Sheila Waters
Encyclopedia
Sheila Waters is a calligrapher and teacher. She was born in Gravesend, England and graduated from the Medway College of Art in Kent
and at the Royal College of Art
in London
. There she developed her calligraphic skills under the tutelage of Dorothy Mahoney (assistant to the great pioneer of calligraphy, Edward Johnston
).
At twenty-two, Waters was elected a Fellow of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators and began a career devoted to commissions for royalty, museums, libraries, collectors and publishers.
A gifted teacher, Waters has shared her extensive knowledge and techniques with calligraphers in innumerable workshops in North America and Europe. She inaugurated the program of calligraphy courses at the Smithsonian Institution
, Washington, D.C.
and later developed her own private classes and annual workshops. She travels extensively, lecturing and teaching workshops for every major calligraphy society in North America between 1972 and 2007.
The first President and founding member of the Washington Calligraphers Guild, Sheila was included in the 1981 World Who's Who of Women. Her work is included in many of the important books which have been published about calligraphy after 1950. She is the author of Foundations of Calligraphy, published in 2006. This book quickly established itself as one of the classic instructional works on the subject. Waters was married to bookbinder, library conservator Peter Waters
from 1953 until his death in 2003.
Sheila's sons include Julian Waters (calligrapher)
, a leading lettering designer and typographer, who was also protegé of the legendary German type designer Hermann Zapf
; Michael Waters, inventor of an automated boxmaking machine for phase boxes; and Chris Waters an entrepreneur.
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
and at the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. There she developed her calligraphic skills under the tutelage of Dorothy Mahoney (assistant to the great pioneer of calligraphy, Edward Johnston
Edward Johnston
Edward Johnston, CBE was a British-Uruguayan craftsman who is regarded, with Rudolf Koch, as the a father of modern calligraphy, in the form of the broad edged pen as a writing tool, a particular form of calligraphy....
).
At twenty-two, Waters was elected a Fellow of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators and began a career devoted to commissions for royalty, museums, libraries, collectors and publishers.
A gifted teacher, Waters has shared her extensive knowledge and techniques with calligraphers in innumerable workshops in North America and Europe. She inaugurated the program of calligraphy courses at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and later developed her own private classes and annual workshops. She travels extensively, lecturing and teaching workshops for every major calligraphy society in North America between 1972 and 2007.
The first President and founding member of the Washington Calligraphers Guild, Sheila was included in the 1981 World Who's Who of Women. Her work is included in many of the important books which have been published about calligraphy after 1950. She is the author of Foundations of Calligraphy, published in 2006. This book quickly established itself as one of the classic instructional works on the subject. Waters was married to bookbinder, library conservator Peter Waters
Peter Waters
Peter Waters , former Conservation Officer at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, USA, worked in the areas of disaster recovery and preparedness, and the salvage of water-damaged paper goods...
from 1953 until his death in 2003.
Sheila's sons include Julian Waters (calligrapher)
Julian Waters (calligrapher)
Julian Waters is a calligrapher, type designer and teacher. He was born in Hampshire, England and is the son of calligrapher Sheila Waters and book binder/conservator Peter Waters....
, a leading lettering designer and typographer, who was also protegé of the legendary German type designer Hermann Zapf
Hermann Zapf
Hermann Zapf is a German typeface designer who lives in Darmstadt, Germany. He is married to calligrapher and typeface designer Gudrun Zapf von Hesse....
; Michael Waters, inventor of an automated boxmaking machine for phase boxes; and Chris Waters an entrepreneur.