Julia Vance - Calligrapher extraordinaire

Julia Vance addressed Letter Exchange last month and received the longest applause for the longest time!

Tid means "time" n Norwegian.
Marble, 102 x 74 x22 xcm

'og' is the Scandinavian Ampersand. In English the E and T are intertwined to spell out 'et' Latin for 'and'. Here the o and g are very intertwined. A truly beautiful piece of work made of marble, 55x45x25cm.
The size comes as a surprise because there is such a sense of monumentality about this piece.

How is this for the @ sign, a universal symbol for communication?
Marble, 55x45x25cm

Julia works her way into and under and behind the letters. She says: "“I create letter shapes, sometimes only even part of a letter. I see the lines and shapes as possible human expressions. Sometimes I shape a word that carries for me a long story of thoughts. In expressing a third dimension to our two-dimensional world of lettering and words, I seek form for the eyes and food for the thought.” 

She was born in 1968 and studied calligraphy in Oslo and London, which lead to an apprenticeship in carving letters in relief. The relief eventually was ‘too flat’ and Julia decided to work in the round. This has given her letters a body and today her word-sculptures have taken over from ink and paper. In a philosophical way Julia plays with basic words ‘time’, giving the word an expressive body, working in marble or bronze. Since 2005 Julia has been working between Oslo/Norway and Pietrasanta/Italy.

Julia has done several larger official commissions in Norway. In 2005, she received the Norwegian State’s 3-year Artist Grant. She has lectured at universities in Norway and England; is a member of both the Royal British Society of Sculptors and the Norwegian Sculpture Organisation and was recently invited to join Norway Central Bank’s Coin Design Advisory Committee. She has exhibited in England, Norway, Russia, Belgium, Italy, United Arab Emirates and in Holland.

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