BECKLEY — “You gotta love these new buzz words like ‘displaced’ worker,” Terry Quentrill says with a chuckle. “I loved my job and probably would not have left if I had not been pushed out of the nest and forced to fly on my own. I decided this was the time to try my wings and go for my dream of having my own working letter arts studio and become a full-time artist."

After graduating from Hurricane High School, Quentrill earned a technical degree in mechanical drafting and related specialties at Center College in Charleston.

Her drafting skills took her through several jobs, including 15 years at Union Carbide, where she worked as a computer-aided drafter. Most recently, she worked for seven years at Chesapeake Energy in Charleston as a geological technician. She was laid off, and at 51, had a big choice to make. She could become discouraged, lament the loss and see the glass half empty.

Instead, Quentrill decided there’s no time like the present to pursue a lifelong love of the artistic side of lettering.

“I took my first calligraphy class while I was working for Columbia Gas Transmission in Charleston. By profession, I am a draftsperson and began my career at Columbia in the mapping department. My manager suggested I take the class because I did a lot of the special presentations because my lettering and maps were nice and neat,” Quentrill said.

She studied at West Virginia State University with Yvette Rutledge, a calligrapher who had studied in France under the tutelage of an engraver.

Rutledge was instrumental in starting the Charleston Calligraphers Guild, and Quentrill was part of the first class.

“I am still involved with that guild and serve as vice president. I continue to take classes and have studied with many international lettering artists,” she said. “I have promoted the art of lettering in West Virginia by teaching for many years, sharing my love of letters at Cedar Lakes Crafts Center in Ripley, through classes on the community education level, public workshops and private lessons. I also facilitate calligraphy workshops for the Calligraphers Guild and at Main Street Art Studio in Hurricane.”

She is also a member of the Huntington Calligraphers Guild and West Virginia Allied Artists.

She shares a co-op art space with three other artists at Main Street Art Studio in Hurricane. She paints, creates mixed media art and teaches lettering there.

Quentrill thinks way out of the box when it comes to calligraphy. For her, it’s far more than some fancy lettering on invitations, envelopes and fancy programs for concerts and events.

“I love many things about calligraphy,” she said. “Not only the way that letters are formed, but also by all the other media you can intertwine and layer with the letters.”

During the first steps to learning calligraphy, students master the art of making letters by what is called the “ductus method,” or stroke-sequence method.

“You learn about different inks and pen points. As you grow, you are introduced to new mark-making tools, new inks and paints and new writing surfaces. I love to work on unprimed canvas and am happy to consider myself a mixed media artist as well as a master calligrapher,” Quentrill said.

Her talents take calligraphy beyond letters. Quentrill has a love of words and finds a challenge in making them interpret emotions and meanings by combining color and design to those interpretation.

“It’s about creating a piece of art that speaks to others. The viewer has to be able to connect with the art.”

Quentrill has combined more free time with a vivid imagination and has come up with new ways to do special fabric albums for weddings, families or just about any occasion.

“Right now, I’m having a blast painting on canvas and using photographs, fibers, lace and vintage embellishments I create what I call ‘Canvas Memory  Portraits.’ I also create canvas photo albums using the same techniques.

“Through calligraphy I have been able to tap into my creative soul; and using watercolors, pastels, acrylics, gouache, inks and gold, I create expressive calligraphic works of art,” she said.

The youngest of four girls growing up in Charleston, Quentrill said many of her talents have been passed down from her mother.

“My mother was very good at drawing and was an excellent seamstress. She loved to paint those paint-by-number things, and she would draw little cartoon characters. Her creative outlet was sewing, and she would stay up until 1 or 2 a.m. making dresses and coats for all of us girls. She used to sew for Stone & Thomas when I was little. She got the material for a discounted price and had to leave the dresses on display for a while before we could wear them. We might have had hand-me-down shoes, but we always had new clothes to wear.  She was also very musical and played the organ. I like to think my artistic talent and creativity came from her.”

On the commercial side, Quentrill has clients for whom she does lettering for special commissions/gifts, certificates, presentations, proclamations, wedding invitations and envelopes and whatever else might call for some flair and flourish here and there.

Starting over hasn’t been easy, but Quentrill says she’ll never know what she can accomplish until she tries.

“I took this as an opportunity to see if the time is right to do this as a career,” she said. “I’m putting myself out there and we’ll see how it goes. It’s scary but it’s also exciting. If I can make a living doing something I love, I will be the happiest person in the world.”

For more information, call 304-982-1522.

— E-mail: bdavis@register-herald.com