“Untitled Entry”
Larry Zgoda
Photo by: Richard Bruck

It was in Paris, at the Notre Dame Cathedral, that I first fell in love with glass. Traveling through Europe, just out of college, I was too young to have a sense of my own aesthetics. Yet my reaction to the Cathedral’s great rose windows was immediate and visceral.

Glass is a magical medium. When used as an architectural element in windows, doors, and folding screens, the synthesis of light and color can have a dramatic effect. Architectural glass, as it is called, complements the space in which it lives, but it also has the ability to transcend it.

There are a number of talented artists working today who explore the integration of glass into the architecture of the home. Check out the website of the Stained Glass Association of America, www.stainedglass.org, or browse through the Architectural Glass section of The Guild’s online Custom Design Center.

Throughout the ages, glass has been used in temples, churches, and synagogues for inspiration and transformation. Our homes and workplaces, where we spend most of our time, deserve the same creative attention to the visual environment, whatever our beliefs or non-beliefs. For each of us deserves a daily dose of inspiration.

“Balustrade Chaise #1″
Andrew Muggleton

More and more these days, I find that my spirit needs a refuge. A friend’s recent struggle with breast cancer affected me deeply. It caused me (extrovert that I am) to seek solitude and time for reflection.

Walks in the woods are best, but a few special places in my home also serve the purpose of inviting quiet reflection. Here, away from the sound of the phone and television, I can allow myself the luxury of deeper thoughts, as I ponder the questions we all begin to face at a certain point in our lives.

Feng shui, the Chinese discipline of harmonious energy, speaks to the ways our environments affect physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. I imagine an ancient Chinese master smiling as I settle into my favorite chair with a cup of tea and a good book by my side. It doesn’t really matter if I read, so long as I feel comfortable and comforted.

And the book on the table beside the chair? My personal recommendation is Thomas Merton’s Thought in Solitude, from which I quote:

“When society is made up of men who know no interior solitude, it can no longer be held together by love…”

Where do you go for spiritual refuge?

Artful Jewelry & Other Treasures

How does one define the artful life? For me, it is not something specific and tangible, but rather a creative state of mind that guides the way I move through my life – hosting a dinner party, wrapping a birthday present, selecting just the right vase for peonies from the garden. It is all of the many moments in a day that intimately reveal my interests and personality.

It is passionate engagement with everyday actions. I can honestly tell you that I truly savor that first cup of coffee in the morning(!); and in the evening, nothing makes me happier than sitting on my sofa with a cat on my lap.

As I strive to bring creativity and joy into every aspect of my life, I confess to the guilty pleasure of clothes, shoes, accessories, and especially jewelry. So it is with particular pride that I tell you about a new catalog that The Guild launches this week. Titled Artful Jewelry & Other Treasures, this offering presents the work of 70 extraordinary artists who create jewels (small sculpture) for the body.

I invite you to take a look at our newest effort at presenting the work of wonderful artists who make personal adornment ever so artful.