After completing an English degree at the University of York, I trained as a book designer at the London College of Printing during the last days of commercial hot metal typesetting. I then spent 40 years in academic publishing, ending up as Head of Journal Content Management where, amongst other things, I oversaw the transition to fully digital production.
In parallel to my work in publishing, I trained in calligraphy with Ann Hechle and Sue Hufton as part of the Advanced Training Scheme, run by the Society of Scribes & Illuminators. My work has subsequently been included in numerous exhibitions, and is held in public collections in the UK, the US, Germany and Pakistan.
A key influence on my work has been Hans Joachim Burgert, who I was fortunate enough to know late in his life and with whom I spent some time in Berlin. Other important influences have been Rudolf Koch and David Jones.
In recent years, most of my work has taken the form of manuscript books, combining text and image and which may take several months to complete. I find that the disciplined, rhythmic effect of massed writing is a visual representation of the inner reflective space necessary in order to fully engage with the subject. Equally important is the tactile element of the finished work, which aims to satisfy both hand and eye.
I am an elected member of the Letter Exchange and Reviews Editor for the journal Forum (http://letterexchange.org/); I am Chair of Trustees and serve on the Acquisitions Committee of the Crafts Study Centre (http://www.csc.uca.ac.uk/); I am also Chair of the Irene Wellington Educational Trust (http://opencharities.org/charities/295383) and a trustee of the Commonwork Trust (www.boreplace.org). I was elected Church Warden at St Peter’s Church, Wolvercote, in 2020.
Exhibitions
A selection of calligraphic exhibitions/publications:
‘Shakespeare in Contemporary Calligraphy’, Paperpoint, London, 1989
Calligraphy Review, Vol. 6, No. 3, Spring 1989
The Scribe, No. 46, Summer 1989
‘Fine Words, Fine Books’, St Paul’s, London, 1991 (also designed the exhibition catalogue)
Practical Calligraphy by G. Fleuss and J. Nash, Paul Hamlyn, London, 1992
‘Love Letters’, Paperpoint, London, 1992
‘Earth Rites’, Holburn Museum, Bath, 1994
Letter Exchange 10th Anniversary Exhibition, Morley Gallery, London, 1998
‘Im Zaubergarten der Schrift’, Berlin Calligraphy Collection, 1998
‘Words as Images’, Hove Museum and Art Gallery, Hove, 2000
Letter Exchange 15th Anniversary Exhibition, The Prince’s Foundation, London, 2003
‘Alphabets at Work’, Bampton Gallery, Bampton, Oxon, 2003
Letter Arts Review, Volume 18, No. 4, back cover, 2003
‘Living Letters’, work shown in exhibition catalogue, 2004
‘The Twain Shall Meet’, Calligraphy and Calligraph-art from Britain and Pakistan, Lahore, Pakistan, 2005 (category winner)
PCG 5th International Calligraphy and Calligraph-art Exhibition, Lahore, Pakistan, 2007
Tweeddale Gallery, Edinburgh, 2008
‘Celebrate Calligraphy’, 90th anniversary exhibition of the Society of Scribes & Illuminators, 2011
‘My Word, My World’, Kalligrafiutstilling, Galleri Askoy, Norway, 2014
‘Divine Inspiration’, 95th anniversary exhibition of the Society of Scribes & Illuminators, York Minster, 2016
‘Orchestra of Letters’, the Lettering Arts Trust, Snape Maltings, 2017
‘Brought to Book’, Crafts Study Centre, 2018/19
‘Lettering: Art & Illusion’, Ruthin Craft Centre, 19 October 2019-12 January 2020
‘Re-connections’, The Upright Gallery, Edinburgh, 27 November-19 December 2020
‘Words Made Beautiful’, centenary exhibition of the Society of Scribes & Illuminators travelling exhibition 2022
My work is held in the permanent collection, ‘Sammlung Kalligrafie’, at the Berliner Kunst Akademie, in Lahore at the Pakistan Calligraph-Artists Guild, at the Jung Foundation in New York, and in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and the Crafts Study Centre, Farnham
My commercial book design has been displayed at the annual British Book Design and Production awards 1990, 1991, 1992 (Category Award winner), 1994, 1995 (Category Award winner) and 1996
Publications
In addition to numerous reviews in the Letter Exchange journal Forum:
Campbell, Robert & Wates, Edward (2008) Subscription-based journal publishing. In 'Open Access: Opportunities and Challenges, European Commission and German Commission for UNESCO, pp. 93-96.
Campbell, Robert & Wates, Edward (2009) Journal publishing: implications for a digital library policy. In 'Digital Library Economics: An Academic Perspective, ed. Baker, D. & Evans, W., Chandos Publishing, Oxford, Chap. 5, pp. 87-104
Wates, Edward (2007) Ewan Clayton in conversation. Letter Arts Review 21:4, pp. 6-23
Wates, Edward & Campbell, Robert (2007) Author's version vs. publisher's version: an analysis of the copy-editing function. Learned Publishing 20: 121-129. doi: 10.1087/174148507X185090
Wates, Edward (2016) A conversation with Gary Breeze. Letter Arts Review 10:4, pp.42-59
Wates, Edward (2018) If type is so good, why bother with calligraphy? Forum 36: 14-17
Wates, Edward (2020) Relationship issues with lettering and painting: the debate continued. The Scribe No. 109, Winter 2020, 14-20