Hope

A jumbled mass of meaningless letters and symbols is energised by a single individual, charging in, armed with nothing but hope and enlightenment. This piece is dedicated to the vision and determination of enlightened individuals such as William Wilberforce, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela which has brought cultural, political and law change to oppressive regimes and given meaning and hope to the lives of countless others.

I carved this piece on the morning of the 17th of December 2009 at the mouth of the Kleinrivier (Small River) lagoon, near Hermanus, South Africa. I got seriously lucky with the way the light fell!

Photography: Nikon D700, Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8 G

Submitted by
Andrew van der Merwe

About the artist
I am a diehard freelance calligrapher based in Cape Town, South Africa. I have always been passionate about the letter arts and always hoped to one day make a living from it. You can find out more about me at http://www.writtenword.co.za/home_about.htm. The beach calligraphy is a technique I have developed over the past 8 years. You can get some background and see more of it at http://j-laf.org/2008/10/worlds-project-report-beach-ca.html and http://behance.net/beachscriber.

Dimensions
36 x 36" / 91 x 91 cm archival print, on canvas, stretched and framed.
In situ, the piece measured about 5 x 10m and was carved using instruments and techniques I have developed.

Location
The piece can be shipped from Cape Town, South Africa, or since it is a digital print, it may be shipped from an online canvas print-and-frame service near you. The latter will be quicker and cheaper. The reserve of £120 is to cover this cost.