Artisan
A Master of the Written Letter
Fairfield resident a gifted and influential calligrapher
By Tracy Panzer
Photography by Noel Kline
With a steady hand and precise maneuvers, Sheila Waters can turn any letter of the alphabet into a masterful piece of art. It’s an often underappreciated art form she has conquered and shared with people around the world.
Waters, 79, is a master calligrapher and letterer. It’s an art that she has taught, promoted and practiced for more than 60 years.
“Calligraphy is not just pretty writing on cards. It is an artwork, a beautiful artwork,” Waters says. “It is using (letters) as an element in a design. (Letters) can be used as the focal point or as a texture. Calligraphy is its own art form.”
Waters, who spent her childhood in England, says she knew from a young age that she wanted to be an artist, but didn’t learn her specialty until college. A student at Medway College of Art in England, she was hired to design a sign for a local grocer that simply stated “No tomatoes today.”
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