Carl Rohrs, He Roars: With Energy & Enthusiasm

Carl Rohrs Demoed a "Master Class"  on  Brush Writing at Kalligraphia 13 Free Demo Series 

Carl Demoes a Linz Bounce during a Free Saturday Brush Writing Demo

I've read somewhere on the Net , a guy proclaiming Carl Rohrs as "the best sign painter,typographer, & calligrapher in the planet". Who can argue that one? Probably coming from one of his students at Cabrillo College. At the 8/04/2012 Kalligraphia 13 Saturday demo,  a front-row attendee, a lady who kept Rohrs busy with questions after question remarked in the end,"Rohrs demo  was like  a 'Master Class' in calligraphy for two hours." Rohrs not only showed flat and pointed brush techniques(press & release) but also  how to use a brass  pen and how to make pens out of bamboos(Barbara who grows  bamboos brought free samples of  bamboos). He also showed the Linz bounce and described techniques of several European Masters.

 I'd to agree with the lady if I didn't take Carl's class, I wouldn't understand too all the techniques he described and demoed.  Rohr's free demo was an SRO (Standing Room Only-he had the entire room; it was not divided into two rooms as in some demos)  that's why you see the video clip with his back, I was standing on right side of the room while he was demoing. He told me, "I didn't know I was being videotaped( My instrument is a tiny Nikon camera with James Bondish video capability ) . But he said, "Ok, you can post a clip." ,  though he always wants to be in control of his work.

The front-row lady asked him to  demo the word "Kaleidoscope". ( the video clip was too long I couldn't post it here  since it keeps aborting). For his exhibit piece, Rohrs submitted a gorgeous letter S which looks better when viewed in person than in a picture.

                                                         Carl Rohrs  "The Letter"


Rohrs describes his piece as "...the transformation cut paper brings to one's calligraphy...my endless fascination with marbled papers...I try to make multiple patterns and colors work together and the addition of Chiyogami papers has shot me into a paradise of gaudiness."
Not only he's one heck of a lettering artist, he's also  generous and kind. Last year, he donated his lecture fee to a  sick student.
Below is a description of him in one of his classes published on:
Alphabet Vol 34, No. 1, Fall 2008 p 5.***
Bailando Con Carl Rohrs (Dancing With Carl Rohrs) by Elizabeth Nisperos;
 "Big of heart, Rohrs has a surplus of love for his students. There was no exclusivity; he made each student special by inscribing his or her name on the inside cover of his manual. The hard-to-find manual are enough to last for a lifetime of practice.By the end of the workshop, he knew each student by name because he sat at each table writing their names as a demo subject."

Rohrs shares a discovery, "The German meaning of Rohrs is pen, tube, barrel. I didn't know that I was Carl Pen all this time."

.***email the blogger to get a  pdf copy of the article in  brush lettering  workshop if you don't have the Alphabet issue.