The Art of Reflection

The Art of Reflection

Compelling design, part of a work of art of stained glass, at the Woodlawn Mausoleum

The seasons they are a-changing.

It is Autumn, the season of cooling weather and quickening hearts. The end of fluid Summer, and beginning of the school year, another stab at academic rigor, goal setting, focus, and pushing forward the vision. Perhaps re-visioning the vision.

After a bout of white-hot Los Angeles weather, I awoke recently to a cool(er) gray Santa Monica morning, and walked to the Woodlawn Cemetery & Mausoleum.  As I strolled through its spacious corridors, punctuated by magnificent stained glass windows, I was entranced by their reflections spreading pools of colored light across the smooth floors.

I was struck by the nature of reflection. Fascinated by these “secondary” works of art, a byproduct of the stained glass works they mirrored, I first photographed just the reflections, marveling at what was created by the transitory meeting of light with and travel through the colored glass.

The reflections reflected light itself.  They were transitory. They would change with the changing light. But that fact didn’t make them any less real. I was compelled to document them as I was privileged to see them right then, right there, on an overcast day, wandering alone in the Mausoleum. 

Here they are.

Double reflection..on both the gleaming floor and the wall of niche spaces.

An extraordinary place for reflection…of all sorts.

What are You reflecting on during this time of seasonal change and transition?

Gamble Amble: The “Deets”

 Gamble Amble: The “Deets”
The architectural brethren team of Greene and Greene, created (with the expertise of many) The Gamble  House, a  magnificent Arts and Crafts masterpiece in Pasadena, Ca,  It is also  a National Historic Landmark and museum.  The Greenes designed the house in 1908, for the Gamble family, of Proctor and Gamble fame.

Let’s amble by some of the Gamble’s captivating details.

Hang the verdigris lantern…hows this for a house number?

More lantern: repetition of forms creates integration and harmony.

One of my favorite “deets”…. coppery patina against weathered wood.

A window on, and of, wood…

Or, two. Resonant shapes, frames and symmetry.

These doors give context to the lantern, and are beautifully balanced compositions unto themselves.

And…these! Showing off the Greenes’ use of articulated joinery, and iridescent glass which changes color throughout the day.

Sheltering eaves, metal patina, lantern, exposed timbers, articulated joinery, shingles…a marvelous makers’ tableau.

Variegated Verdigris…the age of patina on a drain pipe, against the eaves.

On the Ground: pavers tile  to brick to wood.  They all work together, providing interest, harmony and texture, a melodious materials medley.

Up above: a celebration of wood and  exposed structural timbers in a range of hues that work together, and blend with the surrounding landscape.

Do you love the above? Watch this!  http://www.finewoodworking.com/PlansAndProjects/PlansAndProjectsArticle.aspx?id=27096 and, this!  http://www.youtube.com/user/WNEDTV#p/c/4/Un1derJy54U

What captivates YOU about The Gamble House, or other Arts and Crafts architecture You have seen?

If you so choose, please share about it with us here.  We love to hear from You.

Remember, we are all ambling and gambling our way through this thing called Life, together. Happy Trails!