Bringing Life to Words
Commissions ♦ Engraving ♦ Teaching ♦ Orginal Works

Exploring Global Manuscripts

Thanks to two grants from the Southern New England Apprenticeship Program, I have been privileged to study manuscripts from around the world with Lavell Thompson, Merri Klar, Amelia Kearney, Maria Adams, Aisha Edwards, Jennifer Thorpe, Sue Lavoie and Asa Ettienne-Modeste. I look forward to continuing this research and developing my illumination skills by learning more about manuscripts from Africa, the Middle East, Tibet, Central America and China.

In the Winter of 2024, I will be offering a 6-week class, Building Illumination Skills: African inspirations.  

The Southern New England Apprenticeship Program is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and supported by Connecticut Humanities, the Connecticut Historical Society, the Connecticut Office of the Arts (DECD), and the Mass Cultural Council.

More pictures from our journey here

Calligraphy

Debby Reelitz is an experienced calligrapher with 25 years as a professional lettering artist. Throughout the calligraphy sections, you’ll find an array of works from simple to complex, architectural to ephemeral, elegant to playful. Enjoy!

Engraving

Engraving services are available for brand activations, retail events, on-site calligraphy or engraving and weddings throughout the Northeast and beyond. Debby has extensive teaching and public speaking experience and is looking forward to representing your product or personalizing a gift and making it unique!

Gallery

Fun Organic Shirts, which emerged out of Debby’s studio, has a great line of hemp and organic cotton or bamboo shirts. With fun phrases like, “Whoever Smiles Wins” and “Powered by Kale”.

A selection of calligraphic prints, ornaments and originals are available at her Etsy shop, dreelitz.

Teaching

In 2002, Debby started teaching calligraphy at the West Hartford Art League and hasn’t stopped teaching since. Her passion for keeping this beautiful art form alive fuels her efforts to develop teaching methods that make this challenging art form accessible to more people, both youth and adult.