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.

- SUZANNE C. LEE

The David Oscarson 25th Anniversary (or Silver Anniversary) collection shown on the next three pages are sterling silver fountain pens with 10 translucent and opaque hard enamel colors over 15 sections of guilloche engraving. Shown at left and on our cover is the 25th Anniversary Diamond and Gold Nouveau Special Edition, which features diamonds along the surface and a solid 18 karat yellow gold body.

For many years now, I've had the honor of writing about the magnificent art by David Oscarson that has so captivated our fountain pen community. The work demands precision and delicacy-his mastery of guilloche and hot enamel is unparalleledand "David Oscarson" has now become synonymous with excellence and luxury. Beyond the physical incarnation of each fountain pen, Oscarson offers something more: intellectual fascination and an implicit artistic dialogue with his customers. Twenty-five years is an accomplishment for any enterprise, but to maintain this level of artistic mastery for that long speaks to something special: a quality that goes beyond the physical and enters the spiritual.

From the most elemental variables of life in the form of celestial bodies to historically complex figures, documents, and events, Oscarson's art seeks to engage with every aspect of existence as we know it. For a quarter of a century, Oscarson's fountain pens have exceeded all expectations. Having written about his art for many years now, I am in the lucky position of being able to watch, in real time, Oscarson's artistic expansion and the evolution of his techniques.