Thank you Cousin Meagan!

My cousin Meagan McLendon did a beautiful photo shoot of me and my work recently. Here's the first of the series. She is amazing.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

American Cursive Handwriting with Italian Calligrapher Barbara Calzolari

BArbara
Barbara Calzolari is coming back this summer to Binders Art School. Her new workshop, "American Cursive with Barbara Calzolari" will fill up three weeknight evenings this July: Wednesday - Friday, July 17, 18, & 19 from 5-9PM. We are all so excited to see her again. If you think you know cursive, think again! Cursive handwriting is the skeletal structure of Spencerian. Its history is as profound as any other calligraphic hand and its benefits are numerous.

Last summer we conducted an interview with her and are publishing it yet again. If you'd like to get more of a taste of her profound talent and sensibilities, take her Cursive workshop later this month. I (Anne Elser) will be there - so come sit next to me!! The irony of having a highly talented and poetic Italian Calligrapher come all the way to the states to teach us the beginning of this story is not lost on us! Wouldn't you rather be led through the experience by a passionate poet like Barbara, instead of trying to revive your dimly lit and dry memories of learning handwriting in grade school? We sure would. :)


calzolari_american_image
American Cursive with Barbara Calzolari: 3 Sessions | Beginner to Intermediate | Price: $190 | Max.18
ARTZ1391 | Wednesday – Friday, July 17 - 19, 5 – 9pm  
Description
This American Cursive workshop with Italian designer Barbara Calzolari will be an all new opportunity to delve into the understanding that simple lines become beautiful letters wherever you envision them to be!

Based on Jenkins alphabets, the six shapes that formed the group of 26 letters are still studied today and used from people that want to achieve a fast elegant and personal way to write. Barbara will share the magnificent lines that turn into letters, and letters that will join together into words.

From lines into words... the capital will complete the rhythm of this beautiful style that from 1791 has been loved from people the world over that are passionate about penmanship.

Complete a page for a letter, a document, or just for everyday messages. Celebrate your new found expressions at the end of class with merriment and presentation of your work!


Anne Elser: What is your favorite word?
Barbara Calzolari: "Love." Absolutely.

AE: What is your least favorite word?
BC: "Modern." The idea of a modern trend I find unnecessary and fleeting. When work is done without structure or reason, when there is no tradition in the back, I find it fake. It's thoughtless and is less about YOU because it doesn't come from within. <> I am vintage.

AE: What turns you on?
BC: Letters. Music from the cold countries (Iceland, etc) : Dead Can Dance. Brian Eno and his deep roots. Bjork, who has a deep voice that comes from her heart. She uses her voice like that of nature's - a waterfall, yet with human emotion. I also love a group called Air, from France.
Nothing of my music collection is downloaded. I prefer actual CD's because they are tangible, I can hold them in my hands and it's easier for me to categorize them from the design of the jacket and the spine you see on the shelves. I am inspired by the graphic design of the case.

AE: What turns you off/makes you angry?
BC: Fighting. Useless conflict. And students who cannibalize your work/ideas without giving credit to their inspirations. Before every workshop I teach, I give thanks to the great teachers I've had and credit them for the gift of their instruction, how they've guided and inspired me.
I used to be a caterer. I'd double my recipes so I'd have backup. If I had leftovers, I'd give them away freely. I once had a girl who had her own coffee bar come to a party I catered. I gave her some leftovers. She then took them and sold them in her shop. Without asking. People who do dishonest things for a profit make me angry.

AE: What is your favorite curse word?
BC: Bastardo!

AE: What sound or noise do you love?
BC: City noises. Traffic, buses, movement. Life.

AE: What sound or noise do you hate?
BC: Car alarms.

AE: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
BC: A chef.

AE: What profession other than your own would you not like to do?
BC: A surgeon. <>

AE: If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
BC: Enter at your own risk. <>

AE: What was your earliest creative memory?
BC: I fell in love with letterforms in my Uncle's shop. I remember watching him create beautiful black labels for boxes. I distinctly remember falling in love with letters at that moment. I also remember my father, who was a cabinet maker/fine craftsman. After dinner, I'd watch him work with fine woods, cut flowers out of ivory and mother of pearl. AE: You have your father's hands, don't you? BC: <> Yes.

AE: What was the best part of your childhood?
BC: In my youth, while my mother was away, I had a nanny to look after me, Brauna. She was very much a mother to me and later, a grandmother to my daughter, Frida.
Brauna was a tailor, and a great inspiration to me. In the afternoons, I'd come home after school to Brauna at the kitchen table, embellishing a dress by hand with fine beads and jewelry. She had clients come to her house for fittings and there was a beautiful striped gray silk scarf that hung on a hook by the front door of the house. When I walked in and the scarf was missing, I knew Brauna was working with a client. She used the scarf to protect the shape of the big hairstyles popular in the mid-seventies of her clients while trying on a dress.
Brauna was an angel. She had long, well-manicured nails. It amazed me that she had the time to take such good care of her hands, considering how much she used them for work.
She was also a mother for my daughter Frida. She made her the best, most fancy dresses and costumes for Carnival, like Frida Kahlo or Red Riding Hood and fine miniature clothes for Frida's Barbie dolls.
Brauna had a pillow she made for her house, onto which she embroidered my name to remember me by, once I had grown. I don't have that pillow now, but I do have the heavy vintage foot-petal sewing machine she used. I use it now.
Both of us connected deeply with Brauna. She died of cancer 6 years ago. Friday cried for three solid days.

AE: What do you love about teaching?
BC: To know people. I love finding a way to be understood and to understand our differences and similarities.

AE: In comparing the differences and similarities between your home country, Italy, with the US, what do you love/dislike?
BC: In Bologna, Italy, I love the mix of art from the past as far back as the middle ages, with that of our contemporary surroundings and lifestyle. The arts are so easily accessible there, because it's physical. Real. Everywhere you look, there is tangible ancient history. But because of this, the expression and flourish of the creative spirit can become somewhat stifled. The arts can become ordinary and lose their impact. Because art is everywhere, the need to find it and recreate it isn't as prevalent in Europe.
Americans are different than Europeans in that they have an acute hunger for the arts, because it's not such a strong physical environmental presence. Developing personal artistries and crafts are very important to Americans. They want to share, to give, to express, to constantly make things. They create this kind of open environment where people can share and encourage one another. Europe is different. Artists and craftsman can be very guarded and secretive about their information and processes.

AE: How large is your studio and is it genrally kept clean or messy?
BC: Small. One quarter of my wall space is filled with shelves of music CDs. And it's messy.  <>

AE: What gets you up in the morning?
BC: Walking or running with my dog, Tina, named after Frida Kahlo's lover, Tina Modotti.
Enjoying a tree.
Happiness.
============================================
The daughter of a cabinetmaker and restaurateur, Barbara Calzolari was born in Bologna, Italy in 1963. She attended the ENALC, a school of commercial art, in Bologna and studied with Roberto Canaider, art director of Buton, who played a major role in her training. Later, she worked for Publiflash (the silkscreening laboratory of the painter Otello Brocca) and completed projects for Bologna's Galleria díArte Moderna, where she met and came to know artists such as Aligi Sassu, Virgilio Guidi, and Ugo Nespolo. Other encounters would later come to change the direction of her professional life, among them her meeting with Massimo Osti, founder of StoneIsland and C.P. Company, who offered her the chance to work in the fashion sector. She began to work with large firms in the garment trade and to collaborate with Daniele di Montezemolo and Ferrante Gonzaga on designing collections and developing products for Pirelli, Ferrari, and Ferrero.

Meanwhile, over a period of years, she cultivated and pursued her greatest passion: calligraphy. She contacted the Associazione Calligrafica Italiana, where she met Anna Ronchi and Giovanni De Faccio. In 2000, she took part in a training workshop with the American Brody Neuenschwander, who is famous for his ìscriptî in several films by the English producer Peter Greenaway. In the United States, she studied in greater depth the use of the flexible nib for Spencerian script, participated in a retreat at YMCA University with Michael Sull, and, in 2007, went to Ohioóhome of Platt Rogers Spenceróto attend the Advanced Spencerian workshop on this very elegant script of Anglo-Saxon origin that employs strokes and skills accessible only to the most expert calligraphers.

She regularly attends international calligraphy conventions, where she has met and worked alongside Pat Blair, current calligrapher for the White House; Joe Vitolo, master of the flexible nib; and Sheila Waters, founder of the Washington Calligraphers Guild, which Barbara Calzolari has joined. In 2008, Barbara Calzolari applied her skills to the creation of the masterpiece ìDeus Caritas est,î a complete work of art in book form, for the Italian art publishing house Marilena Ferrari-FMR. For the same publisher, she engrossed ìas a souvenir of the Italy of beautyî the national anthems that the prime minister of Italy wished to present to the heads of state assembled at the G8 Summit in 2009.
Regularly she teaches internationally in USA and Europe.