BARBARA HELLER

(Curator)

Barbara Heller was inspired to create the letters in Pride and Prejudice (Chronicle Books, 2020) and Little Women, by her own desire to hold those letters in her hands. Her career in film and television encompasses finding furnishings and props for many shows including The Americans and When They See Us; location managing films for Francis Coppola, Nancy Meyers, and Barbet Schroeder; and directing award-winning short films that have played at festivals around the world (Cannes, Berlin, Sundance).  One of those films, Little Women in Transit, is based on a short story written by her sister Milly, about three sisters in the backseat of a station wagon on a family car trip. To satisfy her curiosity, Barbara reported on why hotels fold the end of the toilet paper into a point for NPR. She graduated from Brown University with a degree in English Literature and lives with her son in New York City.

ANNA PINTO

Anna Pinto (Anniversary Ode, turtledove sketch, cover title) wrote letters as Elizabeth Bennett, Lydia Bennett and Mr. Bennett, and the cover title for Barbara Heller’s edition of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Her work is included in The Calligraphy Revival: 1906-2016 by Jerry Kelly, and Calligraphy Studio: The Ultimate Introduction to the Art of Hand Lettering by Christopher Calderhead, among other publications. Her work can be found in the collections of the San Francisco Public Library; the Dana and Alexander Libraries at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey; and the Beinecke Library at Yale University.

 ALEXANDRA MORRILL

Alexandra Morrill (graphic artist) also worked her wizardry on the letters for the special edition of Pride and Prejudice. She has a background in Fine Arts and twenty years of art, graphic, and illustration experience for companies such as Barney’s NY, J. Crew, Artisan Publishing, MAC Cosmetics, the Center for Fiction, and ESP Trendlab, to name just a few.

DEBRA FLEMING

Debra Fleming (Meg March, Jo March) was introduced  to calligraphy over 35 years ago and discovered a lifelong passion. Studying, supporting and creating art has been her focus since that first calligraphy lesson. Her love of writing and books led her to work as a library associate with the Jefferson Parish library. In addition to being a member of the New Orleans Lettering Arts Association, her work has been included in numerous exhibitions. 

YVETTE “EVE” RUTLEDGE

Yvette “Eve” Rutledge  (Beth March, Amy March) has been a professional lettering artist since 1973, when she began painting signs and researching letterforms in out-of-print library books. She formally studied typography, book design, calligraphy, and hand engraving and has freelanced for clients such as UC Press Berkeley and Pennyroyal Press. Eve teaches lettering and engraving at conferences and colleges, establishing the Center for the Lettering Arts with her husband Vince Mitchell at their shop Mystic Blue Signs in New Orleans, where they also compose original music for their band. 

PATTI ADAMS

Patti Adams (Theodore “Laurie” Laurence) is a New Orleans artist whose work is defined by her wide-ranging interests in calligraphy, hand lettering, book illustration, portraiture and painting in oils and watercolor. Her calligraphic work has appeared in national publications. She teaches calligraphy, gold leaf gilding and watercolor at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. Patti has a parallel creative life as a professional flutist with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

VINCENT MITCHELL

Vincent Mitchell (Mr. March, Mr. Laurence, S. Hale, Mr. Laurence’s monogram)  

has always been fascinated by codes, cyphers and glyphs, particularly from Egyptian and Mayan cultures. He studies optics and music, and taught piano lessons in Haiti. He apprenticed with the Seattle based artist Trimpin during the building of a major art installation, before returning to New Orleans where he and his wife Yvette Rutledge formed a band to play their original music.  For the last seventeen years, they have worked together as hand-lettering artists in their shop, Mystic Blue Signs.

EUGENIA UHL

Eugenia Uhl (Marmee, Hannah Mullet) is a calligrapher, calligraphy teacher, bookmaker and photographer in New Orleans. Her photographs have been featured in Departures, Southern Accents, Metropolitan Homes, House Beautiful, Essence, Travel & Leisure and Everyday With Rachel Ray. In addition, she has been the culinary photographer for eight cookbooks including Commander’s Kitchen and Galatoire’s. She is most inspired by combining calligraphy with photography in hand made book form on themes of light, place and shape.