Jamie Shear

“If the heavens were parchment and the forests quills, if all the oceans were ink, as well as all gathered water, if all the earth’s inhabitants were scribes and gilders of heraldic signs, the eternal greatness of God could not be sufficiently described. ”

The citation above is from a Hebrew liturgy of praise written in the 11th century. I do not think it is meant to discourage one from attempting to describe the greatness of God, for it describes God’s greatness. What it expresses is that the attempt to do so could never be completed individually or collectively because God is infinite in greatness. 

The goals in my work are not to capture any essence or to make any grand summary in the letter-art form. Rather, my goals in my work are to take an accounting of the world as a creation that reflects a Creator and to tell of its beauty, grace, and glory through all means possible. The chore is continuous and never-ending. 

Value does not reside in completed work as much as in the process itself.    Transforming raw materials into a momentous work of art is significant but secondary to the transformation it should have on me. While doing the work I do, I aim to become a better person, more understanding and more sensitive to the world around me and to the needs of others. 

Through scholarship and exactitude, I am dedicated to transmitting the heritage of my people for future generations. It is with tremendous responsibility and great honor that I approach my work. I have always been fascinated with the Hebrew letterform, but attending a demonstration of a scribe twenty years ago played an enormous impact on my career choice.    I am committed to education through communicating values expressed in my work and by the teaching of the scribal arts. 

The role of a scribe is not exalted and limited to a select few. It is inherent in the fundamental trait of the human quest to advance. Since the dawn of human history, the act of communication through speech and script has played a major part to categorize man separately. Language through speech and script are basic components in human development. Only through these facets one can begin to approach spirituality. 
 

In current times, it is important for members of all faiths to express themselves creatively and exhibit or perform their work in public. In doing so, common ground will be found in all people. My prayer is that we ascend beyond the need of tolerance, mutual respect and cross-cultural appreciation and we begin to frequent the realm of fascination, for we are all family within nations, and all people are created in the image of God.