Homage to Matisse – hand-painted fountain pen
R4,500
In the last decade of his life, Henri Matisse used very simple materials: white paper and gouche paint to create his cut-outs. Trained in graphic design and having worked with shapes and textures and colours all her life, Su Wolf (@sutroywolf) finds it remarkable that more than 70 years later, Matisse’s cut-outs still look as fresh and modern as if he had created them today.
According to the MoMa website: “Throughout his career, Matisse searched for a way to unite the formal elements of color and line …. Through the cut-outs, he was finally able to unite these two branches of his practice. He described the process of making them as both “cutting directly into color” and “drawing with scissors.”
Like Matisse, Su is obsessed with shape and colour and this pen is her tribute to his genius. And while Matisse created his cutouts by painting the white paper with vibrant colours in gouache, then cutting the large shapes out with scissors, Su created this artwork by painting similar shapes on a tiny, very tricky curved surface. If Matisse had still been alive we think he would have been impressed.
Some more background on the process: We created the pen blank which Su then painted. We coated the artwork in a layer of clear resin so as to allow the owner to carry and use this art on a daily basis without it getting scratched or damaged. We also added a grip section in a complementary colour, then did a final shaping, polishing and buffing. Finally we tuned the nib. The end product is a portable, functional, one-of-a kind work of art.
This particular pen also has a sterling silver cap band and section ring.
Nib:
Available in Jowo #6 in polished steel. Please select Fine, Medium or Broad at the check-out.
The Jabulani model
SPECIFICATIONS
This is a gently curvaceous model, with a relatively wide girth of 16 mm (0,6″) narrowing to a 10,5 mm (0,4″) grip section. It has our logo on the finial, and the finial is ever-so-slightly rounded, rather than dead flat, which adds to the pen’s elegance.
Dimensions:
| mm | inches | |
| Total length (closed) | 148 | 5,8 |
| Length (pen only no cap) | 136 | 5,3 |
| Diameter at widest point (excl. cap) | 16 | 0,6 |
| Width of section at narrowest point | 10,5 | 0,4 |
| Section length | 25 | 10 |
| Cap thread | 14 | 0,5 |
The section can be made to fit either a Bock #6 or a Jowo #6 nib.
Refill type:
Standard international fountain pen converter (supplied) or ink cartridge.
SHIPPING
International shipping to your door via DHL Express is R350 and should take less than 10 days once despatched. Pens are securely packed.
Shipping within South Africa to your door is R60.
