On the other hand, if I've planned one of the above activities and the weather turns foul, I can easily replace an outdoor event with something from my indoor list.
Last week Michigan was visited by something that strikes fear in our hearts - The Dreaded Polar Vortex. Coming off a very cold and snowy winter fueled by the DPV, we were shaking in our flip flops when those who profess to being able to predict the weather started to talk about its return - in the middle of summer!
Seriously, we JUST recently passed the
summer solstice and our days are getting shorter by several minutes per day - but it's FAR from WINTER yet!
Well, what's a retiree to do but make the best of the situation and pull out that "indoor list." At the very tippy top of that list was "Visit the Louis Comfort Tiffany exhibit at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts."
With that in mind, as I woke on Wednesday and realized it was about to rain - and the high was only expected to be in the 60's - I chose to check this To Do off my list.
Wow - am I glad I made the time to see this exhibit, which included mosaic samplers, Tiffany glass windows and lamps as well as amazing jewelry. I'll tell you about my favorites, but first, a little history lesson regarding Louis Comfort Tiffany, taken from the brochure handed to me by a docent at the KIA.
"At an early age, L.C. Tiffany was exposed to the world of design through Tiffany & Co., the fine jewelry and silver company founded by his father Charles Lewis Tiffany in 1837. The young Tiffany however, chose to pursue his love for painting, studying in New York and Paris and then traveling extensively. By the late 1870's, he began to focus his artistic energies on decorative arts, influenced by the Aesthetic Movement. The iridescent qualities he found in ancient Roman glass inspired the development of Tiffany's famed Favrile glass. Tiffany utilized the properties of color and light in opalescent glass to "paint" vibrant pictures in his leaded-glass windows and lamp shades.
Later, after his father's death, L. C. was named the fist design director of Tiffany & Co. where he became a leading jewelry designer, working closely with other talented Tiffany designers like Julia Munson and Meta Overbeck."
As I entered the exhibit, the mosaic samples were displayed first, followed by the lamps. The jewelry was exhibited on the lower level.
Although it was an amazing exhibit overall, I enjoyed the lamps the most. They were housed in a darkened room so the light would shine through the opalescent glass. The intricate detail of each piece of glass was amazing and glass pieces were made and chosen to create specific effects such as glistening water or the movement of flowers nodding in a cool breeze.
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| Photo credit to the KIA |
As I gazed at the detail and sparkling Favrile glass of the Dragonfly lamp, I felt a tear run down my cheek. Yes, here I was in the middle of the KIA in downtown Kalamazoo, weeping over glass lamps!
Each lamp was spectacular in it's own right with organic shapes that allowed flowers to descend to irregular lengths at the bottom edge of the shade and in some cases the shade undulated instead of presenting a flat surface.
Special attention was also given to each lamp stand. Intricate designs graced the bronze stand of each lamp in a way that perfectly complemented each shade.
Several Kleenex later, I trotted downstairs to the jewelry displays.
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| Photo credit to the KIA |
Others were so small and delicate that I tried to imagine what tools were required to assist the human hand with this exquisit work.
After examining each jewelry piece with a careful (but dry) eye, I left the museum and was happy to see the sun awaiting my return to the great outdoors!
Time to pick something from my outdoor list!
Artfully yours,
Miriam
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