ARTISTS

Denis Brown

I started calligraphy in my early teens as a schoolboy. I loved the immediacy from the beginning- the ability to make letters with a few direct pen-strokes. Since receiving my first commissions aged 15 years old, I've never looked back. While still studying for a degree in calligraphy at London's Roehampton Institute I was awarded fellowship of the UK Society of Scribes and Illuminators; at 20 I was their youngest Fellow in addition to being their first Fellow from Ireland. That was 25 years ago and my work has continually developed since then.

I push boundaries while continually extending traditional skills. I use letterforms and writing to create three-dimensional layered works of art where a thousand words may paint a picture. At a time in history where handwriting is being eclipsed by e-mail, text messaging and other digital means of communication, my work explores the meaning and function of being a scribe in the 21st century.

I'm fortunate to be known in many parts of the world as a leader in the field of calligraphy, and I spend some time each year traveling to teach workshops internationally at the invitation of calligraphy guilds.

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