Patricia Lovett

Patricia Lovett
FRSA
Replica Book of Hours by Lovett
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Illuminator, calligrapher, author
Websitewww.patricialovett.com

Patricia Lovett MBE FRSA is a British scribe, calligrapher and illuminator from Kent. She is the author of several books and teaches calligraphy, illumination and manuscript skills in the UK and worldwide. She was chair of the Heritage Crafts Association between 2017 and 2022, having been vice-chair for several years previously[1] and in 2013 was awarded an MBE for services to calligraphy and the protection of heritage crafts.

Professional biography

Lovett was a secondary school teacher in London before becoming interested in calligraphy and heraldry in the late 1980s.[2]

She has a special interest in the manual preparation and uses of vellum.[3][4] She teaches traditional vellum manuscript illumination, heraldry and calligraphy in Britain and in libraries around the world and is the author of several books across a range of manuscript skills.[1]

Lovett is the co-founder of the Fitzwilliam Museum’s Collection of Contemporary Calligraphy at the University of Cambridge[2] and curated the museum’s 2012/13 exhibition of contemporary calligraphy from around the world, Calligraphy Today.[5]

She was the chair of the Heritage Crafts Association, between 2017 and 2022, having previously been the founder vice-chair.[6] She is a judge for the National Schools Handwriting Competition and champions handwriting along with other manual crafts.[7]

She has also produced many commissioned works including pieces for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, the Woodland Trust, Courtauld Institute of Art, British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) and Dulwich Picture Gallery.[8] She has also worked in film and television providing tools and materials for Wolf Hall (BBC series) (a replica Book of Hours),[2][9][10] Treasures of the Anglo-Saxons (BBC Radio 4) and the Simon Schama BBC series A History of Britain. She has taught Mark Rylance and Tom Bateman how to prepare and use a quill for film and theatre performances and has appeared in “Numerous instances of being filmed as ‘the hand’, writing documents, signing documents, ‘being’ poets or historical figures, drawing maps etc.” for film and television.[8]

Lovett also works with the British Library providing short courses and study days on the traditional techniques of working with historical writing tools and vellum, illumination and gilding and medieval manuscripts.[11][12][13] In addition she provided tools and materials and wrote the exhibition cards and introduction for the 2011/12 British Library exhibition Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination.[8]

She lives in Sevenoaks in Kent.[1]

Recognition

Lovett has held several honorary positions and fellowships for her work in the arts and heritage crafts. In 2013 she was awarded an MBE for services to calligraphy and the protection and promotion of heritage crafts in the UK.[1]

Lovett is a brother of the Art Workers' Guild[14] and an honoured fellow of the Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society (HFCLAS) having previously acted as chair. She is patron of the Lettering & Commemorative Arts Trust, a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), an advisor for the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust[8] and is a participant in the All-party parliamentary group for art, craft and design education.[15]

Bibliography

Lovett has written several books and magazine articles including

  • The Environment (Living Today series) (1982)[16]
  • Teach Yourself Calligraphy (TY Arts & Crafts) (1993, 10 editions)[17]
  • Creating Letterforms: Calligraphy and Lettering for Beginners (1992) with Rosemary Sassoon[18]
  • Calligraphy Projects (1994) Multiple authors[19]
  • Calligraphy for Starters (1995)[20]
  • Tools and materials for calligraphy, illumination and miniature painting (1996)[21]
  • Starting Lettering (1997) with Fiona M. Watt[22]
  • The British Library Companion to Calligraphy, Illumination and Heraldry: A History and Practical Guide (2000)[23]
  • The Macclesfield Alphabet Book: a facsimile (2010) with Christopher de Hamel[24]
  • Calligraphy Today (2012)[25]
  • The Historical Source Book for Scribes (2015) with Michelle P. Brown[26]
  • Illumination, gold and colour: tools, materials, techniques, projects for using gold and colour and creating mediaeval miniatures (2015)[27]
  • The Art and History of Calligraphy (2017)[28]

She has also contributed to several other books by providing calligraphy lettering and illustrations.[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Kent calligrapher awarded MBE in Queen's Honours". BBC News. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Fowler, Kerry (December 2016). "Note to self". Landlove: 104–107. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Why is the UK still printing its laws on vellum?". BBC News. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  4. ^ Hughes, Laura. "MPs plan last ditch bid to save the thousand year old-tradition of recording Britains laws on Vellum". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  5. ^ "Calligraphy Today". The Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  6. ^ "Who we are". The Heritage Crafts Association. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  7. ^ Braddock, Kevin. "How Twitter made handwriting cool". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  8. ^ a b c d "Biography". patricialovett.com. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  9. ^ "The making of the Wolf Hall Book of Hours and medieval manuscripts with Patricia Lovett MBE". Fitzwilliam Museum. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  10. ^ "Patricia Lovett". Art Workers Guild. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  11. ^ Press release. "Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination 11 November 2011- 13 March 2012". British Library. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  12. ^ "The Art and History of Calligraphy: Patricia Lovett". British Library. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  13. ^ "Illumination Masterclass". British Library. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  14. ^ "Members". Art Workers’ Guild. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  15. ^ Coles, Susan. "APPG for art, craft and design education". NSEAD. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  16. ^ Lovett, Patricia (1982). The Environment (Living Today series). London: Batsford. ISBN 0713435801. OCLC 828683587. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  17. ^ Lovett, Patricia (1993). Calligraphy (Teach Yourself series). London: Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 0340591757. OCLC 925344023. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  18. ^ Lovett, Patricia; Sassoon, Roemary (1992). Creating letterforms: calligraphy and lettering for beginners. New York: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0500276544. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  19. ^ Brooks, Felicity (editor); Halverston, Rebecca; Heywood, Amanda; Lovett, Patricia; Rowley, Anna; Watt, Fiona; Woodcock, Jonathan (1994). The Usborne Book of Calligraphy Projects. New York: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0439078229. Retrieved 8 March 2018. {{cite book}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
  20. ^ Lovett, Patricia (1995). Calligraphy for starters (Watchword Educational Library series). Watchword. ISBN 1898897395. OCLC 655195178. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  21. ^ Lovett, Patricia (1996). Tools and materials for calligraphy: illumination and miniature painting. London: Roberson. ISBN 0952938707. OCLC 847505249. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  22. ^ Patricia, Lovett; Watt, Fiona (1997). Starting Lettering (Usborne First Skills). London: Usborne. ISBN 0881108936. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  23. ^ Lovett, Patricia (2000). The British companion to calligraphy, illumination & heraldry: a history and practical guide. london: British Library. ISBN 0712346805. OCLC 466981597. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  24. ^ de Hamel, Christopher; Lovett, Patricia (2010). The macclesfield alphabet book: a facsimile. London: British Library. ISBN 978-0712358040. OCLC 718447292. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  25. ^ Lovett, Patricia; Fitzwilliam Museum (2012). Calligraphy today. Fitzwilliam Museum: University of Cambridge. ISBN 978-0957443402. OCLC 828683587. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  26. ^ Brown, Michelle; Lovett, Patricia (30 April 2015). The Historical Source Book for Scribes. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-1442629257.
  27. ^ Lovett, Patricia (2015). Illumination, gold and colour: tools, materials, techniques, projects for using gold and colour and creating mediaeval miniatures. London: Cornelissen & Sons. ISBN 978-0957449602. OCLC 975134862. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  28. ^ Lovett, Patricia (2017). The art and history of calligraphy. London: British Library. ISBN 978-0712356688. OCLC 999863443. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  29. ^ "Worldcat listings: Lovett, Patricia". Worldcat. Retrieved 8 March 2018.