Thursday

Western Calligraphers in Singapore


A couple of us Western calligraphers in Singapore were interviewed by the Sunday Times recently. The above article, ‘Old script, new uses’, appeared in the Life! supplement on 26 May 2013.

As a calligraphy enthusiast who does not do commissioned work, I am delighted that there are now two young calligraphers — Ong Fang Zheng and Clarence Valerius Wee — to whom I can refer the almost-weekly requests I get from wedding planners and designers looking for a calligrapher.

This article was, I understand from the journalist, originally to have featured calligraphers in general, i.e. including those from Chinese and other traditions, but its eventual focus was narrowed to Western calligraphy. I was asked to provide samples of three hands — Gothic, Italic and Copperplate — but I proposed Foundational in place of Gothic as the Germanic script is one I have never been able to master, and probably never shall.