Katharina Pieper was born in 1962. She studied at the University of Applied Arts (Wiesbaden), Department of Communicative Design, where she mastered all of the principal artistic methods – drawing, painting, printing art, calligraphy, photography, different types of printing methods etc. In 1987, she earned the Professor Werner Schneider diploma. Then she attended numerous classes in font design and calligraphy, including Japanese, Chinese and Korean calligraphy.
Since 1988, Katharina has taught at schools of applied arts in Mainz (1988-1996), Saarbruken (1989-1998), Wiesbaden (1995, 1998), and since 2003, at the professional education university in Ravensburg. In 1995 and 2004, she was invited to give lectures at a school of applied arts (special high school) in Hamburg, to the Pentiment summer academy.
Since 1991, Katharina has regularly held classes and courses in calligraphy in Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Iceland, the United States of America, the UK, Switzerland, South Africa, Italy and Finland.
In 1998, she won the calligraphy contest in Westerlo (Belgium), and since 2000, she has been a member of the jury of this contest.
Since 1987, Katharina has regularly displayed her calligraphic work at world renowned exhibitions; her works have been published in different books and magazines (Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, England, Italy, Iceland, the USA, Finland, Lithuania, and Poland).
Numerous artistic collections, collections of calligraphic work, and calendars from Katharina Pieper are presented in public and private collections, including Klingschpor Museum in Offenbach, Library of Lower Saxonia in Hannover, Library of Bruges (Belgium), Public Library in San Francisco, as well as the German Museum of Book and Writing in Leipzig.
In 1997/2003, she held the position of President, International Society of Literature and Calligraphy, and was responsible for the design and publication of the Ars Scribendi magazine.
In 1991, her book Schrift Schreiben was published. Since 1989, she has worked for different technical publications in Germany, the UK, Belgium, Austria, and Switzerland.
In 1998, Katharina founded her own publishing house to publish her own calendars, books, and postcards.
At present, she is a member of the Society of German Designers, Society of German Press, Calligraphic Society of Switzerland, Letter Exchange Calligraphic Society (London), Calligraphy Society (Belgium), Scriptores (the Netherlands, Belgium), Union of Klingschor Museum Friends, Guttenberg Society (Mainz), honorary member of the Society of Calligraphic and Font Art (CLAS, London); since 2007, emeritus honorary member of CLAS.
“I was overwhelmed with words; like a vehement flow, they flew from my pen onto a clean sheet of paper, as if they sought to harmoniously fill the entire space with their intrinsic rhythm and melody. The text is singing; the words are dancing; and thoughts are transformed into calligraphy”.