Thursday Thoughts...

"Signs and symbols, scrawls and scratches do not have to signify anything at all but they must look as if they do. Such marks need have no connection with real words, but must have the emotional resonance of words". 

Stephen Silver

I am at that stage of solo exhibition production where I am coming to the end of the project; and my mind is beginning to wander ahead of itself wondering what's next. Even tho there is still plenty to do! And my mind has been contemplating abstract calligraphic art, paper and books all over again.  Perhaps in response to so much time spent stitching.

Hence this quote resonated when I rambled across it in my newly formatted Thursday Thoughts document - a story for another time.

I think Mr Silver catches exactly what it is I love about abstract calligraphic art - it's the hint of, the sense of, writing. That somehow there is meaning to be decoded; that if I could begin to understand the repetitions, the forms and the shapes I could interpret the 'words'.

Apparently he is an animator, not a calligrapher so maybe he makes animated calligraphic art!

I like how he references the emotional resonance of words - for words are powerful (as mentioned in last week's Thursday Thoughts) and they hold power and meaning in a culture.

The beauty of abstract calligraphic art is that it lets you participate in the artwork with all the sense of words and reading and writing and all that they mean; yet leaves you wondering and able to interpret the 'message' as you please. Delicious.

And this is one book that will travel alongside me as I make my explorations into abstract calligraphic art sometime next year...