Beth Hunt is an artist and calligrapher based in Oxford, Mississippi who has a passion for pretty things including traditional interiors, beautiful tablescapes, flowers, fun dresses, whimsical art, European splendor, and of course, calligraphy. Today Beth welcomes The Glam Pad into her beautiful Grandmillennial home for a tour and a look at some of her exquisite work!

“Calligraphy found me before I even knew I was looking for it,” said Beth. “What started as a love for beautiful letters turned into something much bigger—creating pieces that become part of people’s stories.”

Beth’s story began as a child wistfully filling notepads with doodles of flowers, ribbons, and ladies in 18th century French court fashions. Though she had never left the southern United States, her pen allowed her imagination and dreams of faraway times and places to flourish. At 12 years old, Beth received a calligraphy pen for Christmas, and a love of this ancient art of lettering was born. Art and French were her favorite subjects in school, and she dreamt of what life in France was like.

Following graduation from the University of Mississippi, Beth took a leap of faith and moved to France. Employed as an English teaching assistant to junior high students in the Parisian suburbs, she took every opportunity to travel, visit museums, and absorb the French language and culture.

In 2009, while living in Washington, DC, Beth started her calligraphy business after friends began asking her to address their wedding invitations in her “nice handwriting.” In 2014, Beth suffered a tragic accident that left her with a crushed right leg. Bedridden for 16 months and unable to live independently while undergoing around 30 surgeries, art was a source of comfort. It was during this time that she discovered the iPad Pro + Apple pencil, and began using the Procreate app to create hand-drawn, digital artwork.

“While I enjoy working in traditional mediums, the ease and portability of my iPad makes it a practical and surprisingly versatile tool for bringing my artwork to life,” she explains. “My iPad accompanies me to doctor appointments, carpool lines, and airports.”

Over the following years, Beth addressed thousands of envelopes and taught hundreds of students calligraphy through her in-person and online classes.

“I’m self-taught and while that’s an important part of my story, it also came with a ton of frustrations along the way,” said Beth. “My goal in teaching calligraphy is to help people bypass the frustrations I went through and get to the good part: enjoying it and using it to bring beauty into their lives.”

Beth’s students have ranged in age from 9 to 93, and they’ve all had one thing in common: the desire to learn this art form, she says. “It’s not good handwriting, it’s not talent – sure, those things don’t hurt, but at the end of the day, if you truly desire to learn it, you can!”

Today Beth’s story continues, finding beauty in everyday living and seeking inspiration and adventure through travels with her husband and two children. Her work has been featured in national publications such as USAToday.com, Delta Magazine and Food Network Magazine. In addition to being an advocate for the arts, Beth has a passion for classical music, Christian education, floral fabrics, and French pastries.

 

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To learn more, please visit Beth Hunt Designs and follow @bethhuntdesigns on Instagram. In addition to her exquisite calligraphy, Beth offers original art including custom hand-drawn silhouettes, framable paintings and prints, hand-painted Easter eggs and Christmas ornaments, stationery, Christmas cards, wedding invitations, scripture cards, branding and licensing opportunities, and calligraphy classes.

Thank you, Beth, for all of your inspiration and for joining us today!