My name is Marika, which rhymes with Erica because my parents were hippie art students who thought they made the name up, but that's another story. Fun fact: my dad did the original graphic design for the UNO card game!

I've loved drawing letter forms since I was a kid. A favorite memory is getting in trouble in first grade for taking too long to complete the daily handwriting assignment because I just had to create curly, intricate, fantastical letters. My formal introduction to calligraphy was at age 10, and I've been on an adventure of learning ever since.

Over the last 25 years, I’ve been store artist at Foster’s Market and Fowler’s, I've lettered and illustrated menus and signage for restaurants, cafés and shops all over the Triangle (Durham, NC and its neighbors Chapel Hill and Raleigh), calligraphed wedding stationery and day-of items, and created custom commissions. Not to mention capturing many couples’ personalities in custom chalk designs!

I am a preferred vendor at The Cookery, The Rickhouse, and The Cotton Room (having been the first professional chalk artist at these venues), and I am the house calligrapher at Themeworks.

I love drawing letters and am especially skilled at replicating fonts and lettering styles. I also enjoy creating fanciful illustrations.

I work in ink (traditional calligraphy dip pens), marker, chalk and paint, and have lettered on a wide variety of surfaces from paper, chalkboard, and glass, to metal, ceramic and fabric.

Please visit my contact page to share details about your project. I look forward to working with you!