Visiting Roots of Knowledge windows at UVU

If you get the chance to visit the Roots of Knowledge windows at Utah Valley University in Provo, Utah, you will have a treat. The Holdman studio designed and built a beautiful wall of 80 panels in the school library

It all starts with Earth's place in the universe.

. I was lucky enough to be invited to a dinner hosted in the room surrounded by the lovely windows. Aunt Annette is a donor to the school and was honored with the other donors with a dinner and presentation by one of the builders of the window.
Each panel depicts an era of time throughout history. The skill involved is so impressive. Having done this work myself, I know how much effort went into this project. The  objective of the project is to ignite hope and confidence in individuals to make a difference for good in the world.           

Some of these buildings are depicting real city-scapes while some are works of imagination using genuine circuit boards.

Most of the detail was painted with crushed glass fired a 1,200 degrees.

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It was fun to follow the history of explorers and events.

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Alexander the Great has his image in mosaic. 

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The detail is amazing along with the research involved. I recommend downloading the Roots of Knowledge app for more explanation of  the windows. Art has such an influence on our scenes and emotions. Especially stained glass. I was moved by the expanse and artistic vision of the piece. 

Hunting for treasure

This weekend I crawled around a house before it will turn into an estate sale. I was hunting for glass treasures. I am amazed at how much can be saved by one family. It was like burrowing in and around a rabbit hole of history. There were lots of lovely glass pieces hiding in old cabinets, drawers and cupboards. I found secret closets and a room full of cuckoo  clocks. I dug through piles of lace and linen, pots and pans, lamps and letters. The light started to dim as the evening came upon us and it was more difficult to see all the wonders of the place. Old Victorian lighting just doesn't do the trick.  We were very careful what we were reaching into. All in all it was a lot of fun wondering what some things even were. I came away with beautiful glass to incorporate into windows. I even found a clock for David for a steal of a deal. Its dirty and dusty but the exploration is a hoot.

There were many rooms full to the brim of "stuff". There was no rhyme or reason to the collections so we just explored every nook and cranny.

I was going to bring this 1930's table home with me to put a mosaic on the top but changed my mind. I couldn't bring home everything!

I got a few awesome table runners. 

This is the clock I got for David. He didn't even mind that the glass was broken. "I can fix that" he said.

I loved the color of this little bowl. Glass has amazing properties. Now to design some windows. 

Favorite Stained Glass Moments

One of my favorite stained glass moments is watching a client show us the installed piece in his or her home. We don't always get to experience this pleasure when we have someone else take care of the install. I feel elated to be able to bring joy to a family as they live with our art.
The Clarke's have a lovely home built in the 1800's. The original house was a tiny log house which they have brought up to date in a beautiful way. The original owner was a blacksmith. They have found many fascinating artifacts while digging around the property. They left an exposed wall of the cabin in the interior of the house where they have displayed these treasures.

I so appreciated the tour of their home and property and loved the joy they expressed while showing us where the stained glass tree of life now resides.

This gem of a house is so inviting.
It is a pleasure to be able to have a piece in such a welcoming home. 

Even the shed in the back is homey and inviting. It is original to the property.

This little shed window was made in our studio and looks perfect hanging here.

I loved the barn door effect that is below the window in the bedroom. The home owner made this window in class at our studio.  The colors look beautiful with the decor of the room. 

And here is the tree of life window. It is meaningful to the family in many ways. 

The colors in the tree represent a real tree in their back yard. The little bird had a red breast which is their daughter's favorite color. 

Eventually each child will be represented with a window and her's is the first. 

Just for fun I have added a close-up of their bathroom tile. I fell in love with it. There is an organic feel in the geometric shapes that is so pleasing. 

This is just an extra little something I thought you might like. I sure did. 

I did a "Wisdom Wednesday" Video That Goes With This.
"Decorating With Stained Glass"