Vivien Lunniss

Vivien Lunniss FSSI FCLAS, started calligraphy in 1982 with the gift of an Osmiroid pen set and was instantly hooked. She says 'I visited my first calligraphy exhibition in 1984 and decided that I would one day become a Fellow of the Society of Scribes & Illuminators, an ambition I finally achieved in 2012. I was also elected a Fellow of the Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society in 2006.

My teaching career in Adult Education has been through several incarnations since I started in 1987 and I have been at the Guild since 2011. I also teach one-day workshops for regional calligraphy groups throughout the UK and our local group, North West Calligraphers' Association.

My work has been exhibited in the UK and has appeared in several books. I am author of 'Celtic Calligraphy', published in 1999, and 'Complete Guide to Calligraphy', published in 2015, both by Search Press. I am currently editor of 'The Scribe', the journal for the Society of Scribes & Illuminators.

I am endlessly fascinated by letterforms and the history that they carry with them. There are so many different styles to work with and I particularly enjoy the textures that writing creates. My study of calligraphy led me to the world of bookbinding and a learned much of the craft from Alistair at Scrivener's Books in Buxton. Books are the perfect medium for calligraphy but are also beautiful on their own and extremely satisfying to make.

I love working at The Guild, it's such a warm and stimulating atmosphere where students are encouraged to realise their potential in whichever subject interests them."

Here I am at the Society of Scribes & Illuminators Centenary Exhibition at Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery. To my right is my 'Prayer of a Tree' reliquary which was based on research at the Victoria & Albert Museum; and a fabulous backdrop of just some of the work on display.