Pictured: Robin by Louise Tiplady. Gilded riven slate

A collection of hand carved pieces, prints and other lettered artworks, perfect gifts for those who love letter carving, hand printing, typography and good design.

LIMNOREIA by Louise Tiplady

“Simon Lewty & The Nereids” is a collaboration between The Lettering Arts Trust and Art First. The exhibition features major works by Simon Lewty, and is accompanied by individual depictions of the mythical Nereids created by 26 artists represented by the Lettering Arts Trust. 

Simon Lewty’s mastery of the calligraphic, the palimpsest, graffiti and scripts of many kinds, is matched by his generation of poetic content. His hand-written texts combine with figurative imagery to create a dream like reality. In recent years, a group of drawings have emerged, inspired by his love of Greek mythology.  

The Nereids, in particular, captured Lewty’s imagination. They are known as the fifty benign sea goddesses which symbolised everything that is beautiful and kind about the sea. “Simon Lewty & The Nereids” is a collaboration between The Lettering Arts Trust and Art First. The exhibition features major works by Simon Lewty, and is accompanied by individual depictions of the mythical Nereids created by 26 artists represented by the Lettering Arts Trust. 

Sometimes Lewty coats tissue paper in white gesso onto which he applies softly inked lettering. The engaging but illegible lettering he uses in some of his work is known as tachygraphy, or Shelton’s shorthand - used in the 17th Century by civil servants, in particular by Samuel Pepys for his diaries, and mastered by Lewty over a period of years. These elegant mysterious marks serve as a secret language, in this case - ‘a kind of wordless sea-language’ which he developed in 2019 as an evocation of the voices of the Nereids, ‘who may cry in the murmurs of the waves’.  

Simon Lewty & The Nereids runs from 15th May to 4th July 2021.   

“A Way with Words”is a major touring exhibition celebrating the 25thAnniversary of the Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society, with almost 100 selected pieces of calligraphic and lettering work, in a variety of media, to show the huge range of ways to express words visually and beautifully.

This exhibition travels to venues in the north, south, east and west of the country, and the vast majority of work will be on display at the final stage of its journey at The Lettering Arts Centre, Snape Maltings

In an increasingly visual society, calligraphy has gained popularity as people appreciate the skilful demonstration of scripts and styles.  It is also a thriving and popular craft skill that encourages anyone with a love of words to express themselves.

Traditional manuscript painting and gilding can be seen alongside many other techniques, such as writing on metals or glass, work with nibs, brushes and other tools, paints, inks and engraving, linocuts and digitally manipulated images.

The Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society (CLAS) is one of the largest western lettering societies in the world.  It is based in the United Kingdom and has an extensive membership in Europe as well as many other countries. CLAS is a registered charity that aims to provide educational support for its members and the wider public, as well as raising standards in calligraphy and lettering. It holds a variety of national and international events such as the annual week-long Festival of Calligraphy, day and weekend workshops and touring exhibitions. 

Visitor info

The Lettering Arts Centre is open 11am - 5pm daily

Admission is free

The office is open Mon - Friday 9am - 5pm 01728 688 393