The concrete guy had just left. The patio was in our back yard in Hugo, Oklahoma, when our business was new and flourishing….1975-1989. We lived in a modest house on the corner near the courthouse. Behind the residence was an 800 sq. ft. guest house, sharing the patio with the residence and facing the side street. Behind the patio was a 1000 sq. ft. office where we did the major body of our work during those 14 years. Gail painting her watercolor illustrations on one side of it, me on the other doing Calligraphy.
When the cement was about an hour old, I got a straight-edged screwdriver a bout 5/16″ wide and lettered…in my traditional Calligraphy: Happy is the heart that welcomes a friend. We did have many visitors and that showed a different way of using Calligraphy.
The east edge of the rather larger patio went right to the back door of the little guest house. As you’d walk down the 3 steps out of the guest house to the patio, the lettering in the same size as shown above was: Fish and visitors stink after three days. Since that was a Ben Franklin quote, I knew our overnight guests would not be offended. Funny now that I look back. TWO nights was the max anyone ever stayed!
That was in 1977. It was there until we left in 1989 when we moved back to the Dallas area. The lettering is still on that patio.
BOTTOM LINE: It you do traditional Calligraphy with a chisel-edged pen, marker, foam brush, or fountain pen, the next time you know someone is pouring fresh concrete, offer to inscribe something in it shortly after it’s smoothed and finished…waiting to dry. Don’t forget the pad for your knees, and stay near the edge.
If you’d like to learn this style of Calligraphy, we have books to teach you and they’re simple to understand and use. Takes no pretty handwriting and no art talent. All a very cool technique.
Several chunks of wet cement across the countryside have met my screwdriver and there will be more….
-Ken
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