Hello. Allow me introduce myself: my name is Mary-Jane Roussel. I’m Canadian -- and French! I come from the Kawarthas (in Ontario) and live in the South of France. I’m the chief-cook-and-bottle-washer at creatuto.
I head up a non-profit group called Pleins et Déliés, based in Jonquerettes. (Let's say it right! Pronounce it “Plens eh Day-lee-ay”.) In addition to managing the website, I do occasional classes for adults in our pittoresque village as well as workshops in primary and junior high schools.
When I’m in a classroom, kids often ask me,
“How long have you been doing calligraphy?” & “Why do you like Calligraphy?”
To the first question, I answer that, as a child, I went to Church every Sunday. Some kids paid attention to what the preacher was saying; others stared at the stained glass, waiting for the minutes to tick by. And me, I spent the time copying and re-drawing the lettres of the song titles, which were written in a Gothic hand in our hymnbook.
As for their second question, I usually tell them that, if you believe in reincarnation, I must have been a monk in a former life!
Oh, perhaps you’d also like to know that I am a trained Fashion Designer, but I spend much more time designing letters than clothes!