2023 Baltimore Pen Show

March 14, 2023

I had a great time at the 2023 Baltimore Pen show. I bought a pen from Jonathon Brooks himself and talked to the people at Schon Design about their new nib. I saw my friends at the DAYartSTORE. Got advice from Joshua J. Lax, the nibsmith. I got a vintage Waterman Safety pen for a good price. It was not too big, but it had representatives from several of the big pen companies like Pilot and Esterbrook. It was really cool to be able to talk to Jonathon Brooks and see a whole bunch of his pen bodies. I was able to ask him which ones were his favorites, and then I bought one and it writes really well and is so pretty!! I spent time in Baltimore and Washington too, looking at paintings, but was able to stop by on each day of the show and talk to someone new. I really thought it was worth it.

I did a YouTube video about it at

March 14, 2023

I had a great time at B-W this year. My wallet, of course will tell people otherwise....

Got six pens repaired, bought another 12 pen leather case, and had some small purchases. And scored a large Pelikan pen holder (one of the type with the hole in the beak to stick a pen through) in the blue glaze.... :thumbup:

Plus got to say hi to a bunch of people I know from other shows I've been to.

@Nhartist40 -- did you get to the Walters? I haven't been for years. I was in the DC area more than a quarter century ago, giving a guy from the Midwest a ride to a conference, and on Sunday we went up to Baltimore to go there. But made the mistake of eating someplace for lunch that was sort of a dive.... Then on Monday, we hit the National Gallery in DC, ran into someone who'd also been at the conference, and was museum hopping while she was on the East Coast, and basically worked our way through the medieval section, including spotting a panel by some guy I'd never heard of before, and I was going "Oh, look -- you can see the seam line in the woman's gown...." And they were going, "No, it's a crack in the panel.... HEY! You're RIGHT! It *is* a seam line!"

I LOVE museum hopping. I just didn't have the time to do it....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

March 14, 2023

I had a great time as well! It was my first pen show. I took home a couple of vintage flex nib pens, and couldn't be happier (though my wallet could).

March 15, 2023

Jonathan,

Thank you for posting a very informative video. Your safety pen is a beauty when you consider its age. Also, Jonathon Brooks makes lovely pens. You went home with a really nice pair of pens. I wrote with one of the Schon in-house nibs and am sure you will be happy with yours when it arrives.

We have attended several Baltimore Pen Shows enjoy them very much. My wife bought a Platinum 3776 along with 2 Karas pens. My haul consisted of a vintage Aurora 88 and a near-new Aurora Duo-Cart. Some ink and a journal also found their way into our hands.

Hotel staff continued to treat us well as they have during previous visits.

Regards,

Craig

March 16, 2023

I find that Fountain pen people are the nicest people! It was only my second show. I was so happy I stayed in the hotel so I was able to go in and out and do other things etc. easily. I have two Platinum 3776 pens and I think they are terrific. Platinum doesn't get the credit they deserve, perhaps because unlike Pilot they don't concentrate on flex nibs. In one of my videos I talk about the Ultra Extra Fine nib--it is really great for cross-hatching in drawing. I am tempted by the Karas pens. Have you tried their titanium nib? I tried it out at the show, but it is a bit pricey. A friend of mine has a beautiful Aurora pen with a gold nib that writes so smoothly, but it is very expensive. I think my most expensive pen is around $400.00 and I have only one of those, so I will have to wait until a used one pops up... I just took the plunge and ordered the Monac pen from Schon. I will definitely review it when it comes at the end of March.

March 16, 2023

I find that Fountain pen people are the nicest people! It was only my second show. I was so happy I stayed in the hotel so I was able to go in and out and do other things etc. easily. I have two Platinum 3776 pens and I think they are terrific. Platinum doesn't get the credit they deserve, perhaps because unlike Pilot they don't concentrate on flex nibs. In one of my videos I talk about the Ultra Extra Fine nib--it is really great for cross-hatching in drawing. I am tempted by the Karas pens. Have you tried their titanium nib? I tried it out at the show, but it is a bit pricey. A friend of mine has a beautiful Aurora pen with a gold nib that writes so smoothly, but it is very expensive. I think my most expensive pen is around $400.00 and I have only one of those, so I will have to wait until a used one pops up... I just took the plunge and ordered the Monac pen from Schon. I will definitely review it when it comes at the end of March.

In terms of museums, I did go to the Walters. I had not been there for years. They have wonderful decorative arts, but as a painter myself, I tend to focus on pictures and I was struck on how mediocre most of the paintings are in the collection, particularly when you think what Walters could have bought at the turn of the century. Compare his collection with the Frick in New York, or the Clark in Williamstown, and their is really no comparison in terms of the quality of the paintings. However, they have some amazing objects, including two faberge eggs. The Baltimore Museum and the National Gallery are very different stories. The Matisses in Baltimore are wonderful, and the National Gallery has one of the greatest art collections in the world. We also went to the Delaware Museum which is small, but has an interesting collection of work by American illustrators and also good Pre-Raphaelite paintings.