Josie Brown

I revel in the almost sensuous the feel of a pen on paper ... the flow of liquid from a tip that careers across a ground leaving graceful traces ... seeing words come to visual life ... interpreting meaning and feelings graphically .... and painting with letters.

I've been a practising calligrapher, heraldic artist and illuminator for nearly 30 years.  I began teaching those subjects in London, whilst still at college, and then undertook teacher training to underpin tutoring in creative studies.  

I moved to beautiful Gloucestershire to raise a family, maintaining regular classes and commissioned work, as well as working for Community Education during that time.  I am lucky enough to carry out commissions for the private, public, academic and military sectors, running my own fun and busy summer schools as well as teaching for other providers.  

Regular courses in calligraphy and related arts include fortnightly day workshops in Woodchester, an evening class near Cirencester and another fortnightly course that offers coaching towards accredited qualifications and personal development with a view to going professional.  Residential courses run during the summer at Marlborough, Oxford and Gloucester, with a week at Ammerdown Centre, near Radstock in the Autumn and weekends all over the country.

I am an accredited tutor for the Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society.  I have taught at their Festival of Calligraphy in Durham and wrote and delivered a national teacher training course, for CLAS, purely for lettering artists.

My biggest passion is to take ancient techniques and use them in a contemporary manner, experimenting with tools and mediums so that these techniques are accessible to students - experienced and beginners alike.  Alongside that creative drive, I am committed to enabling students to reach their full potential in a sensitive, supportive and enthusiastic manner.