Calligrapher Connie Furgason opened an exhibition Saturday at the Osoyoos Art Gallery that also features clay works by the Osoyoos Potters. The show, called Calligraphy and Clay, runs until March 25. Furgason’s show was combined with calligraphy workshops. (Richard McGuire photo)
Connie Furgason combines her loves of calligraphy, abstract art and the written word in an exhibition that opened Saturday at the Osoyoos Art Gallery.
“Calligraphy and Clay” also features the work of the Osoyoos Potters, which complements Furgason’s paintings and calligraphy.
Calligraphy is the art of producing decorative handwriting.
“I was always interested in art, English and my handwriting was always really nice,” said Furgason, who grew up on a farm south of Lethbridge, Alta.
Around 1981, her artist mother encouraged her to teach calligraphy at a community college.
Furgason, whose calligraphy was self taught, attended workshops in Vancouver taught by skilled calligraphers and artists and she was inspired.
“They took calligraphy beyond just greeting cards,” she said. “It was abstract art. I knew at that moment that this is what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It brought together English, which I was studying at university, art and pen and ink.”
Furgason’s work includes a mix of watercolours, acrylics and pen and ink.
In some, the letters are front and centre. In others, the writing is barely visible amidst vibrant colours.
Furgason writes her own texts and her paintings are derived from photographs she has taken herself.
The texts convey emotions and sometimes record memories of her life on the farm.
But her work has evolved over the decades into its present artistic form.
“When I started out I was doing fairly traditional type work,” she said. “I did wedding invitations and stuff like that. But it got to a point where I really didn’t want to continue in that avenue, working with brides and the bridezilla thing. It just wasn’t where my heart was.”
She still does invitations and envelopes for friends and family and she’s done some special projects, including creating a legacy work for a man dying of cancer to give to his children.
But mostly she concentrates on her art and teaching workshops, including a series of six she taught over the past week at the Sonora Community Centre.
Osoyoos Art Gallery Curator Sue Whittaker said she met Furgason at the gallery two summers ago and was excited to learn she was a calligrapher.
“We’ve never had a chance that I know of in Osoyoos to learn calligraphy from somebody,” she said.
They agreed that Furgason would teach classes and have a show at the gallery.
It was later decided to combine the show with a presentation of work by the Osoyoos Potters to use the floor space.
“They were glad to be included,” said Whittaker. “They have been working very hard at getting a whole new exhibition. Every piece of work in here is a new piece of work.”
The pottery displayed combines a mix of purely artistic pieces and some that also have a utilitarian purpose. There’s a piece that gives the illusion of being made from cloth and, suitably for a calligraphy show, there’s another piece made as a stylized letter “A.”
Tying it all together, Furgason has even written directly on the walls and windows.
“We want the calligraphy part to be really emphasized, because it’s the first time ever that we’ve had this opportunity to spotlight calligraphy,” said Whittaker.
Calligraphy and Clay runs until Saturday, March 25.
Osoyoos Art Gallery is open from noon to 4 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday at 8713 Main Street.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
