The month of May is symbolically dedicated to letters. This year we will introduce you to four artists who work in the field of calligraphy and handwritten text.
Elizaveta Angelova
Education:
Secondary: MG "Dr. P. Beron", Varna
Bachelor: Advertising Design, National Academy of Arts, Sofia
Master: Calligraphy, National Academy of Arts, Sofia
Professional experience (in a few words):
Over 6 years of professional experience as a graphic designer. I have worked in two of the well-known advertising creative agencies in Sofia. I currently work as a freelancer and deal with calligraphy and logo design.
Exhibitions/projects/awards:
I have not had a solo exhibition yet, but I had the pleasure of participating as an author in many interesting projects and collaborations with various partners.
More interesting highlights:
In the spring of 2018, my colleague Dana Tileva and I participated in the Sofia Paper Art Fest exhibitions at the National Palace of Culture and the Arte Gallery. (At the National Palace of Culture – with a large-scale composition of 5 panels with a length of 4-5m, dedicated to the Cyrillic and Glagolitic alphabets. At Arte – each with two works inspired by the title “Past. Present. Future.”)
Within the same festival, I gave a lecture with a subsequent demonstration on the topic “The Ancient Roots of the Bulgarian Letter”;
At the end of November 2018, together with my colleague from the “Calligraphy” specialty Dana Tileva, we opened an experimental exhibition presenting calligraphy on music records.
– My calligraphy projects have also been published in international media such as the wedding magazine Magnolia Rouge and the annually published book Typism Book by the Australian organization Typism Global Community.
What does it actually mean that you are engaged in calligraphy?
It means that I express my immeasurable love for written letters on a daily basis and I am fortunate that this is increasingly becoming my profession. I have always admired the exquisite letter forms, whether printed or handwritten. At the academy I had the opportunity to deepen my study of them and the process continues every day - calligraphy is an immense and inexhaustible source of inspiration.
Is there a difference between “font” and “calligraphy”?
The concept of font has two main meanings in our language. One - the very shape of the letters, their appearance, and the second - the complete collection/set of metal letter plates (clichés), which is used in old printing presses. The word “font” is more often used in machine or digital typesetting. In calligraphy, i.e. handwritten writing, the term style is more appropriate. In handwriting, the letters cannot be mechanically identical every time, and that is precisely where its magic lies for me.
Is calligraphy illustration?
As I mentioned above, calligraphy is vast – from serving the administration to being an indispensable part of Eastern meditative rituals. I would not limit it to one definition. When calligraphy steps into the zone of the expressive and abstract, it can be anything. It is always an expression of the artist's inner world. A brushstroke can be a bird. Or a river.
There is also the term "calligram", which denotes a word or text inscribed in a graphic form, contextually tied to their meaning or theme. In this sense, calligraphy illustrates.
What do you dream of writing/depicting/illustrating through calligraphy?
Every day I express my emotion, thought or idea through calligraphy. When it comes to personal projects, I rarely sit down with a clear idea of the result. I have a vision in mind, but I let the process lead me to the final look of the project.
What do people most often NOT know about calligraphy?
The number and height of the stacks of written sheets that stand behind the word or even the letter, which appears to be written in one breath. As an incredible person, Shinzan Miyamae, says, for a calligrapher there is no moment when he says he has learned and that he can stop practicing. He is over 80 years old, claims that he is still learning and starts with writing every day.
Favorite calligraphy examples (authors, works or similar):
The person who can be said to be the reason I fell in love with calligraphy is Luca Barcellona. An artist, endlessly inspiring and constantly surprising with the many styles that he masters to the point of virtuosity.
Website: Under construction 
Facebook/Instagram/Twitter page:
FB: Written by Ellie
IG: @ellieanngelova
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