I took a field trip today to visit a church, one of many, in Fitchburg. Still sorting through photos. Will post more about this welcoming church and its lovely windows soon!
Posts Tagged ‘architecture’
just a tease …
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, beauty, decoration, Fitchburg, Inspiration, Photography, religion, stained glass, Tiffany on May 22, 2018| 1 Comment »
paint on the wall
Posted in Inspiration, tagged apparel, architecture, architecture inspired, art, beauty, color, fashion, Inspiration, Photography, scarves on May 14, 2018| 3 Comments »
Well, actually, so much more than just paint on the wall. At work on new scarf, this one based on the murals of Trinity Church. More details soon!
charity
Posted in Inspiration, tagged Amory Family, architecture, art, beauty, Boston Brahmins, charity, Dorcas, faith, family, Inspiration, Photography, stained glass windows, storytelling on February 14, 2018| 4 Comments »
Dorcas is one of a set of two windows purchased by William Amory (1808-1888) in memory of his parents Thomas Coffin Amory (1767-1812) and Hannah Rowe Linzee Amory (1775-1845).
Located in the north transept of Trinity Church in Copley Square, the window was installed between 1877-1878. According to the literature, both the Amory and Linzee families had long been associated with the parish which was found in 1733. Designed and executed by Burlison & Grylls of London, the window depicts the biblical figure of Dorcas, a woman of wealth, who aided those who were in need. In this case the artist shows Dorcas throwing a garment over someone beseeching her for aid.
It is a beautifully rendered window full of drama and rich colorful detail. See for yourself when you have the chance: http://trinitychurchboston.org/visit/tours
exterior beauty
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, tagged architecture, beauty, Harvard Square, Inspiration, Photography, stained glass, trees, urban landscape on February 7, 2018| 2 Comments »
telling a story in color
Posted in Guest Contributor, Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, color blocking, gift shop, Inspiration, merchandising, Photography, stained glass windows, trinity church boston on January 12, 2018| 1 Comment »
The versatility of white: Postcards, t-shirt and ornament with details from David’s Charge to Solomon, a stained glass window by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris paired with a silk chiffon scarf featuring swaying tree branches
It has been my pleasure over the past few years to work with Donna Stenwall, Manager of Visitor Services at Trinity Church in Boston. While I think I have a pretty good grasp of color, one of the things I continually learn from Donna is how to put those colors together to create “visual eye candy” on the shelves of the shop at Trinity. Having previously worked for Laura Ashley for 35 years, she has a command not only of color but of style. The vignettes that she puts together whether based on motif or, in these examples, on color, truly captivate the eye. As she says, “There is nothing worse than having a display that is so jarring to the eye that people don’t really know where to look!”
Warm reds, pinks and gold: Boxed note cards featuring 19th century reproduction of a 15th century painting of the Madonna and Child paired with a ceramic ornament with dove motif from The Ascension stained glass window, with just a peek at the flowers from the window The Five Wise Virgins
Visit the shop at Trinity Church and you can see these colorful vignettes for yourself.
Cool blues: A framed watercolor print of Trinity Church at night paired with an oval glass ornament of Jesus from the window The Resurrection by John La Farge and a blue-tinted card featuring an etching of Trinity Church by Henry Blaney
the burne-jones angels
Posted in Inspiration, tagged angels, architecture, art, beauty, creativity, Edward Burne-Jones, Inspiration, Photography, stained glass windows, William Morris on December 13, 2017| Leave a Comment »
It has become an ongoing project to capture the angels amidst the green vines of the Edward Burne-Jones & William Morris windows at Trinity Church in the City of Boston. I’ve fallen a bit behind but now I’m back at it!
See for yourself at Trinity Church: http://trinitychurchboston.org/visit/tours
more samuel west inspired
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, beauty, creativity, decorated glass, design, geometric, Inspiration, Photography, samuel west, stained glass on December 5, 2017| Leave a Comment »
One image, a photograph of a window pane, then scaled and scaled again to create a whole new pattern.
coasters
These are currently available at the gift shop located in the Welcome Center at Trinity Church in the City of Boston.
in addition to stained glass …
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged architecture, art, beauty, Inspiration, landscape, museums, nature, paintings, Photography on November 20, 2017| Leave a Comment »
… the McMullen Musem of Art has three concurrent displays on exhibit this fall through December 10th. Detailed information can be found in this museum press release. What I especially appreciated about the museum itself is its overall architecture that bridges old and new architectural styles and which takes into account the natural landscape as being part of the visitor experience. The floor to ceiling glass walls on each floor present an airy feeling … and that’s before you even realize that there is an amazing roof top deck.
Given that two of the three exhibits focus on nature, landscape, realism and symbolism, it inspired childish delight to walk up the stairs with clear glass all around, seeing the landscape outside, and then to walk into beautifully curated exhibits like that of Alston Conley’s New England Sky …
… and that of Nature’s Mirror: Reality and Symbol in Belgian Landscape.
And in the midst of so much landscape there was the unexpected appearance of man, in this case, The Old Man Blessing, by Belgian painter Leon Frederic.
The area accessed by the public to view art is actually not that large but comes across as quite spacious. Technology, whether a video showing the Belgian landscape of today on the wall, or a tablet with additional stories about the artists of the period, accentuate the visitor experience.
Again, I thank Anulfo Baez for introducing me to this new phase of the McMullen Museum and I look forward to future visits.
Sources and Additional Reading (and Viewing!)
http://www.bc.edu/sites/artmuseum/press/fall-2017.html
http://www.bc.edu/sites/artmuseum/exhibitions/conley/
http://bcheights.com/2017/09/10/mcmullen-hones-natures-mirror-belgian-landscapes/
the windows of first church in cambridge
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, beauty, churches, faith, faith-based art, Inspiration, Photography, stained glass, stained glass windows, Tiffany on November 19, 2017| 2 Comments »
Installed between 1872 and 1957, the stained glass windows of First Church in Cambridge, Congregational “do not belong to a comprehensive scheme, nor to a single style, subject or studio. They are a melange. Each must be viewed in its own light.”
The Kimball/Rice Window by Horace J. Phipps and Company (1918) and The Willet Stained Glass Studios, Inc. (1960)
Those are the words of Pastor Allen Happe in the Foreword of the book, A Sympony of Color, by Patricia H. Rodgers. The book, published in 1990, provides a brief overview of the church’s 350 year history, and then focuses on the evolution of the physical building now present at 11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA. It has been my pleasure to visit the building several times at night to attend concerts. Of course, I could not see the windows but I was intrigued by their size and the lead outlines. Recently I made contact and was given permission to visit and photograph the windows. It was a cloudy day but there was just enough to light to illuminate the interior beauty.
Detail from the Kimball/Rice Window by Horace J. Phipps and Company (1918) and The Willet Stained Glass Studios, Inc. (1960)
Detail from the Kimball/Rice Window by Horace J. Phipps and Company (1918) and The Willet Stained Glass Studios, Inc. (1960)
Detail from the Kimball/Rice Window by Horace J. Phipps and Company (1918) and The Willet Stained Glass Studios, Inc. (1960)
In her book, Rodgers identifies at least six studios whose work is represented including the Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company, The Willet Stained Glass Studios, Inc., Horace J. Phipps and Company, Reynolds, Francis and Rohnstock, Arthur Murray Dallin and Cummings Studios. There are several windows for which the studio is unknown. One of those windows is the Hart Window.
Produced by an American glass company in 1901, it is composed of layers of opalescent glass. According to Rodger’s research, the windows was restored in 1987 and at that time it was discovered that there were up to three layers of glass in places.
There are several striking windows by Tiffany Studios including St. Catherine of Alexander (1908). Catherine represents saintliness, beauty, and learning. This window, the last to be installed by Tiffany for First Church, was given in memory of young woman who was a noted scholar and dedicated to her missionary work.
The Catherine window is situated between several non-figural grisaille windows.
There are at least eight Tiffany Studios windows present.
Detail from They Shall Be Mine, Saith the Lord, 1895
Perhaps one of the most captivating windows overall is Tiffany’s The Four Elements, 1895.
Designed by W. Frederick Wilson for the Tiffany Studio. As Rodgers notes in her book from a period newspaper, the window apparently has over one hundred thousand separate pieces of glass and one half tone of lead and solder used to hold the pieces in position. They are the largest set of windows at First Church.
The robes of the largest angels, representing earth, air, fire and water, are made from drapery glass.
Tiffany Studios closed around 1928. Windows installed after this time reflect a different aesthetic as in the Bancroft Window, 1929, produced by the studio of Reynolds, Francis and Rohnstock.
First Church in Cambridge, Congregational is quite the expansive space with a long history, and it is a welcoming place. I’m grateful for the opportunity to visit this lovely place and share the beauty of its windows.
Learn more about this church online at http://www.firstchurchcambridge.org/
Sources & Additional Reading
https://www.amazon.com/symphony-color-Stained-glass-Church/dp/0962619604
Detail from opalescent chancel window, Cummings Studios, 1954
Words + Images 