Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged beauty, birds, hawks, landscape, nature, Photography, trees, urban landscape on January 25, 2017| 1 Comment »
Photo by DL
I love when friends share pictures. A friend shared this picture with me as she makes her way into work. As you can see the sun is shining. I’m heading out into the world with my camera. I’ll see what I can capture to share with you in the near future. Have a great day!
Posted in Inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged architecture, art, beauty, churches, colors, design, Inspiration, Photography, religious art, sacred spaces, stained glass windows on January 23, 2017| Leave a Comment »
When walking toward St. Paul Church, the exterior conveys a sense of simplicity as well as sturdiness, which makes sense given that the building’s design is romanesque in style. Its red brick facade blends into the surrounding historic landscape of Cambridge, MA. As it is an active Catholic church, I knew I had a short window of time to take photos before the midday mass. I felt like I had prepared myself to be focused in my photography by reading the in-depth online building tour found on the church website. Still, reading the words can never really prepare one for the actual firsthand experience of stepping into a sacred space.
As noted on the website, “An oblong hall is divided by matching rows of columns, surmounted by a barrel-vaulted ceiling and rounded arches. Since the weight is supported by the walls, the windows are small. St. Paul’s, designed by architect Edward Graham, is modeled after the Church of San Zeno Maggiore in Verona, Italy.”
I was ready to deal with “small windows.” I was caught off guard by the beauty of the encompassing friezes and statues.
Eventually my attention did return to the windows, of course. There are three stained glass windows near the choir stalls including John the Baptist, St. Elizabeth (his mother) and St. John the Evangelist.
John the Baptist
The windows are narrow but their content looms large like these windows tucked in an alcove.
There are 10 windows in the lower part of the nave patterned after Renaissance images of the saints …
St. Jerome
… and windows up high. Way up high.
These upper story windows were hardest to see but they glowed in the late morning light.
The church is an unexpected riot of color softened by the surrounding wood and marble. I’ve passed by the church for many years without ever stepping inside. I’m grateful to the staff for allowing me entry to photograph this very special place. You can read more about the interior of this historic building and find links for more information about its parish activities here: http://stpaulparish.org/building-tour/
Posted in Inspiration, tagged african violets, beauty, flowers, Inspiration, Photography on January 19, 2017| 2 Comments »
african violet
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, Uncategorized, tagged beauty, colors, Inspiration, nature, Photography, sky, sunset, urban landscape on January 12, 2017| 2 Comments »
Posted in Inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged art, beauty, Inspiration, Photography, religious art, stained glass windows on January 11, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Coming soon I will share words and images from my brief journey inside St. Paul Church in Cambridge, MA. These are photos of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist.
Posted in Inspiration, Uncategorized, tagged architectural tours, art, beauty, design, Henry Holiday, Inspiration, Photography, religious art, stained glass windows, transfiguration on January 11, 2017| 3 Comments »
Three years ago on this blog, I wrote about Henry Holiday’s depiction of the Transfiguration in the stained glass window located at Trinity Church in the City of Boston. At the time I was particularly interested in the position of the hands in his window though my research revealed to me that he was especially noted for his execution of drapery.
With a new lens and new perspective I’ve been revisiting the window, and I begin to understand what I read about his work with cloth in glass.
These images are from the top of the window. What’s amazing to me is that much of this detail you cannot see with the naked eye.
And yet the whole of what you see from the ground is quite stunning.
Read an earlier post here: https://wordsandimagesbycynthia.com/2013/10/07/holidays-tranfiguration/
View the window for yourself at Trinity Church: http://trinitychurchboston.org/art-and-architecture
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged Arnold Arboretum, beauty, Emerald Necklace, Inspiration, moon, nature, Photography, trees on January 9, 2017| 1 Comment »
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged Arnold Arboretum, beauty, Emerald Necklace, Inspiration, landscape, nature, Photography, water on January 9, 2017| 1 Comment »
Posted in Inspiration, tagged beauty, ice, Inspiration, light, Photography, windows, winter on January 8, 2017| 4 Comments »
The icy patterns that form on the inside of the windows in the old house where I live. The first time this season. Now it feels like winter. 🙂
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, clouds, Inspiration, light, nature, Photography, sky, sunset on January 6, 2017| 1 Comment »
I asked a certain physicist to help me understand what happened in the sky near sunset in Copley Square. We discussed the interplay of light and shadow. How the sun below the horizon was illuminating the clouds from below. How the sharp line in the sky might result from shadows cast by something on the horizon. Then of course there were the clouds at different altitudes. Shorter wavelength blue light scattered out. Longer wavelength red light left behind. In the end all we could agree upon was that it was beautiful.
The sun set today in Boston at 4:27 pm.
Words + Images 