Carol’s Story

Carol DuBosch’s love for calligraphy started at 12 years old, when she attended an art summer camp and created elaborate copies of medieval manuscript pages. Her art teacher at Cleveland High School in Portland, a student of Lloyd J. Reynolds, integrated calligraphy into the curriculum, further fueling Carol’s interest. 

Carol remembers: “In 1959, as a freshman at Cleveland High School in Portland, I studied calligraphy using a small spiral-bound book by Lloyd Reynolds, who I knew was a famous local author and calligrapher. As I studied the book, I noticed an address on one of the pages. I asked my teacher, why would this address be in the book? She said that it was probably Lloyd Reynolds’ home address. That afternoon, when I got off the school bus, I turned left and walked half a block instead of turning right toward my house and walking half a block. There it was, Lloyd Reynolds’ house, one block away from my own house. I stood there in awe and felt it was a signpost for my life. We met three years later when I was in college. I studied with him for many years.”

After relocating to the East Coast, Carol returned to Portland in the early 1970s to find a thriving calligraphy community, including the Western American Branch of the Society for Italic Handwriting, which later became the Portland Society for Calligraphy. She joined in 1976, and under Reynolds’ influence, she became actively involved in workshops, exhibits and lectures. Carol went on to earn a degree in graphic design and has studied under the guidance of many of the leading calligraphers in the United States and Europe.

Carol began teaching calligraphy informally at her dining room table in 1978. She found it fulfilling and has taught for many years, with a talent for explaining things simply with an enthusiasm for exploring and creating.

Carol dedicated much of her career to teaching in various capacities. She taught at Portland Community College for over thirty-five years. She taught many years at the Multnomah Arts Center, Clatsop Community College in Astoria, and privately in Lake Oswego. She has offered private classes and workshops throughout the United States and internationally. She also directed three successful International Calligraphy Conferences in Portland.

Carol has earned recognition through various competitions, including 14 wins in The Graceful Envelope contest, where she garnered the Best of Show award. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines, books and national advertisements, and she has demonstrated her calligraphic artistry on television. Carol has also published two books, Folded Pen Adventures and Bone Script & Neuland, which share her innovative techniques and passion for the art form.

Carol remains active in the calligraphy community, sharing her work on social media platforms and encouraging the next generation of lettering artists. She teaches extensively on Zoom and she is the administrator of an online calligraphy study group with 60 members world wide.

For more information about her classes and artwork, visit her website at caroldubosch.com or follow her on Instagram @caroldubosch and Facebook at facebook.com/carol.dubosch.

Compiled from an article written by Mary Ann David in the June 2005 newsletter, the PSC 50th Anniversary book and various other sources.