More of Kathy's letters

I'm behind schedule after having spent a month frantically getting ready for a show, but I think this will just about catch up to where I'm supposed to be.

Kathy's first letters

I confess to stealing an idea -- wait, I mean finding inspiration -- from Ersi's post, where she doodled all over a sheet of paper, then tore it into random 7 cm squares as her background.

I had some paper that I had covered with illegible writing, mostly in walnut ink.  After I tore it into the background squares, I added letters cut from some paste paper that I had made in a workshop a few years ago.

I have a psychological block when it comes to calligraphy, being always afraid that my letters will not be beautiful.  So to sidestep the block, I have taken to making letters that aren't beautiful, just functional.  This is a personal alphabet that I have used many times over the years, executed in various mediums.  I guess it's loosely based on the classic typeface Optima.

When I cut letters out of paper, I use an X-Acto knife but I like to work from the back of the paper, without marking it.  I find that working blind and in reverse gives a spontaneity that I would never achieve if I were obsessing from the front.

A new member

Greetings!  My name is Kathleen Loomis and I have just joined this community of letter lovers.  I'm primarily a fiber artist (check my blog here) but have resolved to work more in paper and mixed media this year.

My father was a typographer and I was raised with a love of both calligraphy and type.  Although I love beautiful hand-drawn letters, my skills are sadly lacking in this area.  In recent years I have been "unblocked" by a fine teacher who helped me realize that handwritten text need be neither legible nor beautiful. (Read about it here.)

I'm also a lover of daily or weekly art projects, so ALAW is something I'm greatly looking forward to participating in.