Do you see what I see?

Do you see what I see? When you look at the top photo of a Picasso painting, would you have seen the K that I made into a Sign Language letter? Do you also see the A? Both are 2 of my favorites.... In the second image, of my backyard gate, I think the S is rather obvious, but only if you are looking for it! And the with bottom image, of a trellis at MOBOT, I turned it sideways for the E, with a touch of whimsy (the flowers growing left to right). I also used it for an F and an H and an L..... Some pictures are gold mines of letters! I hope that you will look at things a little differently now. I'm looking out my window right now, and the shadow of the corner of the lacrosse net on our brick garage looks like an A. And the end of a branch on my big oak tree is an easy Y. It can be a bit of a game as well--especially with the kids! So the next time you are walking your neighborhood, look at the world (and the architecture especially) with new eyes! Or you can have me post your name in Sign Language letters...just leave me a request in the comments....

Say Goodnight, Gracie

Gracie turned two! I went to my niece's birthday party yesterday. She is mesmerizing. She seems to have some sort of power over us all. We just sit and watch everything she does and says. And she talks all the time! She's so polite, she cracks us up--always saying "excuse me", "thank you" and "you're welcome".... And talk about cute! The letters for GRACIE have been altered in their colors from the original photographs, but this is where they are from: G is from the plaque in the walkway at MOBOT R is from a Marc Chagall painting at SLAM A is from a Pablo Picasso painting at SLAM (not altered) C is from architecture in Sedona Arizona (orig. orange ) I is from architecture in KC and E is from the trellis at MOBOT And Gracie is from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law----their third child....
If you tell her to "Say Goodnight, Gracie", just like Gracie Allen, she will automatically repeat "Goodnight, Gracie". If you want to see your name in letters from the Sign Language Collection, you can comment in my blog and I will post it for you right here....

What is a Kalligratographer?

A Kalligratographer? I made it up, of course! My name is Kathy, hence the "K". I am a calligrapher and a photographer and I combine these two arts in my work. Welcome to my first blog. I love looking for letters in ordinary places, which I guess, is better than looking for letters in all the wrong places, right? But, really, if you look, you can find letters everywhere. My favorite places are in architecture, art and nature.
So, I want to tell you where the letters in my WELCOME come from--- W is from a beautiful porcelain bowl at the St. Louis Art Museum (SLAM) E is from a trellis (turned sideways) at the MO Botanical Gardnes (MOBOT) L is from a Max Beckman painting at SLAM C is from a bronze plaque in the walkway at MOBOT O is the Chinese Symbol for Heaven and Earth at SLAM M is on a wrought iron bench at MOBOT E is an architectural detail at City Museum in St. Louis I guess by now you've figured out that I am from St. Louis! Don't believe everything you hear, St. Louis is a great city to live in. There are tons of free things to do--like the zoo, the Art Museum, the Muny etc. But today, with the snow falling furiously, the best thing is sled riding on Art Hill in Forest Park--directly in front of the Art Museum, just don't miss the haybales and fall into the lake! If you would like to see more of the ways I use my letters, visit my website at www.kathyorf.com