Here’s a new woven scarf designed by Donna McNett using a photograph of the stenciled wall inside Trinity Church. Available now in the shop. It’s meant to be worn but I do love how the light shines through.
Posts Tagged ‘art’
new silk and cashmere scarf
Posted in Inspiration, tagged apparel, architecture inspired, art, cashmere, design, Inspiration, Photography, scarf, shawl, silk, textiles on February 20, 2018| 1 Comment »
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
from concept to execution and recreation
Posted in Inspiration, tagged American history, art, black history, faith, hope, Inspiration, Katherine Lamb Tait, music, Singing Window, spirituals, stained glass windows, storytelling, Tuskegee on January 15, 2018| 3 Comments »
Today I was browsing the online archives of the Library of Congress and chanced upon this 1930s drawing by Katherine Lamb Tait. Though it is not labeled as such, I realized it was an early rendition of her design for the unique stained glass windows at Tuskegee University known as The Singing Window.
About two years ago, I wrote an article describing the story behind the windows. You can read it online here in Deep South Magazine and learn how Tait collaborated with Robert Moton, President of Tuskegee, to produce what would be a visual expression of eleven spirituals.
Installed in 1933, the original windows would only be in place for about twenty years before a fire destroyed the chapel where they were located. But because Tait’s final design survived …
… when a new chapel was built in the 1960’s, architects were able to recreate and include the new Singing Window as well.
I hope to see it in person one day. This photo of the window can be found on the Library of Congress website courtesy of photographer Carol M. Highsmith.
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
donald langosy: the poet’s painter
Posted in Books I Love, Inspiration, tagged art, books, creativity, Donald Langosy, ekphrasis, Eric Sigler, Inspiration, muse, painting, poetry, poetry books on December 11, 2017| 1 Comment »
One year ago it was my pleasure to share, in his own words and images, a glimpse into the life of painter Donald Langosy. Through his 14-page Story of My Art, that I condensed into roughly six blog posts, Mr. Langosy shared his amazing creative journey that involved the likes of Ezra Pound, William Blake, his wife Elizabeth and of course there is Shakespeare. His work is unique and quite inspiring as can be seen in the new book Donald Langosy: The Poet’s Painter. This book of 99 poems by Eric Sigler illustrated with full-color reproductions of the 99 paintings by Mr. Langosy that inspired the poet.
Available online from a variety of vendors as listed below. If I have one criticism, after having seen firsthand the scale of some of these paintings, it is that I wish the book was physically bigger. Meanwhile I hope there will be an art opening one day so that more people can view his work up close and meet both painter and poet!
https://eyewearpublishing.glopal.com/en-US/p-8574461128/donald-langosy-poets-painter.html
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.
playing with shapes and colors
Posted in Inspiration, tagged art, colors, creativity, design, glass decoration, Inspiration, Mondrian, Photography, samuel west on December 5, 2017| Leave a Comment »
While Mondrian came to mind once I stared at the image on the screen, it was in fact the 19th century glass decorator and stained glass designer Samuel West who inspired this work done in GIMP.
It is a work in progress. Perhaps the first of a coaster set. Maybe the beginning of a larger design for a scarf. We’ll see. Meanwhile here’s a peek at the decorated window found inside Trinity Church that inspired this flight of creative fancy.
this thanksgiving a steady rain falls …
Posted in Inspiration, On the Road, tagged art, beauty, blown glass, Dale Chihuly, glass, glass arts, Inspiration, Photography, Thanksgiving travels, travel writing on November 23, 2017| Leave a Comment »
… outside my window in Tumwater, WA and I am thankful to see the beauty that is revealed, from the trees in silhouette through the layers of low-hanging fog, to the amazing range of greens so bright on the trees whether moss, leaves or pine needles. With that said, the steady rain means I am not out in the woods with my camera capturing nature but I have been lucky enough to meander indoors in places like the Museum of Glass in Tacoma and (in between showers) Chihuly’s Bridge of Glass.
feature from The Bridge of Glass
It was an unexpected revelation by family on the West Coast. I entered without expectation and so I think I was even more amazed by what I saw. If you follow my blog, you know I have always been attracted to light streaming through glass but I know little about blown glass. Once long ago I saw Chihuly’s work in Las Vegas. It was a monumental exhibit in one of the major hotels. Almost overwhelming with its complexity, as is the Bridge of Glass as you stop and try to imagine a mind that imagines and then creates such colorful complexity with hot glass.
The museum itself, co-founded by Chihuly, certainly contains more of his work but its function is more than to showcase his work. The museum mission is to “to ignite creativity, fuel discovery, and enrich lives through glass and glassmaking.” In part this is done by exhibiting the work of contemporary glass artists like Albert Paley …
and Oiva Toikka…
and Michael E. Taylor.
The museum shop is small and lovey featuring the work of regional artists like Mitzi Kugler’s Sand Hill Crane.
I was really impressed by the live glassmaking and the onsite educational opportunities available to the public and especially for local children of all backgrounds. Highly recommend a visit if you’re in the area. https://museumofglass.org/
The rains are ending it would appear. Soon off to have an early Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family. Wherever you are this day, best wishes to you. 🙂
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/
Words + Images 