Calligraphy Carved in Wood, Stone and Slate

It all started with the wedding box. My son Josh started his Heirloom Artists Furniture Studio, now working from New Hampshire. Amy Smolen, a dear friend of his wife, Emily’s asked him to design a wedding box for her upcoming wedding. They wanted their names carved in it. Of course, Josh’s thinking went to calligrapher Mom – Holly, me! So while I was on snowy visit with Josh and Emily, I sat by the fire and sketched the names for the box. Because Josh was hand carving this box, the outline was all that was needed.SmolenAmyGregory2aAfter Josh carved it in wood, he built the box…..

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 Put a finish on it and took on his first gold leaf project. A few tips from Mom, but he forged ahead on his own.

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He then put an additional finish on the box. Once that was on it, the little flecks of stray gold didn’t show. All that effort took hours to carve, build, finish and lay gold. It drove him to the purchase of a machine that we can program to carve the lettering or images into wood, slate or stone. Yahhhh!  I’m excited.

IMG_4038Here are a few mock ups we put together. The machine should arrive in late May 2015. This mock up shows how slate might look with a Music quote on it.

Music2BWThis wood mock up shows one of Holly’s calligram’s….Horse Sense. (I have a Dog and a Cat, too.) Either a paper reproduction frame for your home or….how about this wood design for your barn? CaptureLastly, although I didn’t create these designs, this shows you how beautiful carved stone is. Great for outdoor signs, indoor artwork…family logo or monogram? The options are endless. I can’t wait to get started with Josh! And yes, we can lay gold leaf in the lettering of your project. Let us know when you have something in mind! 51077