Julie Wildman of Highland clearly knows her way around the ink well.

Wildman grew up on Chicago's Southeast Side and graduated from T. F. North High School in Calumet City before attaining her bachelor's in graphic design from Chicago's Columbia College in 1987.

Wildman, who also lived in Memphis for two years, came to Highland in 2000 with her husband Brad, who flexes his artistic muscles on the musical side of the fence, playing guitar at home and in church.

Though she works daily in her home art studio doing commissioned pieces and teaches the delicate art of calligraphy one morning a week at the South Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Munster, for the most part Wildman is a full-time mom to 4-year-old son, Josiah.

She also is the latest Newberry Library Purchase Prize winner, having earned that honor at the Chicago Calligraphic Collective's 21st Annual Juried Exhibition earlier this month.

"I never expected to win," said Wildman, whose entry landed her a $2,000 purchase fee and now has become a permanent addition to the prestigious collection of art owned and housed at downtown Chicago's Newberry Library (www.newberry.org).

Wildman's winning piece, "Psalm 117," is an 8-by-18-inch art work created by blending inks and watercolors.

"Psalm 117" took nearly 18 hours to complete as the artist deftly wielded a variety of pen tips, brushes, burnishing tools, sheets of 24-carat gold leaf -- and a very steady hand.

"I've been into art my whole life. I went to school and got my B.A. in graphic design, because I figured that was the only way I could hope to make a living with art, which is something I love," said Wildman, who put her sheepskin to work immediately at a downtown graphic design firm, where she spent more than a decade making brochures, pamphlets and advertising materials.

For those today who correlate the term "graphic design" with computers, remember that in the late 1980s, computers and technology were still just beginning to infiltrate most work places and offices.

"It was not like it is now," said Wildman of her first two years as a graphic artist.

"I learned to work on a MacIntosh (computer) when I started my first job, because programs like PhotoShop and QuarkXPress were just coming out," she said.

"We drew logos and headlines by hand. I would study shapes of letters and I would then hand-letter things."

Wildman's fascination with lettering eventually led her to take a year-long master class in calligraphy, and her fascination grew into what is now her specialty. She has been a dedicated and involved member of the CCC since 2000.

"I'm just guessing here, but there are probably around 300 members right now," Wildman said of the CCC roster. "This year we only had about 100 pieces entered at the Newberry Library, making this one of our smallest exhibits."

A five-member panel of judges perused the various entries and eventually narrowed them down to 35 finalists, from which Newberry Library curator Paul Gehl selected the winning entry.

Every year an anonymous donor ponies up a cash prize so the Newberry can buy a piece for its permanent art collection from the annual CCC exhibition. "It used to be $1,500," Wildman said. "This year it was raised to $2,000."

While the cash prize was exciting, Wildman is most thrilled to know this personal piece of art, which was created as a personal means of praising God, to whom she has turned over her life, will forever be part of one of the most prestigious art collections in the world.

Wildman was humbled by the experience of winning, right down to being asked for an interview by this newspaper.

"I'm not used to this kind of thing," she said. "But I'm very happy to see something I created has gotten the interest of so many people."

The CCC exhibition featuring the many wonderful pieces of calligraphy-infused art, including "Psalm 117," will remain open to the public for free viewing in the Newberry Gallery through April 7.

FYI: www.southshoreartsonline.org

SIDEBAR:

Creating a winning work of art

"'Psalm 117' actually started as a demo that I did for some friends," Highland resident Julie Wildman said of her calligraphy creation that won the prestigious Newberry Library prize of $2,000.

"I liked the background so much that I decided to ruminate on it and see if any text ideas came to mind."

It was while reading some Psalms in "The Message" by Eugene Peterson, that inspiration struck Wildman: "I read my favorite lines -- 'Praise Yahweh, everybody! Applaud Yahweh, all people!" -- looked back at my piece, and the border around the edge seemed to remind me of people encircled around praising, dancing and applauding. So my text was found!"

Wildman had been wanting to try mixing letters in undulating bands of color, and thought this technique would work well with the piece's celebratory feel.

She used gold leaf, which is real gold, for the concluding shout of "Hallelujah!" because it was the word that embodied praise to God. The gold underscores the glory and power of her maker and the message of the chosen Psalm in a most beautiful way.

"This piece was done on paper with gouache water colors, Sumi ink and brown walnut ink," said Wildman, adding that the walnuts used in the ink came from a friend's tree.

"I don't make my own inks, but he had walnuts and he made the ink used here."

Sumi is a very, very black Japanese ink and is a key element in most calligraphy work -- used in everything from typical wedding invitations to amazing calligraphic art pieces, like those on display at the Newberry Library (60 W. Walton St.) in Chicago and the Chicago Calligraphic Collective (www.ChicagoCallig.com).