A Visit With Sheila Waters - Calligraphic Artist

It's not every day we meet an internationally known artist. Since moving to Washington we have seen a lot of well known people, but have not actually met many of them. Yesterday we had an opportunity to take a drive to Pennsylvania with our friend who knows Sheila Waters. I didn't know quite what to expect but knew right away when I saw her studio that it would be an interesting time. Not only were her works of art on display from a recent show, but the brushes and paint and computer equipment were all very tantalizing! What I liked most was her hospitality, the sketches she did as a young girl, and the number of times she mentioned her late husband's name. She and Peter - a world renowned decorative book binder - were very involved in leading the effort to restore the rare books damaged from the 1960's flood in Florence. He also headed up the bookbinding division at the Library of Congress. My friend knows them both well and was trained to be a bookbinder herself. It was a really nice outing and one of many day trips we have taken since moving here. We did get a signed copy of her retrospective. It is well worth the read of a remarkable life.