Irini Gonou

Calligrapher

©Gonou

A passion for letters

Irini believes that the art of lettering has been neglected
For her, natural handmade tools imprint perfectly our inner emotions
In her work, she features her deep respect for nature

Irini Gonou is an artist who has worked with letters in many ways and with different materials. She was initiated to the Greek calligraphy by Agamemnon Tselikas, an inspiring professor in palaeography who helped her organise the ductus of different kind of manuscripts and historic scripts that she later reproduced in a calligraphy workshop. “Palaeography has always provided the raw material for calligraphy.” Since 2010, she has organised regular workshops and seminars on historic Mediterranean scripts and Arabic calligraphy, applying the principle of Mindful Calligraphy which “is a kind of handwriting art whose slow and deliberate strokes focus on simplicity, harmony and natural beauty aiming for a mind and body connection.”

Interview

©Gonou

©Gonou

When did you decide to follow this career?: I was studying letterforms and calligraphy for a long time just for me. Then one day I decided I would like to communicate and share with other people my passion for the letterforms. That’s when I realised that many people were interested in lettering art.
What do people usually ignore about your art?: The lettering art is an important part of our cultural heritage, influenced by the history, geography and sociology of a place. Lettering artisans have created exquisite masterpieces: in manuscripts, inscriptions and everyday objects. Scripts are everywhere and it's interesting to discover where they come from.
How do you succeed in connecting your art with the environment?: I try to connect the content of my workshops or seminars with the place, its history and its culture. I am inspired by the place and I try to be in harmony with it. In this way the surrounding atmosphere enhances the workshop's ambience.
Why do you like working with natural handmade tools?: Natural tools are unique. When I propose to the participants of my workshops that they should collect twigs, leaves, reeds or pine needles, it's because every one of them creates a different mark – their drawing line is different. It also demonstrates that nature can provide us with everything we need.

Irini Gonou is a master artisan: she began her career in 2003 and she started teaching in 2010