Designing a piece of the past: Former White House calligrapher teaches this weekend in South San Francisco

With more time on his hands, Paulus has taken to sharing his passion for calligraphy on the road and will stop this weekend in South San Francisco to author an introductory class building skills in meticulous penmanship.

Though he did not support the policies of the second president he served, Paulus said he never lost his deep sense of admiration for the opportunity to serve the nation’s commander in chief.

“Personally, and for most people, you still pinch yourself every time you go there,” he said of working at the White House. “Every time I wrote the president’s name on a place card, whether I agreed with his policy or not, it was an honor.”

Paulus, a Massachusetts native, said he established an interest in the unique writing style early on but his enthusiasm for it was fueled around 1980 when he took an apprenticeship at a calligraphy studio writing certificates.

“I loved it so, so much that when I first saw what they did, I’d do it for minimum wage,” he said.

In a stroke of luck, he was hired at the studio by Bill Tolley, son of former presidential calligrapher Adrian Tolley and a icon in the calligraphy industry.

Paulus said once he learned such a position in the White House existed, it became a goal to one day land the dream job.

“I set my eyes on that being a cool job to aspire to, and I Forrest Gumped it all the way there,” he said.

Paulus cut his teeth working at the State Department, where he began to understand the challenges associated with practicing his craft in an administrative setting, before moving on to working for the president.

He makes it clear his ascension to the post in Washington, D.C., is not to be considered a declaration of him being the nation’s best calligrapher. Instead, he said his ability to fill the position for so long is a testament to his capacity for managing the sizable demands of the job.

“It’s a tight, tight deadline job,” he said. “And you manage to squeeze in as much creativity as you can.”

The job was so demanding during busy periods of the year, such as the holiday season, Paulus said he kept a room in the White House where he would stay overnight after long days of work.

Despite the challenges, Paulus said he remembers his time in the nation’s capital fondly.

“It was a fairly grueling job,” he said. “There were pressures, but I was paid well and fed well and sometimes I had to work long hours and sometimes it didn’t go well. But by and large it was a pretty slick job.”

Ultimately though he said his opposition of the Bush administration became too much to bear, eventually prompting his exit.

“I felt like I was working toward a goal that I didn’t believe in,” he said.

Following his illustrious career, Paulus moved with his wife to Sonoma County where he is trying his hand at an opportunity to recapture some of the creativity partially stifled by the intensive workload at the White House.

He completed a series of works blending his penmanship with art inspired by the Pacific Ocean, before turning to another line influenced by the travels of John Muir. The endeavors have allowed Paulus to try mixed materials apart from his traditional approach of simply putting pen to paper, as he has taken on stone and wood carving to design the Muir works.

“Both bodies of work are forcing me to work in expressive mediums that I never have before, to interpret more freely and meaningfully the words I am learning,” he said.

He has also expanded the size and scope of his calligraphic works while attempting to do massive installations on beaches featuring letters between 8 and 10 feet tall.

The new creative enterprises have unlocked a fresh perspective on practicing the skills he has developed over the past four decades, said Paulus.

“This has opened up all kinds of new things that I didn’t expect,” he said.

Such ambitious works will not be part of his upcoming workshop, said Paulus, who aims to help novices learn the building blocks of calligraphy. The workshop has been sold out and a waiting list has formed to fill vacancies but, considering the appetite for such lessons, Paulus said it is likely he will plan future classes.

He said attendees will be offered lessons on the essential foundations of calligraphy, and guidance for how to continue building one’s proficiency through endless hours of quiet and committed practice.

“Calligraphy is largely a very meditative process,” said Paulus. “People talk about being mindful. Well, if you are creating a little letter that is a quarter inch but it takes five strokes, you really have to be mindful.”

Paulus will host his workshop Sunday, Jan. 22, at the Joseph Fernekes Building. Tickets cost $100 and proceeds will benefit the South San Francisco Friends of Parks and Recreation.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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