Penscriptions Calligraphy, custom and retail products

I ordered these images for my clients last week. They already arrived from my printer. I'm sending some off in the mail tomorrow. Others get picked up at our house.

Note: the last day to order for Christmas 12/19.
Small prints and mugs make great stocking stuffers.
Click on an image to see a description.

Today begins the first of four weeks of Advent, preparing for Christmas and the birth of Jesus.
One of the hymns we sang in church this morning was O Come, Emmanuel.
I love to sing this familiar tune and words, but I also love saying them and hearing who Jesus is. what he has done, and why he comes to us.

1 O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.

2 O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go.
Refrain
3 O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.
Refrain
4 O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o'er the grave.
Refrain
5 O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death's abode.
Refrain
6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light.
Refrain
7 O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace.
Refrain

Today begins the first of four weeks of Advent, preparing for Christmas and the birth of Jesus.
One of the hymns we sang in church this morning was O Come, Emmanuel. I love to sing this familiar tune and words, but I also love saying them and hearing who Jesus is and why he came.

1 O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.

2 O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who ordered all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show
and teach us in its ways to go.
Refrain

3 O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to your tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.
Refrain

4 O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem,
unto your own and rescue them!
From depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o'er the grave.
Refrain

5 O come, O Key of David, come
and open wide our heavenly home.
Make safe for us the heavenward road
and bar the way to death's abode.
Refrain

6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star,
and bring us comfort from afar!
Dispel the shadows of the night
and turn our darkness into light.
Refrain

7 O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace.
Refrain

By God's grace and will we've journeyed through 2025 to another November and Thanksgiving time!
I am thankful for all God has done to get my attention so I see a little more clearly his goodness and grace.
There is so much for which to give thanks. The list can go on and on and that is good! It shows that we have so much for which to be thankful. In fact, that 'so much' includes everything, the good things and the hard things.
1 Thess. 5:18 says, "Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
James 1:2-4 says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Thankfulness to God changes our heart.
May you be filled with heartfelt gratitude this Thanksgiving.

A hearty "Thank You" 👏🙌 to all who came to the boutique at The North Church. It was a busy and joyous event giving wonderful opportunity to visit with old friends (and supply them with a fresh batch of cards, mugs, and wall art) and make new friends who found my table and enjoyed shopping.

Now, I want to welcome you to my next event this Tuesday, from 10am-2pm - it's Open House at our house! ☺️

Folks have already mentioned it doesn't work with their schedule, so they will call and make an appointment for another time.

Ubi Caritas - is the final antiphon sung in Latin, traditionally on Maundy Thursday, Evening Mass. The original hymn is very long. Only three verses are typically used now; the first verse is here in both English and Latin. Its author is unknown, but it was most probably written in France during the 10th century. A more contemporary musical setting is by Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986), a French composer and organist.
I chose to base my letter style on a rounded Gothic from an Italian manuscript book from 1388 to about 1425.
How would this text be used? It's been given as framed print on paper for a wedding … and it could also be on canvas or metal to celebrate an anniversary.

I'm gathering my greeting cards, mugs, prints and some framed work to show at the Holiday Craft Boutique at The North Church next weekend. Looking forward to this great annual event along with the many many other exhibitors.
Contact me if you are looking for a particular image, format or size. I can gather an order for you to pick up on the weekend

Check these sites for views of my work…
pens.zenfolio.com: contains images for ordering in various formats as well as a gallery of commissioned work I've done
or
judy-dodds.pixels.com: contains images for ordering in various formats. NOTE about greeting cards: I get my greeting cards printed from a different source because I like to custom design all sides of the card. The back of the card uses a snippet from the front image, a short text, and my contact information. The uncoated matte paper with a soft texture makes a great writing surface. NOTE about mugs: I use a printer other than the one on this site, as I have more design and color options to offer you.

I mentioned designing Here I Am, Lord with with traditional illumination materials and techniques in a previous post. The illuminated style is characterized by ornate initials, gold that shines and reflects light, bright colors, decorative borders or flowers, vines, and miniature illustrations on vellum, or animal skin.

Interested in getting a little more information about illuminated manuscripts?
* This link from the Minneapolis Museum of Art has photos and text on the what, who and how of illuminated manuscripts: https://new.artsmia.org/programs/teachers-and-students/teaching-the-arts/art-in-context/medieval-illuminated-manuscripts
* A video (11:35min) - A short History on Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts: A short History on Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pewasA24hPs

Some of my illuminated work:
* Rejoice Illuminated: (Original at First Presbyterian Church, St Paul, MN)
#522 5: 5x7 greeting card: $3.95;
#522 4: Fine print in gold 13.75"x17" frame with fillet: $225. If you're interested, can send a photo.
* Sub Tuum: on vellum. In gallery at Church of St Louis, King of France, St. Paul, MN
* Hymn Psalm: on paper. In gallery at Church of St Louis, King of France, St. Paul, MN

The past couple weeks at church have included the annual Global Focus on missions.
We sang the hymn Here I Am, Lord at our services, in thanks to God for those responding to his invitation to share message of hope and salvation, in far places or in our neighborhoods.
At the Wednesday Global Focus Connection many activities gave the opportunity to talk with many global partners and get updates on their ministries. We tasted foods from various countries in the Global Marketplace. We became more aware of persecuted Christians in China through the 'tour of China' and 'met' several people, past and present, who were significant in the sharing of the gospel in China. We were standing with Matt in the group going through this tour. It was a blessing to talk with him and hear some of his story - he and his family had fled China last year. His dad, the pastor of a house church, is still there.
These comments are from our pastor's sermon: "A little over a week ago, the Chinese communist party police detained around 30 pastors and staff of Zion church, an influential Chinese house church network. This includes the arrest of their lead pastor Ezra Jin. Many of the family members of those detained have had no contact with them since the arrests. This is a really challenging, heartbreaking, and significant moment of persecution for the church in China, which has suffered a long history of religious persecution.
Today after the second service a group will be gathering in the prayer room to bring these things before the Lord and pray for our Chinese brothers and sisters in Christ. We’d love for any of you to join us."
* Information on this image: I had been working on illumination using traditional gilding tools and materials. I put it to use when designing this image.
Greeting card: $4.95. Print on paper, metal, or canvas: starts at $15

Last August 4, 2025 was the 300th anniversary of John Newton's birth!
Last Saturday at Northwestern's Benson Great Hall, we attended the premiere performance of Newton's Oratorio, composed by Josh Bauder. This glorious musical work included a full orchestra, 60 voice choir, 7 soloists, and a long text. We heard the story of God's gracious, redeeming work in the life and heart of John Newton (a wicked man), William Cowper (a depressed, hopeless man), and 5 other individuals in John Newton's life - Thomas Scott, Theodora Cowper, her father, John Wesley, and William Wilberforce. Oh, how great is God's amazing grace toward us.
Having more knowledge of John's life by hearing the skilled orchestral and choral presentation, plus being able to follow the text on a link, gave a depth of understanding to his songs I did not have before the concert!
Several of Newton's hymns were sung, one of which is the very well known "Amazing Grace".
I hope many have the opportunity to see and be blessed by this tremendous work by Josh Bauder. Soli Deo Gloria.

A verse I thought of during the performance that described Newton's new life in Christ was 2 Corinthians 12:9 : My grace is sufficient for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.