Where style is a mish-mash and nothing is new

(The narrow entrance hallway of the apartment is typical of 1930s era walkups in Plateau Mont Royal. It's cozy and solid. The honey hardwood floors contrast warmly with the dark wood doors. Laurel Baker, 33, is an easy-going editor originally from Western Canada who has a preference for places and things with a definite history.)

What makes your home your home? Is it more the place or the objects in it?

Laurel Baker: For sure it's the objects in it. No question. In fact, the last place I was in (a loft-style space) was completely different but it ended up looking kind of the same because of the stuff. It's the belongings. (My style) is a mish-mash. My tastes are very eclectic. But I guess the one common thread is that nothing is new. Everything is old; stuff ranging from the 1920s to the 1980s. I'm not fetishistic about it. I don't collect any era in particular. I just like things that I think are cute and charming and kind of old.

I'm guessing you like to shop in second-hand stores.

Baker: The first thing I bought in Quebec City (we walk down the hall and into the front room, with a bedroom area and a living room area) was my Venetian lamp, which actually has subsequently chipped and I was kind of sad about it. The ceramic base is painted like wood and it depicts a gondola with a gondolier on it and a couple snuggling. He's supposed to have a paddle or an oar or something to steer (but it's missing). It was $15 and, being from British Columbia where old things tend to be really expensive, this was a great find.

(We walk across the room.)

Baker: The second thing that was bought for me from the same cute little store in Quebec City was this little decorative plate. It's 1970s style with a line drawing showing a man's face and some stars. It seems to me that decorative plates are too frivolous to purchase. I see furniture as being practical. I buy impractical furniture because it serves a practical purpose.

OK, wait. How is your furniture impractical?

Baker: It's not, necessarily. You buy furniture because you have to buy furniture and because you like it. But I'm more interested in how it looks than how comfortable it is. I've slept on this couch and it's not bad. The couch, armchair and lamp are part of the uncool teak era; very late Danish modern from the late 1970s. When you walk down to the stores on Amherst St., they have late Danish stuff (but from the 1960s) and it's all priced at, like, $600 or whatever. I got this at (a used-furniture store in) Beaurepaire, in Beaconsfield. It's a charity shop. I like it; I just mean it's not high-end like the '60s stuff.

Tell me about this window. (The large, multi-paned wood-framed window has carved glass in it.) Is it stained glass? And why don't you have curtains?

Baker: Does stained glass have to be coloured? I get little prisms on the wall when the sun comes in. It's kind of nice. But it's not super bright because it's north-facing. I hate curtains. I have some; they're sitting on a chair, folded. I wear a sleep mask. I wouldn't cover this up with curtains anyway.

Who's the guy above your bed? (A hanging carpet above the bed shows a man's face intently staring out. It's bath mat-sized and mesmerizing.)

Baker: That's Ataturk, the father of the Turks. You know when people go to Turkey they always come back with these massive Turkish carpets and they ship them back. But I was backpacking at the time. I was a student. I didn't have any money. I was just, like, well no one can say this isn't Turkish. It has Ataturk on it.

(We walk up stairs inside the rear of the apartment building and to the roof. There is a small, roughly 15-feet-by-15-feet wood deck with a fence, table and lounge chairs on it.)

Baker: This is a community space. It's not used that much. I used this many times in the summer, for having coffee and being on my laptop and doing some work. Or, for having friends over for a glass of wine. (When other residents are up here, too) I just say "salut, bonjour." You clink glasses. You meet each other. I've come up here a few times when it's just turned into a big table of people and conversation. And another time, two people were having a quiet romantic thing (in the corner) and five of us were over here. That's part of the charm of the city. It's living so close to other people.

PE couple nab huge stained glass window commission

THE phrase “stained glass commission” evokes scenes of a medieval craftsman labouring away for hours over pieces of glass and lead in a Gothic church spire somewhere in Europe, but for a Nelson Mandela Bay “couple-in-art” this enterprise is a very contemporary undertaking.

“This is an ancient art form in a modern time,” said Ruth Nesbit, who is working with her 76- year- old husband, renowned artist and stained glass expert Hunter Nesbit, on an intricate commission for St Anne’s Diocesan College, an all-girls school in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands

Hunter’s exquisite design for the new chapel window was chosen from an array of other designs.

St Anne’s put the job out to tender throughout the country and say they had many very good entries, but that Hunter’s design was easily the best.

“The actual design encapsulated what we as an Anglican girls’ school wanted to put forward in terms of Christian values very successfully,” St Anne’s headmaster David Wilkinson said.

“Ruth and Hunter have taken a deep professional and personal interest in the window, and you can see it has captured their artistic imagination.”

The couple often work together on projects, and this one was no different.

“As an artist you have to say yes to everything and this was a unique opportunity for us to leave a lasting legacy,” said the grandfather of four.

Five South African design studios tendered for the Rose Window. But Hunter’s design won because the committee loved the simplicity of the angel, which, when repeated around the centre panel, interprets as a flower.

Ruth’s research and fabrication of the symbols came later in the project.

From design to inception, the project has been running for about a year, with final delivery scheduled for October 26.

A team of talented stained glass artists, trained by Hunter, have been working on the window.

Amanda Snyman, head of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University stained glass department, together with two assistants under the supervision of Hunter and Ruth, an acclaimed artist in her own right, have painstakingly put together the 12 identical “petals of the rose”.

“This has been a challenging project – sometimes painfully so, because you require complete accuracy and very good planning,” said Snyman.

“After that it’s just putting together the puzzle pieces and hoping they fit.”

The Rose Window is made up of 12 petals, one 80cm centre circle, 12 borders, 12 Hilton daisies to represent the local area and 12 blue triangles to symbolise the blue-green rolling KwaZulu Natal hills.

The 3m Rose Window is being funded by the St Anne’s Foundation which, in turn, procured funds from silent donors.

The glass used in the window is French flashed glass and “priceless” English Hartley Wood antique mouth-blown glass, often described as the best in its class in the world.

The Nesbits have a small stockpile of this glass which they bought in the early 1990s – and with the steady closure of glass-blowing studios around the world, the value of the glass has appreciated significantly.

“In all likelihood, the new Rose Window will outlive us all by a long shot,” quipped Wilkinson, with the couple giving it a whopping 100-year guarantee.

Stained glass artist now a leading light in niche industry

However, Gail Muir, owner of Lighthouse Glass Company, has cut out one such niche for herself, as a stained glass artist and lead glazier. However, her path to building a profitable business has not been without challenges.

A single mother, Gail has had to juggle family and business commitments and as any working mum knows, time tends to slip through your fingers like sand with a family to provide for and look after.

Support from her own family was not that forthcoming at the outset either, with a Socialist father set against any ideas of enterprise, while her mother was worried she was entering a career with no future.

Gail started her own business at 19, having been forced by family circumstances to quit art college, find a job and start earning.

However, her fascination with stained glass goes back much earlier. She recalls a house she passed on her way to primary school, which had a stained glass panel in the front door: “I remember my obsession with the colours and how it was done, as well as my disappointment if the storm doors were shut.

“Then, whenever we visited Edinburgh, I was more interested in seeing the stained glass in St Giles’ Cathedral than the shops.”

As a medium, Gail enjoys working with light and colour and for her, committing her creative ideas to glass is far more rewarding than paper (although drawing is a necessary part of the early design stages of any project).

Gail served her apprenticeship with a stained glass manufacturer in Ayr, not only drawing up the designs but also learning the technical process of stained glass manufacture. She was there for about two years before going it alone.

“There were no jobs in stained glass manufacture anyway at the time and I had been virtually running the business myself,” adds Gail.

She began work from her bedroom with a stained glass panel and a piece of chipboard, which she kept under her bed: “I used to get out of bed, tuck my jammies in my jeans and get started.”

However, her difficult and humble beginnings certainly helped her to be more determined and single-minded in carving out a career for herself.

Gail has been in her present workshop in an Irvine industrial estate for about eight years. The building was a former ice-cream factory, which she now owns.

It was her mother who came across the factory premises, and she now helps out with the financial side of Gail’s business.

Contrary to popular belief, the stained glass market is not dominated by church work. According to Gail, this accounts for about 10% of her annual turnover. Other clients include several well-known double-glazing firms, as well as joiners, glaziers, glass manufacturers and the general public.

Her turnover has grown steadily over the years: “The more gradual the growth the better. I never started out with lots of money and it makes the business stronger, as I’ve had to struggle to make it work.”

Lighthouse also offers triple glazing of stained glass in new panels to protect it from the elements. Projects over the years have been varied and often curious.

One client wanted a stained glass panel on her stairwell to match a tattoo in a much less public place. “It was a traditional design – a heart and dagger with a banner and it actually worked really well in stained glass with the black outline against the red.

“I’m not sure whether she ever showed off the tattoo that inspired it, however.”

Gail is currently working on a restoration project for a house in Girvan. This is an aspect of her work which she finds particularly challenging and rewarding.

“It’s a night and day panel in a priest’s house. It’s a bit like being an archaeologist as I have to take apart someone’s work from over 100 years ago and then piece it all together again, re-leading the panel and replacing any damaged glass. You need to make sure that when the panel goes back in, it does not look as if it’s been ‘fixed’.

“You’re never quite sure how the colours will work out either after they’ve been fired in the kiln. I like the fact that restoration work is awkward and a challenge.”

Another time she played detective after a burglary when the robbers completely smashed a stained glass window. Gail had to fit it back together like a jigsaw. “I do get a great sense of satisfaction from seeing a panel restored to its former glory.”

At first, Gail found it difficult to price her work properly. However, she learned from experience you can’t afford to “do a Rolls-Royce job for a Mini Metro price.”

Working alone can be difficult, but at the same time being a single-minded perfectionist can make working partnerships challenging, Gail says. She has trained and employed people in the past, but generally works alone. “For me job satisfaction always outweighs being self-employed. It’s been a long and winding road but an enjoyable one.”

For the future Gail hopes to develop her workshop and just keep “guddling away”. She plans to eventually sell the business as a going concern as her daughter is not keen on the self-employed life.

Gail would love to work on an airport installation to give her the opportunity to work with a large space and promote stained glass on a more public platform.

“I intend to keep improving my skills and I’m pretty inspired by the projects I do right now. So I guess I’m more fortunate than most in that respect.”

'The Colors of Light` opens tonight

As the colors of autumn fade away, the Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park`s new exhibit "The Colors of Light" explodes with color, light and design. Opening on Friday, Oct. 16 in the CAC`s Fine Art Gallery in Estes Park, the exhibition celebrates the diverse work by eight Northern Colorado artists, including Mark James, Kelly Kotary, Russ Longgrear, Jennifer Nauck, Cheryl Pennington, Eli Roehl, Heather Stone and Michael J. Vogel. Each artist uniquely captures the light and the colors within working in a variety of artistic medium and subject matter. Work featured includes painting, photography, fused glass, off-hand blown glass, jewelry, and mixed media glass boxes.

Mark James has been a photographer for over twenty years. He is self-taught and has worked in virtually every area of the medium, from photojournalist to commercial photographer to fine art gallery owner and everything in between.

Kelly Kotary`s goal as an oil painter is to try and capture the essence of whatever the subject may be light on a patch of tall grass, the texture of an onion skin-while exploring all the different possibilities the media offers. Her love of oil paint and all the unlimited textures and colors is a motivating force in her work. From the thinnest of transparent glazes to huge chunky impasto strokes, Kotary strives to engage each viewer to explore the many levels of light of each painting.

Russ Longgrear began his interest in working with stained glass and started building three-dimensional forms such as jewelry boxes, display cases, kaleidoscopes, and even model airplanes over twenty years ago. In the last few years, he has turned his interest towards creating with the colorful dichroic glass. Russ mixes the reflective colors of the glass with his unique use of design and applies the combined effects to create elegant bowls and platters. He recently has added jewelry to his use of dichroic glass.

Jennifer Nauck, when blowing off hand glass, relies on efficiency and fluidity of movement to create simple, elegant, well-balanced pieces. Her designs have evolved -- after years of learning how the glass holds heat, how it moves at different temperatures, and how it responds to subtle changes in angle and speed of rotation. In preparation for "The Colors of Light," she pushed beyond her perceived limits, and has created several platters, vases and wall pieces radiating in individual and blended colors, and in symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes and forms.

Cheryl Pennington moved to the Estes Park area in 1978. Upon retiring from her career as a teacher, she began to pursue her interest in black and white photography. She began printing her own pictures and hand coloring them, using Marshall Oils and pencils to color the photographs. Pennington also re-photographs and prints historic photos from the Northern Colorado front range area. Historically, many black and white photos were hand colored before the advent of color film. Barbara Clatworthy Gish, daughter of the well known late Estes Park photographer Fred Payne Clatworthy, has given Pennington permission to hand color many of her father`s historic images, and several will be included in the exhibition.

Eleanor (Eli) Roehl works in the pristine beauty across from a 14,000-foot peak in the Rockies. In this remote studio, her appreciation and awe of nature is reflected in unique, one-of-a-kind art jewelry. She uses hand-built, fused precious metals in abstract and expressionistic designs. After living in the Caribbean, Eli fell in love with the vibrant colors of aqua and blue-green, which she incorporates into her jewelry. She personally selects the colorful semi-precious stones she uses in her designs. Inspired by the stones themselves, as well as a connection to spirit that is intuitively recognized by those who are drawn to her work, she creates earrings, pins, pendants, rings, and bracelets. Her elegance of style translates into highly collectible jewelry that appeals to an upscale, sophisticated market.

, Heather Glismann Stone began her career as a glass artist while recuperating from a motorcycle accident in 1978. Stone learned to make stained glass windows to pass the time. By 1980, Stone had started to design glass boxes with inlaid seashells. Her glass work has been in several galleries, museums gift shops and high end craft shops across the country. Stone also incorporates her original photography, antiqued postcards and fused glass pieces that she has made in her original glass works.

Michael J. Vogel started his love of photography as a young boy growing up in the Chicago, IL suburbs. With a Brownie 35 mm camera, he started photographing in black and white, eventually moving on to Kodacrome film and his exploration of color photography. Vogel`s love of nature and wildlife is the driving force in his work today. Working in both 35 mm and digital formats, he enjoys capturing the United States from coast to coast. Vogel has documented lighthouses on the Pacific Ocean and shorelines of the Great Lakes, and many of the western national parks. He also travels abroad, and has documented the splendor of Canada and Germany. Vogel will be showing several archival photographic digital giclees on canvas that capture wildlife and the scenic beauty of Rocky Mountain National Park in the exhibition.

The public is invited to attend an opening reception for the "The Colors of Light" on Friday, Oct. 16, at the CAC Fine Art Gallery located at 423 W. Elkhorn Ave from 5 to 8 p.m. Refreshments and hors d`oeuvres will be served. Musical entertainment will be provided by Cynthia Hoyle on the CAC 1930 Baldwin grand piano.

The exhibition will run through Nov. 8, and the gallery is open daily 12 noon to 5 p.m. or by appointment. For more information call the Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park at 970-586-9203 or e-mail: info@estesarts.com.

The Cultural Arts Council is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization with the mission to enhance the quality and accessibility of visual and performing arts for people of all ages. All program revenues go back in serving the greater Estes Valley and its visitor population.

Kitchen Discovery — Tiffany Bowl Brings $28,200 At Clarke’s

Clarke Auction concluded its strongest summer season with its September 14 sale — one of its highest grossing auctions ever, according to founder and owner Ronan Clarke. "We had a fine July, a typically strong August, but the September auction was the topper — [it ranks] among our top five general sales in 11 years," he said.


The auction's top lot was a sleeper — a glass bowl, estimated at $100/150, that turned out to be a circa 1905 Tiffany piece that sold at $28,200. The piece, a mystery to the consignor with heavy wear obscuring any marks, had been pulled by Clarke from a stack of kitchen mixing bowls. He joined it with a Baccarat vase and gave the lot that low estimate. Six in-house bidders competed, with multiple phones with the bowl and a vase finally hammering down to a dealer in the room. "The buyer for the bowl got a Baccarat vase thrown in for his $28,200!" said Tom Curran of Clarke Auction.

The trade also took home a Tiffany Studios counterbalance lamp base, estimated at $600/900, for $2,350. A vintage Tiffany-style lamp and shade, estimated at $300/500, realized $2,700, whereas a similar lamp sold for just $300 in the very next lot.

Asian decorative arts were also strong as the auction coincided with Asia Week in New York City. A pair of Chinese vases as lamps realized $1,645; Asian lidded jars sold for $940 versus an estimate of $300/500; and a lot of two Chinese vases, with an estimate of $300/400, ended up at $1,116.

Columbus honored as brave beacon of hope for Italian-Americans

On the north wall of Heinz Chapel in Oakland, Christopher Columbus keeps some impressive company.

He stands in a rowboat and wields a sword, the heroic image captured in a stained-glass image near the middle of a 73-foot-tall transept window. Next to him is Florence Nightingale. Nearby are more than a dozen other historical heavyweights known for courageous deeds, including the Virgin Mary, Joan of Arc and several saints.

That Columbus is honored alongside such icons surprises no one in the Italian-American community in Western Pennsylvania.

To them, he is a symbol of strength, vision and hope — and not just for ethnic Italians.

"Christopher Columbus had the courage to come to a new land, to risk everything and come to an area that was totally unknown," said Carla Lucente, honorary consul of Italy and co-director of Duquesne University's Center for International Relations.

"He opened the door to the New World, not only for Italians, but for everyone else — the Slovaks, the Germans, the Irish. He was the great discoverer."

As ethnic Italians today celebrate Columbus Day, commemorating the famous seaman from Genoa, many are reflecting on his legacy.

City Councilman Bill Peduto, a second-generation Italian-American, described Columbus "the same way someone who is Irish would describe St. Patty: it is as much an issue of identity as it is pride," he said.

"When we learn about American history, one of the first people we learn about is Christopher Columbus," Peduto said. "He sets the first chapter of our own shared history in this country."

Dennis Looney, chair of the French and Italian Department at the University of Pittsburgh, said all Americans celebrate Columbus Day in some fashion because it's a national holiday.

"All cultural ethnic groups create their own traditions," Looney said. "And Columbus becomes an Italian-American hero because he represents their beginnings. But in the case of Columbus, that tradition in time gets institutionalized and eventually is turned into a national holiday.

"Columbus was nationalized," he said. "I don't know how often that happens in our history. That's one of the intriguing thing about Columbus."

It is why Columbus is depicted in stained glass inside Heinz Chapel, and why cities across America name streets after him and erect statues and monuments in his likeness, he said.

Outside Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Oakland, a statue of Columbus portrays him "looking heroic, standing at the helm of a ship, looking to the future," Looney said.

"He represents courage and pioneering spirit and he (has) become a symbol, not only for all Italian-Americans, but for all immigrants who are making that same trek."

Said Guy Costa, chairman of the Pittsburgh Columbus Day parade committee, held each year in Bloomfield: "He gave us hope. And that's what people need to get through life."

Still, Columbus has his detractors.

After all, some have argued, Columbus is known for "discovering" a land that was inhabited, and he made that discovery only after vastly underestimating Earth's size, thus believing he had hit the East Indies when he stumbled upon the New World in 1492.

"There's been some hullabaloo about him bringing disease to the New World, (and) there's a certain degree of people saying he didn't discover America, that we're celebrating the wrong person," said Sam Patti, who owns La Prima Espresso Co. in the Strip District and participates in the American Italian Historical Association. "That's not totally accurate."

Plus, it's missing the point, Patti contends.

Yes, he said, Columbus Day is a source of great pride for ethnic Italians. But it's a celebration of a shared American experience.

"We are, as John F. Kennedy said, a 'nation of immigrants,' " he said. "Listen, there was mass migration. The Italians, Slovaks, Irish -- they all had the same motivations, and they all made the same sacrifices.

"We have to understand the sacrifices those people made. Columbus Day is about appreciating what these people did. ... How can you know where you're going if you don't know where you came from?"

Judges at fair make light of ugly lamps

When Trina Gibson's cousin in Miami fractured her leg, Gibson got a bright idea for reusing the cast — making a lamp out of it and entering it in the Ugly Lamp Contest at the Kentucky State Fair.




That might seem an odd thought, but Gibson said it came naturally because she's a regular visitor to the annual contest. “I've seen some of those ugly lamps,” Gibson said with a laugh.

The lamp's shade is fashioned from her cousin's X-rays. Protruding from the cast is a rubber foot contributed by another relative in Texas.

When Gibson, of Louisville, came up with the idea, she didn't even know this year's contest would include a special competition for lamps with a leg theme — a tie-in to Actors Theatre of Louisville's upcoming production of “A Christmas Story.” In one subplot of the story, a man wins a lamp shaped like a woman's life-sized leg.

Gibson's lamp won third place overall, as selected by a panel of judges Saturday, and first place in the leg-lamp category. She was awarded two tickets to “A Christmas Story,” which will be presented Nov. 3-28.

More than 100 lamps were entered in the contest, now in its 13thth year, said Patty Schnatter of Lynn's Paradise Café, its sponsor. Many of the lamps will end up in the restaurant, whose décor now includes about 50 ugly lamps, she said.

In addition to leg lamps, the contest had two other categories — “born ugly” for lamps submitted as they are and “made ugly” for lamps created for the contest. The latter was won by a lamp including what seemed to be a stuffed squirrel beneath a green shade with insects pinned to it.

The overall winner, and first in the “born ugly” field, was a multifunction lamp that appeared to be made of light-green marble but was actually metal and plastic. Beneath its mushroom-shaped shade, it featured a clock, phone, pencil holder and music-playing carousel.

“So you could listen to music, talk on the phone and have light all at the same time,” said Jonathan Boome, one of the judges, explaining its appeal. Boome, an interior decorator from Jeffersonville, Ind., said the judges “tried to choose some that we would put in our own apartments.”

When Trina Gibson's cousin in Miami fractured her leg, Gibson got a bright idea for reusing the cast — making a lamp out of it and entering it in the Ugly Lamp Contest at the Kentucky State Fair.







That might seem an odd thought, but Gibson said it came naturally because she's a regular visitor to the annual contest. “I've seen some of those ugly lamps,” Gibson said with a laugh.

The lamp's shade is fashioned from her cousin's X-rays. Protruding from the cast is a rubber foot contributed by another relative in Texas.

When Gibson, of Louisville, came up with the idea, she didn't even know this year's contest would include a special competition for lamps with a leg theme — a tie-in to Actors Theatre of Louisville's upcoming production of “A Christmas Story.” In one subplot of the story, a man wins a lamp shaped like a woman's life-sized leg.

Gibson's lamp won third place overall, as selected by a panel of judges Saturday, and first place in the leg-lamp category. She was awarded two tickets to “A Christmas Story,” which will be presented Nov. 3-28.

More than 100 lamps were entered in the contest, now in its 13thth year, said Patty Schnatter of Lynn's Paradise Café, its sponsor. Many of the lamps will end up in the restaurant, whose décor now includes about 50 ugly lamps, she said.

In addition to leg lamps, the contest had two other categories — “born ugly” for lamps submitted as they are and “made ugly” for lamps created for the contest. The latter was won by a lamp including what seemed to be a stuffed squirrel beneath a green shade with insects pinned to it.

The overall winner, and first in the “born ugly” field, was a multifunction lamp that appeared to be made of light-green marble but was actually metal and plastic. Beneath its mushroom-shaped shade, it featured a clock, phone, pencil holder and music-playing carousel.

“So you could listen to music, talk on the phone and have light all at the same time,” said Jonathan Boome, one of the judges, explaining its appeal. Boome, an interior decorator from Jeffersonville, Ind., said the judges “tried to choose some that we would put in our own apartments.”

Church dedicates stained-glass windows to fomer pastors

Bethel Presbyterian Church dedicated two new stained-glass windows to two beloved former pastors during the church’s annual homecoming service Aug. 23. The windows were named in honor of the late Rev. Dr. James Sprunt and the Rev. Clifford “Kip” Caldwell for their long pastorates (11 and 23 years, respectively) from the late 1950s to the early 1990s.




The windows, two of five new windows recently installed, were the work of Dixon Studio of Staunton. The beautifully rendered glass was augmented by a new viewing area completed by David D. Turner, a carpenter/craftsman of Stuarts Draft, and by flooring provided by Wade’s Floor Covering and Interiors, also of Stuarts Draft. New brick and masonry work was completed by Elmer Miller.

After a worship service and inspiring sermon delivered by guest minister, the Rev. April Cranford, associate pastor at Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church of Fishersville, a dedication service to the glory of God and to the honor of the ministries of the two former pastors was conducted outdoors near the new windows.

Melvina Busby, wife of the late Dr. Sprunt, and family, and the Rev. Caldwell and his family were present to receive the honors for their ministries. Representatives of Shenandoah Presbytery also attended.

A fellowship meal for the congregation followed the service.

Savoia's Auction Saturday, August 15, 2009 117 R Mclaren Road Ext South Cairo, NY 12482

MULTI ESTATE AUCTION Tiffany Studios items -leaded modeled green glass 14shade, nautilus lamp with base # D797, grapevine double frame #961, Stalagtyte glass hanging fixture #S625, base # 532 for 20 shade, Buddha bookends #1025, Candlestick #27369 with blown out glass, pair of Feud leis candlesticks # 1232, Pr of Art Deco enamel candlesticks # 368, grapevine planter # 833, grapevine thermometer , lamp base #533 for 16shade, reading glass pine needle pattern # 903, Venetian calendar frame # 1648, harp base # 27261, pine needle box # 800, pen tray modeled pattern # 113, zodiac pen tray #1000, grapevine blotter ends # 998, Tiffany Art glass including figural stamp, box lot of Tiffany parts and items, tiffany screws, etc Furniture & accessories Russian silver gilt & cloisonn enamel Koush, 74 oz Sterling Silver Tiffany & Co tray, Sterling Silver flatware inc Lunt poppy pattern approx 86.15 oz, Madam Jamul pattern approx 64.22 oz, West Moreland Co. approx 61.17 oz, King Albert approx 47.19, 19th C tall case clock, pair of Edward Axel Roffman chrome frame chairs, leaded stained glass shade on bronze Handel base, Pottery & Art Glass inc Moorcroft, Early dated Van Briggle, Wedgwood, Deldare, Russell Wright, Tiffany, Loetz, Kosta, Orrofor, Cartier drink set in original gift box, Silvercrest 5 pcs desk set, Art Modane desk lamp, wicker & bamboo 1 drawer stand, carved game table with 3 leaves, taxidermy inc elephant foot storage compartment, clocks, Eskimo art wall hanging, over dozen hummels, 30 1923-1960 Hardy Boys books, pedal car -fire truck, 4 hand colored engraved horse prints, framed plaque of Abe Lincoln in relief, Prints inc Metropolitan Museum large framed reproduction of Masters, World War I poster, Opening Night Woodstock Playhouse, Bali carvings, Bali Motto, pine hutch table, 1818 Sampler, Rosewood lap desk with brass trim, tortoise shell box, sterling bar set with stag handles, large silver & turquoise native American 3 pcs belt buckle, jewelry inc Movado watch, Pairpoint lamp base, Art Nouveau 3 branch hanging fixture, Bradley & Hubbard mirrored wall sconce, and much more.

We are looking at 2 more estates this week post auction deadlines

15% Buyers premium! Check, cash, Visa, M/C or Discover

There always items added after advertising deadline.

New york State Thruway to Exit 21 get off make the first right than the first left onto Route 23 W. Go to second traffic light make a left and follow the signs to the New York State Trooper.We are the big red and white building next to the troopers

New stained glass window at New Westminster church commemorates saint who pioneered World Mission Sunday

“Let there be light!” said Father David Hughes, and there is light, new light, in the vestibule of Holy Spirit Church in New Westminster.
It’s all thanks to the installation on June 4 of a striking stained glass window depicting Blessed Joseph Allamano of Italy.

Blessed Allamano, founder of the Consolata Missionaries, was named Pioneer of World Mission Sunday by Pope Paul VI. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on Oct. 7, 1990.

At the age of 29 he was appointed rector of Turin’s biggest Marian shrine, which is dedicated to Our Lady of Consolata. He founded the Institute of Consolata Missionaries on Jan. 29, 1901, and the following year sent four missionaries: two priests and two brothers, to Kenya.

In 1910 he established the congregation of Consolata Sisters. Today over 3,500 Consolata priests, brothers, sisters, and volunteers serve in 25 countries.

The new Holy Spirit window, designed and painted by Vancouver glass artists John and Laura Gilroy of Gilroy Stained Glass, shows Blessed Allamano standing beside a lady holding a child, representing the African Missions.

Behind her is a man in Argentinian national dress, representing the South American continent. A little boy kneeling on the left stands for the North American continent and a young girl to the right with outstretched hands evokes the people of Asia.

Behind the left shoulder of Blessed Allamano is a representation of the icon of Our Lady of Consolata traditionally considered to be a relic of the Blessed Mother and Child which pious tradition attributes to St. Luke. The relic, buried in a chapel for centuries, was re-discovered in the 12th century in pristine shape, and is credited with restoring a blind man’s sight.

Blessed Allamano is the patron of the Knights of Columbus Council of Holy Spirit Parish. The council was founded on June 29, 1994, said Father Hughes.

“Choosing him as the subject for our new window was appropriate,” the pastor added. “We also have many of the ethnic groups in the window represented in our parish. One of our parishioners actually knew Blessed Allamano; another was with the Consolata Missionaries in Africa. We have people from South America, Africa, and Asia, where the Consolata missionaries serve.”

The faces of the figures, Father Hughes added, are exceptional.

“The Gilroys did a masterful job on the expressions which, unlike what is seen in some stained glass, are very lifelike. The work is superb and we are thrilled.”

Millville's arts district finally lives up to name

Millville's downtown was named the Glasstown Arts District to celebrate the city's rich glassmaking history.

Aside from a few shows and the occasional piece on display, however, glass as an art form has been relatively absent from the district.

Today, two galleries specializing in glass art will open, giving the arts district permanent showcases for several glass media.

Tucked away in the Village on High, Diane Brunetta showed off the evolution of 15 years of experience in stained glass art hanging on her wall. Although her work often incorporates designs of traditional stained glass, she said she would categorize herself, if she has to, as a modern stained-glass artist.

A piece on the wall at the Cedar Creek Stained Glass Gallery - one, like all the others, that she conceptualized and mapped out in a laborious process - incorporates positive and negative space to create a sort of three-dimensional effect.

Another piece, a cascade of geometry, is an abstract building, another looks like a landscape. Still other pieces incorporate the uniform symmetry that is common among traditional stained glass art.

Brunetta was content with working out of her home studio but at the urging of friends decided to open a small gallery to showcase her art.

"I enjoy doing it. I'm putting it out there, and I think people do want to see it," she said. "I'm dead beat but excited. I've gotten really good feedback, and there's been a lot of positive energy."

She also is excited that her location is opening alongside another High Street glass gallery.

The thing about glass art, Brunetta said, is the variety: There is stained glass, blown glass, kiln glass, glass jewelry, glass marbles and countless other glass forms that artists create.

Just a few blocks down the street, friends of Scott Meyer worked on the cosmetic features of his new gallery and glass workshop. The space is called Glasstown Art Glass and will feature Meyer's work as well as well as the work of other artists.

The gallery will be open to guests today during Third Friday but will not celebrate its grand opening until September. The space includes a workshop with everything Meyer needs to create glass art, including a furnace that reaches 2,400 degrees and can hold as much as 200 pounds of molten glass.

Meyer's brother, Mike Meyer, has been helping him get ready for the opening. He was surprised to find that glass art has not been more prevalent downtown.

"This is the first time there's actually going to be a glassmaker downtown in the Glasstown Arts District," he said.

Wheaton Arts, a popular tourist destination, produces glass art. Some of its artists have become world-renown for their work, which has included glass paper weights, ornaments, vases and other decorative items. Wheaton Arts, however, is far removed from the downtown.

Brunetta said the addition of two glass galleries downtown will add to the area's appeal. She said people are drawn to the color and the craft and the style of glass art, as she was.

As a child growing up in Millville Brunetta learned from Pat Witt, Millville's reigning artist laureate. Throughout the years, she has painted and even spent time as a potter. When she left the business world and moved to Cape Cod 15 years ago, however, she found her passion lie in stained glass.

Opening a gallery is the culmination of her years of work, she said: "This really is a life dream of mine."

Artful Arranging: Designer Secrets

Ever notice how some people (especially in those glossy mags we like to ogle) can toss, say, a piece of driftwood, two books and a lamp on a coffee table and end up with a perfect, camera-ready display? Yet the rest of us can rearrange the same objects endlessly and come up with the anarchic look of Nana's knickknacks.

Displaying accessories is one of the trickier bits of decorating any room. How much is too much? How little is too little? Which objects will marry beautifully on which table? For David Jimenez, a genius-level visual merchandiser and gifted decorator (his homes have graced those glossy mags), tablescaping is the difference between a house and a home.

"It's easy to furnish a room by the books," says Jimenez, a vice president at Hallmark Cards and former VP at Restoration Hardware and, before that, Pottery Barn. "But when you pull together collections of the items that you love, you start to tell the story of who you are as a person. That creates a soulful space you can call a home."

In his 1906 Georgian Revival mansion in Kansas City, Mo., Jimenez's vignettes exude a sense of effortless style. You, too, can get the look, he says. "Ultimately, this is about creating arrangements that reflect you and your unique sensibilities. From that standpoint, there's really no getting it wrong." That said, here are his guidelines for getting it right:

If you're serious about this, consider getting mildly to very geeked out at the magazine rack. When putting together his rooms, Jimenez clips imagery that catches his eye from shelter magazines. In the plastic sleeves of the three-ring binder, he organizes the sheets according to room. "Be as general or as specific as you like," says Jimenez. "You might be inspired by the overarching mood in one photo. In another, you might like the way a throw is styled over an armchair."

When you later review your binder, the imagery will often reveal a clear, aesthetic point of view. You might discover an undeniable fondness for puce. Or you might confirm (again) your love of Tuscan villas. "When these visual threads start to emerge," says Jimenez, "you have something very specific to build on." (One place to get inspired: Jimenez's Web site, djimenez.com.)

"There's something infinitely more interesting about groupings of items that vary in height, texture and scale," says Jimenez. "When there is variance, each item can stand out on its own, and simultaneously it can be part of the grouping." To maintain order, even as you introduce items of different shapes and sizes, work in layers.

When placed on a console or fireplace mantle, a tall mirror (such as the one above) becomes the base on which to add those layers, starting with a framed piece of art. Casually lean it against the mirror. (The effect: You've just stumbled into high style, a happy accident.) From that point, you can introduce more textural variance. "Try placing something made of shiny glass next to a rough-hewn piece of pottery," says Jimenez. "Because of the contrast, the glints of light off the glass will seem a little brighter."

So much of what you do in assembling a room is about balance and visual symmetry. Most likely, for instance, four chairs surround your kitchen table, and two end tables flank your sofa. "That's why items generally look better when they're grouped in odd numbers," says Jimenez. "That odd item gives the eye a visual break from all the coupling in the rest of the room."

A tablescape can do as much for the color profile of a room as a coat of paint. And if you're not the type to embrace floor-to-ceiling fuchsia, it's a commitment-free way to indulge. Your first step, says Jimenez: Determine your color objective. Do you need this tablescape to support an existing palette or add contrast in a neutral room?

Books are most often grouped according to size and subject, but Jimenez likes them for their color potential. Pile up a fat stack of sea foam green books, found on the cheap in secondhand bookstores, to complete a beach-inspired room. For rooms that need contrast, look to nature: A bundle of flowers or bowl of fruit—try green apples—can provide a practically audible pop of color. In this room, a painting, a chair and a couple of pillows pull a bright thread of blue through a mostly neutral room.

Jimenez once got a call from a friend who realized that, in her home of many years, it looked as though she'd just moved in. She enlisted Jimenez's help. Instead of hitting the stores, he looked in her drawers. There, he unearthed hidden treasures, such as the set of fine china and leather-bound books now smartly arranged in a cabinet that, for years, had rattled with emptiness. "It's almost as if people stop noticing the things they own," says Jimenez. "But sometimes, all the elements are already there for people. It just takes looking at things a little differently." Open shelves, such as the ones below, might make a great home for objects currently collecting dust behind closed doors.

Dowling: Painting with glass

(HOST) Commentator Leora Dowling has some thoughts on why the Louis Comfort Tiffany exhibit at Shelburne Museum is so appealing.

(DOWLING) On a recent evening, in a rare break between showers, I watched the sun set over Lake Champlain. Bright white changed to shimmery yellow, pale apricot, and then an intense pink, as the wind moved low wispy clouds through the deepening blue. I had seen similar effects in the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany at the Shelburne Museum and was struck by how authentic the colors and sense of movement are in a Tiffany sky.

I'm a seasonal guide at the museum, so I've had the opportunity to linger over Tiffany’s iconic creations, and I’ve decided that my favorite part of the exhibition is an often-overlooked display case filled with pieces of unused, vibrantly colored Tiffany flat glass. Studying these individual shards of hundred-year-old glass, I’ve come to appreciate what makes Tiffany glass so distinctive and important.

The intense colors and unique dappling, feathering, marbling, and opalescence his glass makers were able to create were an artistic breakthrough. Tiffany refused to paint ON glass, as had been the custom for centuries. Instead, his glass makers improved on techniques dating back to ancient Rome and medieval Europe. They found a way to paint WITH glass, incorporating color, design and texture INTO the glass while it was still in a thick liquid state.

Ladles of colorful molten glass were poured out and mixed together to form sheets of flat glass. Then, as if they were making a puzzle, the designers would search for just the right pieces for soon-to-be petals or leaves. Then they would painstakingly encircle the pieces with copper foil and solder them all together. Bit by bit, the whole picture would emerge.

The pieces of colored glass were, in essence, Tiffany’s paint. When combined with light, his glass caught the ephemeral nature of clouds, the life cycle of a water lily, the energy of dragonflies, and even a summer afternoon in Vermont.

Today there are Tiffany windows in more than a dozen Vermont towns. In most of his church windows, natural motifs surround ecclesiastical figures; but there are three windows at the Union Church in Proctor that are devoid of human beings, leaving God and nature to eloquently speak for themselves.

During the Gilded Age, owning a Tiffany lamp or commissioning a window was de rigeur for the wealthy. But the twentieth century marched in, and World War I changed peoples’ priorities. Extravagant art nouveau was replaced by sleek, modern art deco. Conspicuous consumption went out of style, and Tiffany did, too. All over America people relegated their Tiffany glass to attics - or worse, to the dump.

So those glorious bits of colored glass that were both paint and palette to Tiffany also speak to me of the cycle of innovation, popularity, obscurity, and rediscovery that is so intimately a part of the making of art.

Stained-glass workshop at Stephen Foster State Park

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park will host a beginning stained-glass workshop on Sunday, August 16, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Monday, August 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.


Each workshop is one day only.

Taught by demonstrator, Pat Blaney, this beginners workshop, will cover the basics of the copper foil method of stained-glass artistry.

Participants will learn to cut and shape stained glass, copper-foil the cut pieces and solder the pieces together into a finished project - a colorful butterfly sun-catcher.

The cost is $40 and includes supplies and park admission.

For additional information or to register for the workshops, please call the park Gift Shop at (386) 397-1920

Stained glass memorials for victims of bombings

Families of those killed in the Omagh and Claudy bombings are to gather across Ireland and Spain to unveil a series of new memorials.


The stained glass windows, which were designed and created by the bereaved relatives, will be located at Buncrana, Claudy, Omagh and Madrid as a permanent tribute to the 38 people and two unborn babies killed, and also to the scores injured, in the 1971 and 1998 bombings.

Entitled the Windows of Hope project, the initiative was instigated by the co-ordinator of the Londonderry-based Shared City Project, Jeanette Warke, and has been funded by Derry City Council and the Community Relations Council of Northern Ireland.

The families worked together at a series of workshops coming up with ideas for the stained glass window that would reflect their grief and sadness and their hope for a better future.

Nine people were killed in the Claudy bombing of July 31, 1972.

Three bombs exploded in the centre of the village, killing six people outright while three others died later from their injuries.

The Omagh bombing was the most lethal atrocity of the Troubles. The Real IRA attack on the centre of Omagh on August 15, 1998, killed 29 people, among them a woman pregnant with twins.

Three of the children killed in the bombing came from Buncrana in Inishowen — Oran Doherty (8), Sean McLaughlin (12) and James Barker (12).

Two Spaniards, Rocio Abad Ramos (23) and Fernando Baselga (12), who were staying in Buncrana on an exchange programme, were also killed.

Scoil Iosagain Primary School in Buncrana will host the first of the Window of Hope stained glass window unveiling ceremonies on Saturday at 3pm.

At the Central Library, Omagh relatives will unveil their window on Sunday at 3pm, a day after the 11th anniversary of the bombing.

On Saturday, August 29, the relatives of those killed in Claudy will gather at the Diamond Centre at 3pm.

Jeanette Warke said working on the project has been a moving experience for everyone involved.

She said: “It was a great honour for me to be part of the project and to afford the families temporary relief from the trouble and pain they continue to endure with the loss of their loves ones in the horrific aftermath of the bombs in Claudy and Omagh.

“The families hope that the windows will send out a message of hope to all affected by the Troubles on the island of Ireland,” she said.

Ms Warke is planning to travel to Madrid later in the year to present their stained glass window.

Blenko celebrates glass with annual festival

Blenko Glass Co. threw its second annual Festival of Glass event Friday, Aug. 7, and Saturday, Aug. 8, at their Milton plant. Everyone who attended received a free Blenko stamped medallion commemorating the event and was given a chance to sign up for limited room only glass classes.

Guided factory tours, and glass classes were part of the agenda set for visitors on both days of the event. The classes included sandblasted medallion class, ring holder/paperweight class, dalle chipping class, and mobile class all of which could be taken for a small fee.

For a fee of $350, visitors could participate in a full-blown glass workshop. This workshop allowed each participant to experience first hand the process necessary to create a piece of handmade glass. The process began by making a hot glass ball that would later become the finished glass masterpiece. The hot glass ball would then blown by the participant, under the watchful eye of the skilled craftsman. Workshop attendees were able to work on at least 2-3 pieces of glass each.

The Blenko Glass Co. was founded in 1893 by William J. Blenko in Kokomo, Indiana. After a few failed ventures at running a glass factory Mr., Blenko took a job with Tiffany's in New York for $50 a week. In 1921, at age 67 he decided to move to Milton and worked alone blowing glass cylinders, and hit the road in an effort to sell them.

The company's early successes include providing glass for the stained glass windows of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, helping the company earn national renown. The work of the company's first designers achieved much critical acclaim, including having several designs receiving the Museum of Modern Art's Good Design Awards in 1950.

Two Blenko documentaries, gave the company national exposure and led to Blenko glas being frequently featured in PBS pledge drives nationwide. Fourth-generation company President Richard Blenko often personally participated in these pledge drives, generating a spike in publicity and positive effects for the company.

The tourist business has remained strong over the past few years, while the antique and design business has dwindled. Company officals said when the visitors' center and glass museum are open the license plates reflect a greater amount of out of state visitors then local visitors. The visitors' center receives up to 1,000 people a day.

On Jan. 31, 2009, Blenko ceased production of glass due to a judgment against them, which led to their gas supplier cutting off their fuel used to melt glass. The company even discussed bankruptcy with their legal advisors. But on March 9, 2009, Blenko resumed limited production at its facility.

Company chairman William Blenko Jr. said, "as you know we were forced to shut down for about six weeks. This allowed us to get a few things straightened out and we have been building back up again."

William Blenko commented about the company's future. "No one knows about the future. At one time there were hundreds of glass companies in this state. Now we are down to about two. We have managed to survive this far. We are 116 years old now and I guess the first 116 years are the hardest. Hopefully, we can continue this."

Meyda Custom Lighting Unveils the "Borough Hall" Collection

Perfect for large residential, commercial and institutional applications, Meyda Custom Lighting unveils the Borough Hall Collection of decorative lighting. Meyda Custom Lighting is the nation's leading manufacturer and designer of custom and decorative lighting.

Meyda Custom Lighting's "Borough Hall" family offers an old world look that features simple elegance paired with an impressive size that complements most interior design schemes used in larger spaces. Reproduced from an antique Transitional Craftsman design, the fixtures are handcrafted with kiln-bent Revival White art glass and a variety of handsome metal finishes.
Featured in the enclosed photo is the 14" Wide Borough Hall Pendant (109137) is handcrafted with 12 panels of kiln-bent Revival White art glass and Craftsman Brown finished brass. It includes a ceiling canopy, which measures 5 inches wide, and a six-foot foot chain.

The Borough Hall family is handcrafted with meticulous attention to detail by Meyda artisans in the Yorkville, New York manufacturing facility.

Matching pendants, wall sconces and outdoor fixtures are available for a complete decorative look.

About Meyda Custom Lighting

Meyda Custom Lighting is a Meyda Tiffany Company and the nation's leading manufacturer and designer of decorative and custom lighting. Although founded in 1974, the firm's roots actually date back to the early 1900s, supplying Louis Comfort Tiffany and Tiffany Studios with lighting products, and creating the original Coca-Cola stained glass lamps and chandeliers.

Meyda Lighting offers thousands of in-stock stained glass lighting and decor designs, with more than 50,000 customizable lighting options. Its vast line includes: Coca-Cola stained glass lighting group; Old Forge Collection of Rustic and Lodge styled lighting/décor; Craftsman Signature Series of Outdoor/Indoor Lighting (including new Landscape lanterns) featuring Arts & Crafts designs; Stained Glass Lighting featuring Victorian, Nouveau and a broad range of styles; Art Glass Windows and Fireplace Screens; Tiffany Gifts and Home Accents; and The Metro and Metro Fusion Lines of contemporary art glass and fused glass designs. In addition, Meyda Lighting offers Extensive Custom Capabilities to create the custom lamp, fixture, window or accessory of your dreams.

Saving historic LDS chapels (with multimedia)

One glance around the 1924 Yale Ward Chapel and Martine Smith was hooked.

Previously worshipping in a spanking new Mormon meetinghouse in Louisiana, Smith was dazzled by the light playing on Jesus' robe in the stained-glass window in Yale's chapel, the white pews with dark wood trim, the vaulted ceiling and sloping floor.

"I felt inspired and elevated," says Smith, who has been going to the Salt Lake City chapel for the past 14 years. "And every Sunday I still do."

The Yale meetinghouse is among a handful of historic chapels that still exist from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' building boom of the first decades of the 20th century. Scattered throughout the city and state, they dot the landscape

with Renaissance domes, Gothic arches, scalloped Spanish Baroque gables, Romanesque archways and American colonial steeples.


For every historic Mormon church that remains standing, however, dozens more have been sold, razed or rebuilt beyond recognition.

So who decides which buildings get sensitively renovated, like the Tabernacle on Temple Square or the Salt Lake 10th Ward on 500 South, and which ones bite the dust, like the Riverton Ward meetinghouse or the Salt Lake 17th Ward?

Landmark LDS temples, tabernacles and meetinghouses could be maintained if they have "significant history, art or architecture," says Steve Olson, a member of the church's historic-site committee. "But the church is not in the preservation business. We don't just preserve things because they're pretty. Our buildings need to continue to facilitate the work of the church, which is saving souls."

There probably are four dozen LDS structures in the Intermountain West built between 1860 and 1940 on the church's landmark list, he says. About half are meetinghouses, including the Yale Ward and the others profiled here.

In recent years, the church has developed a systematic way to manage the tension between the desire to preserve historic structures and the reality of contemporary congregational needs. Often it's a question of money and the most responsible use of the church's resources.

If one of these historic chapels needs a major repair -- such as replacing a roof, boiler system or plumbing -- Salt Lake City's codes may require the church to include costly seismic or other upgrades. Such upgrades could make renovations impractical.

Decisions are not just handed down from church headquarters without input from local LDS leaders, Olson says. "They are negotiated in good faith by all parties involved -- from the physical-facilities managers to local ecclesiastical leaders to architects and historians."

All of the buildings profiled here are in continued use and none faces demolition, he says. "Yet all of them will, at some point, go through this process of evaluation."




New push for old buildings » In February 1971, LDS leaders decided to demolish the Coalville Tabernacle, a magnificent edifice rising like a cathedral from the Summit County farmland. Every day for a week, The New York Times reported the progress of a group of residents working furiously to win a restraining order against the church. When a judge overturned the order, Mormon officials didn't hesitate. Two days later, a testament to the devotion of early Saints was reduced to rubble.

A generation of LDS preservationists was born that day.

And the church learned that many people -- in and outside the church -- care about preserving physical evidence of LDS faith and faithfulness.

Still, the 1970s mostly were disastrous for the church's historic buildings. From 1975 to 1979, temples in Mesa, Ariz., and St. George were drastically changed, while Logan's temple was gutted. No attempt was made to restore the buildings' original splendor. Murals were removed or painted over. Walls were rearranged.

Only a handful of LDS buildings remain from the first generation of settlers in Salt Lake City (1847 to 1870). None of the original 19 ward buildings has survived.

Eventually, the tide turned, says Paul Anderson, an architect and curator at Brigham Young
University's Museum of Art. "Over the last 20 to 30 years, it's been wonderful to see the church's efforts to make some of its beautiful old structures earthquake-proof and to preserve their historic character."




Image building » The first few decades of the 20th century were pivotal for the LDS Church and architecture became its public face.

"The great variety of those structures reflects the church's wide-ranging search for appropriate new images of itself as it emerged from the isolation of its pioneer past into the mainstream of early 20th-century American life," Anderson writes in a forthcoming book, Mormon Moderne: New Directions in Latter-day Saint Architecture, 1890--1955 .

Eager to show that Mormonism was no longer a "strange and scandalous sect," Anderson writes, "Mormons asserted their respectability as upright American citizens and Christians by building churches that incorporated many elements of traditional American and Christian imagery ... pointed arches, stained-glass windows, buttresses and pinnacles."

Their churches even drew on styles not common to religious buildings such as the Prairie Style of Frank Lloyd Wright, the International Style of the European avant-garde and the Art Deco and streamlined modernism of Jazz Age Americanism.

But these architects also substituted images, for example, of Joseph Smith's First Vision in stained-glass windows for more iconic biblical scenes to provide a uniquely Mormon feel.

Today, those historic buildings continue to be some of the most beloved in the Salt Lake Valley, Anderson says. "They are landmarks in our community and they enrich the lives of those who see them from the outside as well as those lucky enough to worship in them. It would be a great loss if any more were to disappear."

http://www.sltrib.com/

Melvyn Bragg donates stained glass windows to Wigton church

The Bragg family windows were commissioned with the intention of bringing the town’s heritage into the church and they depict some of its most loved and historic landmarks. Lord Bragg and the congregation are all pleased with the results, which have been described by Canon Geoffrey Ravalde as spectacular.

Lord Bragg, a former St Mary’s choirboy, has spent most of his adult life away from his home town.

But he still has a deep connection to his roots and Wigton has provided the setting for several of his books.

He told The Cumberland News: “I love the town and seem to be bound to it.”

The original plan was for just one window. But another two were added as the designs developed and seemingly cried out for more space.

Lord Bragg was also encouraged to extend his generosity by a friend of his late father, who implored him to “dig deep Melvyn, dig deep”.

The Bragg family are long-standing members of the congregation and because the project was so personal, Lord Bragg did more than just sign the cheque to pay for it.

The former controller of arts at London Weekend Television, who was educated at Nelson Thomlinson School in Wigton and then Oxford University, gave a very specific brief to the man who designed the windows, local artist and friend Brian Campbell. And he was involved in discussions at every stage along the way to the installation.

Lord Bragg added: “It was an old-fashioned commission, I didn’t say; ‘do what you want’. I was very detailed, then Brian added his own designs and perspective and he did it extremely well.”

Stained-glass artist Alex Haynes, of Albion Glass in Brampton, then turned Mr Campbell’s sketches into reality. Lord Bragg said: “He put plain glass around the shields so you can see Wigton twice, which I think is brilliant.”

The windows were blessed by Canon Geoffrey Ravalde during a dedication ceremony at St Mary’s on Sunday, which Lord Bragg attended.

Canon Ravalde is both grateful and impressed with the addition to his church.

He said: “The scale and vision of this is extremely rare and the reaction has been spectacular.

“Everyone who has seen the windows has been amazed by the colour, detail and artistry.”

By Steph Johnson

Grant Wood window heads for restoration

A Davenport firm is beginning the process of repairing the flood-damaged Grant Wood stained-glass window at the Veterans Memorial Building on May’s Island.

Glass Heritage LLC has told the city it will take 12 to 15 days to remove the window’s 58 glass panels. The work began Monday.

The firm will take the panels to its studio and complete the repairs in 34 weeks.

The City Council approved a contract up to $147,000 with Glass Heritage.

The city had private insurance on the window that will cover the repair costs, officials have said.

Heart of glass: Local man brings art to life

Steve Skelton not only captures an image with his artwork, he brings it to life.

Steve's Custom Stained Glass, 425 Joliet St. in Aurora, which is both Skelton's art studio and home, creates custom leaded glass and Tiffany-style glass work for clients.

The soft colors, warm hues and many textures and designs of Skelton's glass illuminate homes throughout Colorado with an abstract distortion of light that constantly changes with the movement of the sun.

"It always begins with a design," Skelton said heading to his drawing room in the basement of his home. "After an initial consultation with a client on what they want, I create a cartoon or drawing, and if it's approved by the client, it's a start of the piece."

Of course the drawing is not what breathes light into the piece, Skelton said. It's the glass.

"During my consultations with clients I bring glass samples or colors I'd think they'd like or would work best with the image they are trying to capture," Skelton said. "I end up choosing most of the glass for clients because they trust my experience."

Skelton has been working with leaded and Tiffany glass for 33 years.

As an alum of Michigan State University, Skelton originally studied hospitality/hotel management, but quickly discovered a career in stained glass and an opportunity to run his own business appealed much more to his relaxed lifestyle.

In the same room where Skelton created the drawing for the glass piece, he demonstrates how he cuts the glass to match the drawn pattern.

Skelton places a piece of glass over the pattern and with a glass cutter, traces the pattern below. Then, with a small hammer, he taps the glass along the outline to release the piece.

"You have to be extremely precise when cutting the glass," Skelton said. "It's not so much as cutting, but fracturing it."

It takes Skelton about five hours to cut each individual piece for a project. From there, it's another four or five hours to foil or sotter the glass pieces together.

While there are two methods to designing a stained glass piece, Skelton said he prefers the Tiffany-style copper foiling because it allows for greater detail in designs than does the lead-based foiling.

All together, creating one glass piece can take Skelton up to 16 hours.

"It's time consuming and labor intensive," he said. "Plus the price of glass, that is why stained glass is not cheap."

Skelton's pieces cost anywhere from $100 to $800, and he said his prices are much lower than the competition because he is just a one-man studio.

"I can charge typically 30 to 50 percent less because I don't have the overhead other studios do," he said.

Stained glass artwork is a luxury item, Skelton said. So naturally in a slow economy it would seem business would slow, but Skelton said it has remained pretty steady.

"I do three or four projects a month and sometimes only two if they are larger pieces," he said. "I also have an Ebay store where I ship small orders."

Abstract designs, Mission-style artwork and Art Deco are the most common design requests Skelton receives. His favorite designs are abstract pieces because he said he can use all types of glass, colors and shapes for the designs.

"I make a living where I have always been able to make ends meet," he said. "I have a sense of achievement and it's a nice feeling to have people appreciate my work."

Nichols returns to Liberty to sing, exhibit stained glass

Gary Nichols, known in Sullivan County for his country music, will be in Liberty this weekend with his guitar, but this time he brings some of his stained glass art to show as well.

"After many years, and too many miles on the road, I took up the art of stained glass, and love it," Nichols said.

In 2004, he signed up for a class in stained glass at Watkins College of Art & Design, an art school in Nashville.

Nichols currently displays and sells his work in several Nashville gift shops, and is honored to have his "Hearts of Nine," an original stained glass piece of art, hang in the Vanderbilt Heart Institute.

His work will be on display at a free art show at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Liberty Museum & Arts Center on Main Street in Liberty.

The art show is part of Liberty's Bicentennial History Day held at the Liberty Museum and Arts Center that will include a reception at noon, Nichols' presentation at 1 p.m. and a history lecture with John Conway at 2:30 p.m.

Nichols will perform at Liberty's July 4th Celebration at 1 p.m. For more information about the Liberty Bicentennial History Day, contact the Liberty Museum & Arts Center at 292-2394.

FRom http://www.recordonline.com/

Scott and Suzanne Rosema create living portfolio of lasting art in Temujin Studio

Married artists Scott Rosema and Suzanne Hiza-Rosema have seen the light.
After toiling for years in their Muskegon home's cramped, subterranean basement, the couple opened Temujin Studio, 1046 E. Sternberg, 18 months ago.

The spacious, ground-level studio provides plenty of elbow room for both working artists, and a light-filled storefront to display Rosema's illustrations and Hiza-Rosema's stained-glass creations.

"The gallery is our living portfolio," Rosema said.

Temujin -- a Tibetan word meaning "to reach" or "to strive," -- is not only the studio's name, but the artists' mantra.



"That's what we like to do with our art," Rosema said.

Rosema, 50, who studied illustration and advertising at Grand Rapids' Kendall College of Art and Design before joining The Muskegon Chronicle's artistic team in 1985, said his interest in art goes way back.

"I started drawing at age 4 and never stopped," he said.

In 1991 Rosema decided it was time to "shake things up a bit," and plunged into the world of comic illustration, taking the part-time freelance work he had done for the comic industry and turning it into a full-time career.

The gamble paid off with steady assignments from Disney, Marvel Comics, D.C. Comics, Dream Works, Cartoon Network, Archie Comics, Warner Bros. and Looney Tunes. The work he did for Tiny Tunes took his work to Brazil, Italy, Germany, Spain and Belgium, Rosema said.
While his work in the comic industry continues, Rosema also challenges his imagination and skills as an illustrator creating elaborate "fantasy" portraits of mystical characters, which he markets at comic industry shows.

These days the couple team up for the shows, with Hiza-Rosema crafting elaborate stained-glass comic book icons, such as Dr. Doom, Spider Man, Elvira, Godzilla, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, into tabletop or hanging art -- all designed by Rosema.

"These are something I would never have done on my own," Hiza-Rosema, 55, said of the stained-glass comic characters.

Hiza-Rosema, who worked for 20 years as a dental technician, picked up stained glass as a hobby more than 30 yeas ago.
"I just started playing with it and I loved it," Hiza-Rosema said. "I love what it does to a space."

A regular customer of a Grand Rapids stained-glass supply shop, Hiza-Rosema was asked by the owner if she would submit a drawing for stained-glass panels being commissioned by Bethel Pentecostal Church. The design, a collaborative effort by the couple, was selected and Hiza-Rosema found herself spending the next year working on the nine window panels, each 17-feet high and 3-feet wide. The enormous task was the first of many commissions to follow and brought her to the Stained Glass Place full-time for the next five years.

Although her church commissions are impressive, Hiza-Rosema also enjoys crafting decorative boxes, hinged pocket mirrors, or small charms she calls "light dancers."

"When I'm working on them, they kind of create themselves," she said of the charms.

Antique glass or unusual trinkets often find their way into her glass creations.

"If you work with glass you can work with found objects," Hiza-Rosema said.聽"You can incorporate a person's memories."

Interpreting customer's memories into meaningful and lasting works is something both artists take pride in.

Using their respective mediums, both artists are regularly commissioned to create portraits -- of loved ones, beloved pets or houses.

"We work with the customer, their sensibilities, their interests," Hiza-Rosema said.

Occasionally Hiza-Rosema is charged with restoring a vintage stained-glass piece. A 1910-era window, sadly in need of attention, rests dismantled on her workbench. A rubbing of the original design is mounted on the wall for reference. Hiza-Rosema said even the broken panes will be re-cut and returned to the original piece, keeping the amount of new glass to a minimum.

"We take the time and the care to do Old World craftsmanship," Rosema said. "We're doing something that's going to last beyond us."

from http://www.mlive.com/

Treasure in glass

Avid Old Sleepy Eye collectors, Floyd and Sharon Reynolds of Kansas City, have added another treasure to their prized collection. And, no, it’s not a century-old Sleepy Eye Mill pitcher or vase.
This treasure is brand new, a two by two foot stained glass replica of a Sleepy Eye Mills flour barrel label, created at Sleepy Eye Stained Glass by Linda Green.
“It’s just beautiful,” Sharon said Monday. “We are so pleased with it.”
The Reynolds made a special trip from Kansas to pick up the completed work on Monday.
Floyd commissioned the piece from Sleepy Eye Stained Glass owner Mike Mason in 2008, when Floyd attended Mike’s stained glass seminar held during the Old Sleepy Eye Collectors’ Club Convention.
Mike made the pattern from photos of the barrel label and had intended to create the stained glass replica for himself.
“I had the pattern laying out during the seminar,” Mike explained. “Floyd saw it and ordered one before he left that day.”
Mike’s original pattern was twice the Reynolds’ completed piece. With its order, Linda was delegated as the artist in charge of creating the piece.
Linda said she received many positive comments on the piece.
On Saturday, Linda was working in the shop when a gentleman from the Twin Cities stopped in. He wanted to buy the stained glass label for his mother, no matter the cost.
When Linda told him it had already been sold, he asked if she could create another one. Linda wasn’t sure she wanted to take on the project again. “I hemmed and hawed and then gave him a price off the top of my head, a price I thought he would never take,” Linda said.
“He paid me half of that price up front. Now I have to do another one by Dec. 1.”
On Monday, after Linda signed her name as creator, Mike carefully packed the stained glass Sleepy Eye Mill flour barrel label for the Reynolds’ return trip to Kansas.
Sharon said she has some ideas where the piece will be proudly displayed in their home. “It’s so much prettier than I thought it would be,” she said. “It was worth waiting for.”
With its commission and purchase, yet another piece of art from Sleepy Eye Stained Glass goes out into the world.
Over the years, Mike’s business has gained quite a reputation for quality stained glass artwork. Mike said they have created or restored stained glass pieces that have been sent all over the United States. Just recently, a stained glass piece was commissioned and completed for a couple from England.
“I don’t think of my work (at Sleepy Eye Stained Glass) as a job,” Linda said. “I’m doing something I love to do. I have fun every day when I come to work.”
http://www.sleepyeyenews.com/

Stained glass windows

The piano music drifting out into the street let passersby know that Sunday services were in session. The white wooden frame building had a basement below and a steeple above, but its most endearing detail was the stained glass panels that arched over the upper windows. It was a touch of elegance, and perhaps even extravagance, for a simple house of worship in the little Plains community.

I differ with those who say that the citizens of rural America aren't great lovers of art. If art has meaning, it has value and is appreciated. In churches of all denominations, the beauty of stained glass brings comfort to those both inside and out. Even people of meager means, who face a hard life every day, can find great joy in colored light that gives off a holy meaning.

How is it that a pane of glass can become a religious icon? It starts with an idea and moves to technology and labor before ending as a self-illuminating illustration of our faith and founding. Those who do the work are often unknown; the task is tedious, but the result is breathtaking. The work parallels that of farmers as the dream of a field of grain is brought to life by technology and labor and, some would argue, with the direction of God's hand.

Stained glass has a long history in Europe that caused it to be incorporated in churches and pubic buildings in America. The most noted artist of the Midwest, Grant Wood, created a stained glass window that many consider his finest work, even surpassing his famous painting "American Gothic." The veterans' memorial window (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) took much study, development work in Germany and two years of labor. It was a tribute to the struggle of all American wars, measuring 24 by 20 feet, with life-size soldiers from the Revolutionary War to the Great War (World War I) lined up across its base. Above is a towering figure of a woman as a symbol of the republic. When it was unveiled in 1929, the newspaper account said: "A woman in Grecian robes of lavender with pale rose cast, standing 16 feet tall with toes pointing down as she floats in the clouds, giving the spiritual effect achieved in many of the Renaissance paintings. On her head is a mourning veil of blue. In her right hand, she holds the palm branch of peace and in her left the laurel of victory."

Churches use stained glass to display the life and death of Jesus and the images of saints but also to show the wonders of life and the work of man. In Union City, Okla., the Catholic Church has a stained glass panel showing a rising head of wheat wrapped with a banner. It is a fitting tribute to the crop that brought people to the land and supports them to this day. Many windows have borders that symbolize stalks of corn or fields of hay as recognition of the honored profession of agriculture.

The enduring beauty of stained glass, especially the leaded windows of the past century, hold their value and often survive longer than the church. Many are sought by new churches, like religious icons, to adorn a modern structure and link our past and present.

Stained glass looks best from a distance. Close inspection often diminishes the effect of merged images that are so vibrant from afar. Perhaps the small pieces or uneven colors are like our daily lives-- when taken singly, they are fractured, but observed as a body of work, they are brilliant.

As a photographer, I often try to capture a window and find it one of the easiest photos to take. Just get on the dark side and let the window send the light to you. Still, it can't compare to the mood I can attain by sitting in a darkened sanctuary and studying the images and representations from top to bottom. There is a feeling of holiness and history all placed in front of me, to absorb all at once or in repeated visits.