Where Waters Meet
PEN WORLD|October 2019
David Oscarson celebrates home, family, and another of his Swedish heroes: the sculptor Carl Milles.
Suzanne C. Lee
Where Waters Meet

In 1940, a magnificent installation was unveiled in St. Louis, Missouri. Commissioned by Mrs. LouisAloe to honor her late husband and created by distinguished Swedish artist Carl Milles, the piece was named Meeting of the Waters and was meant to represent the coming together of a figuratively female Missouri River with her male mate, the Mississippi River.

The landmark fountain that was revealed contains a basin filled with myriad sculptural figures. Complementary but distinct companions, male and female, are surrounded by water sprites, fish, and mermaids who all seem to dance in mist issuing from the carefully constructed jets and sprays. Each creature is meant to symbolize the main tributaries from the two aforementioned major bodies of water, of which there are 17. Triumphant and vivacious, Meeting of the Waters (or Marriage of the Waters, as Milles intended for its name) was made to play just so with the combination of the sun and water, and the result is a prismatic dance that sparkles in the wider atmosphere.

David Oscarson, with similar brilliance, has crafted a fountain pen whose profundity springs from its intimacy. It is among the most personal pieces he has offered and operates as a paean to his life’s experience, the lands he has known, and the completion that he feels now.

Such completion is like a finished braid—a successful blend of distinct elements into a unified and pleasing whole. Oscarson’s Carl Milles Marriage of the Waters writing instrument collection is just such a composition. Integration and comingling, the circuitous and the fluid, are all prominent themes. For instance, Milles is Swedish, and it’s where much of his canon resides. Oscarson was born in the United States but spent many of his formative years in Stockholm. Oscarson’s other home is in St. Louis, Missouri, which is, of course, the location of Milles’s Meeting of the Waters.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2019 من PEN WORLD.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2019 من PEN WORLD.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من PEN WORLD مشاهدة الكل
Remembering Ward Dunham (October 11, 1941 - August 24, 2024)
PEN WORLD

Remembering Ward Dunham (October 11, 1941 - August 24, 2024)

On August 24, 2024, calligrapher Ward Dunham passed away.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
The Black Pen Society and the D.C. Pen Show: Poobah in a Flower Pot
PEN WORLD

The Black Pen Society and the D.C. Pen Show: Poobah in a Flower Pot

Do you like black pens? If so, you are probably already familiar with the fun, frivolity, and fellowship associated with the Black Pen Society (BPS).

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
Stationery Fest: This Is Not a Pen Show
PEN WORLD

Stationery Fest: This Is Not a Pen Show

Daisy and Neil Ni's twist on the traditional pen show is about community, not commerce.

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2024
"It Has Style:" A History of the Aurora Hastil (1969-1970)
PEN WORLD

"It Has Style:" A History of the Aurora Hastil (1969-1970)

The Italian pen company's experiment in modernism led to a revolution in late 20th century pen design. A two-part series.

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2024
GW Pens Scores a Critical Hit
PEN WORLD

GW Pens Scores a Critical Hit

With new collections inspired by Dungeons & Dragons and Fender guitars, artisan John Greco is tapping into cultural trends.

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2024
Roterfaden's "Pocket Companion' "
PEN WORLD

Roterfaden's "Pocket Companion' "

The Taschenbegleiter hand-made planner system from German artisan cooperative Roterfaden features a modular organizational system that grows with the user's ambitions.

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2024
S.T. Dupont Takes the Iron Throne
PEN WORLD

S.T. Dupont Takes the Iron Throne

The French atelier continues its forays into popular culture with a new, officially licensed Game of Thrones collection.

time-read
6 mins  |
October 2024
More Mail, More Dip-Less
PEN WORLD

More Mail, More Dip-Less

The six-part series on dip-less (or one-dip) fountain pens garnered some major attention through its run from October 2023 through August 2024 (Vol. 36 No. 6 Vol. 37 No. 5).

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
David Oscarson: A Reflection
PEN WORLD

David Oscarson: A Reflection

The artisan pen maker celebrates 25 years of luxury writing instruments with a new collection that harkens to his Art Nouveau roots.

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2024
The Parkette Hopalong Cassidy Ballpoint Pen
PEN WORLD

The Parkette Hopalong Cassidy Ballpoint Pen

The Jotter was advertised as Parker's first ballpoint pen, but a novelty item that played on the Hopalong Cassidy culture craze predated it.

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024