Category Archives: architectural design

Sculpture Artist Works Every Minute, Every Day

4 Comments

“Enjoy the little things for one day you may look back and realize they were big things.” ~Robert Brault

 I wasn’t kidding last week when I said “I might just go find something fulfilling to do this spring, like play in a big sandbox, so I can once again view the world through the eyes of a child.” This Easter weekend, my husband, our adult son and I had a reunion  in southern Colorado, not too far from the border of New Mexico. We visited San Luis Valley to see  Great Sand Dunes National Park  http://bit.ly/e6KfIw. 

There is an artist in residence at this National Park who works 24/7. She is assisted in her sculpture work by her helpers, the wind, the rain, the freeze and the thaw of the Colorado snow. The changing climate and seasons and the sub-surface aquifer also help to chisel and carve the sand sculpture created by the artist, Mother Earth. One only needs to stand amid this enormous natural sculpture for moments to realize that the sweeping winds change the shape and form of  nature’s art work  from moment to moment. 

The sand dunes at this National Park, surrounded by majestic 14,000 ft mountain peaks are the tallest sand dunes in North America. They measure 750 feet high covering more than 330 square miles. One of the most diverse parks in the country, the elevation ranges from 7,515’ to 13,604.’ It includes one of the rarest natural eco-systems on earth. From mountain peaks to sandy deserts to wetlands, this National Park leaves no doubt in one’s mind that God, the greatest architect in the World, created this glorious site for mankind to enjoy. For more information on how this vast area of sand was deposited in a very remote mountainous area of Colorado, visit http://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm. 

In a place where there are not many things to do other than witness the beauty of the Sangre de ChristoMountains(meaning blood of Christ) and the awesome Great Sand Dunes National Park, we filled our Easter baskets with remembering how nice it was to be all together again, as a family of three.

 This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Steeped in Easter Tradition

2 Comments

“Easter tells us that life is to be interpreted not simply in terms of things but in terms of ideals.” ~ Charles M. Crowe

It is only two weeks away from Easter. The other day I walked into the drugstore, and just seeing Easter candy lined up on shelves, set off a fulfilling range of nostalgic Easter memories harkening back to my childhood days of growing up in the mid-Atlantic part of the United States. 

Before Easter, on Palm Sunday weekend, my grandmother would take my two brothers, my twin sister and me shopping for new Easter outfits to wear to church. She would deck us out from head to toe with new spring dress-up clothes for Easter morn – including Easter bonnet, of course. Back in the 1950’s and 1960’s, people really “dressed” when they went to church! Easter was the one Sunday of the year that my grandparents would come to our church, the church my Dad built, and not their own. http://www.mpchurch.org/. They wanted to see their four grandkids all decked out in our new Easter finest. After church, we all went back to our house for a big Easter mid-day dinner (in the dining room- of course.) The icing of the day was the Easter bunny cake that my Mom made for us, each year, covered with fresh grated coconut for it’s fur. We always looked forward to a repeat the next Easter. Traditions reigned in our house! 

There is one more fulfilling memory that is ever so clear in my mind of my childhood days of going to church and Sunday School. Having grown up in Maryland, where dogwood trees were plentiful, we learned about the symbolism of the dogwood tree, and it’s blossoms likeness to Jesus dying on the cross. The four petals of the flower form and represent the cross, the brown stains at the tips represent the blood of Jesus and at the center of the blossom, there is a likeness of the thorny crown. I wonder if this story of Easter is still taught to children in Sunday Schools in this day? 

These memories evoke some of the most beautiful times in my childhood. If there was one wish that I could make for our world today, it would be a return to the wholesome basics of life –strong families, deep faith, truly meaningful friendships and businesses built by families together,  lasting generations deep. 

There is a store, steeped in family tradition, where all kinds of things golden and olden can be re-discovered. Track down nostalgic merchandise from your treasure trove of beautiful memories from your childhood, by visiting www.vermontcountrystore.com.

Glassworks Inspired by Nature

2 Comments

 “I will be the gladdest thing under the sun. I will touch a hundred flowers and not pick one.” ~ Edna St. Vincent Millay 

 

Tiffany glass is a remarkable example of artists being inspired by elements of nature. Lamps, vases, stained glass designed and created by Louis Comfort Tiffany incorporate birds, flora and fauna into the composition of the piece.

Huge installations of stained glass windows, depicting the life of Christ, are incorporated in the architecture of many churches. In the city where I was born and raised, Baltimore, Maryland, there is a church, the Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church, which is noted for its 12 outstanding Tiffany stained glass windows. It is also the place where in 1887, the church’s minister, Maltbie Babcock wrote the beautiful hymn “This is My Father’s World.” 

Today, the church still honors the creator of the magnificent stained glass windows that grace the church’s walls, with “The Tiffany Series.” The series of stellar classical concerts and lectures draw distinguished speakers and avid followers. For more information on this church, exceptionally rich in culture both in its programs and its architecture, please visit http://bit.ly/eTDFtF. 

“Clara and Mr. Tiffany” written by Susan Vreeland, and newly published in 2011, is a book of historical art fiction. This book,  has been of great interest to me. It  gives insight into the artist, Louis Comfort Tiffany, the development of the process of stained glass- making and how nature inspired Mr. Tiffany’s work. 

“New age thought” does not include drawing inspiration from nature. Artists from the beginning of time, in places all over the world, have been motivated and illuminated by the natural world. 

There is an issue, brought to light by one of the characters of the book, that brings conflict to many Artists. Artists have faced this dilemma for decades and it is carried throughout the main theme of the book “Clara and Mr. Tiffany.” We will explore this theme later in the week on All Things Fulfilling. Come on back!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Explora Museum Albuquerque!

2 Comments

 “In any field find the strangest thing and then explore it.” ~ John Wheeler

Hey, Hey! What is this you say? “Albuquerque was a recipient of the 2010 National Medal for Museum and Library Science from the White House.” Really?  Quite an honor, don’t you think? That is the nation’s highest honor for museums and libraries! Must be the Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico is providing extraordinarily fulfilling experiences  for the community. I’ll bet that is exactly why they won the award!   Would you like more information on the Explora museum, if so, please visit http://www.explora.us/en/

There were eight other museums and libraries that were deemed to be worthy of this National Award, too. The full list of award-winning museums and libraries are:

  • Conner Prairie Interactive History Park, Fishers, Ind.
  • Explora Science Center & Children’s Museum of Albuquerque, N.M.
  • Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, Miss.
  • Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles, Calif.
  • The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, N.Y.
  • Peter White Public Library, Marquette, Mich.
  • West Bloomfield Township Public Library, West Bloomfield, Mich.
  • Patchogue-Medford Library, Patchogue, N.Y.
  • Nashville Public Library, Nashville, Tenn.

For more information on the 2010 National Medal Awards for Museum and Library Science, please visit http://1.usa.gov/gTdstj.

Libraries and museums, whether they are in big cities or small towns, make important contributions to communities. They add cultural vibrancy and improve community health, making  places better  environments  in which to learn, work and live. Explore them all!

P.S. If you are in Albuquerque, don’t forget to stop by their outstanding Hot Air Balloon Museum, too! Take a ride of a life time!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com

 

Drawing New Patrons of the Arts

Leave a comment

“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.” ~ Albert Einstein 

There is a project on the horizon that will bring two synergistic forces together to create a groundbreaking model for museums across the country. The New Young at Art Museum and Broward County Children’s Reading Center is aimed at providing a fulfilling experience that will develop a “new generation of patrons, supporters and patrons of the Arts.” 

This 21.5 million dollar complex in Broward County, Florida is currently under construction. The funding for the project comes from a mix of private investment, public and governmental funds and a $500,000 Knight Arts Initiative Challenge Grant from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. http://www.knightfoundation.org/. The building will be a silver-LEED certified structure of award winning design. 

All enclosed under one roof will be exhibition space of WonderScapes, GreenScapes, ArtScapes and CultureScapes which will enhance learning about our diverse world, the environment, creativity and imagination. Multi-media studio art space is all in the design, too. 

The experience will be both creative and educationally stimulating for children and adults, alike. The mission is to shape the community and the way that families share reading and art. For more information on this exciting new cultural center, please visit http://bit.ly/grUfJc.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Dwell in Possibility – Move Forward in Surety

Leave a comment

“We all have possibilities we don’t know about. We can do things we don’t even dream we can do.” ~ Dale Carnegie

Yesterday, I had another opportunity to share with others my love and my passion for the independent (or non-traditional) publishing industry. I shared with the group that what began as my vision of providing stellar customer service for the internet sales of a single art book became a business of my own, dedicated to providing affordable e-commerce and e-marketing services for an industry of independent publishers. It has been from the beginning, my wish for independent publishers to be able to survive, as a sustainable industry, because I believe in the powers of independent thoughts, words and views that our country allows under it’s Constitution.

After the presentation, I began to think what an appropriate place to hold the event! In a library constructed with sustainable building materials and filled with the published works of writers, filmmakers and musicians who dared to step out and take a risk of telling their stories for the benefit of others. This is the basis from which many successful small businesses are formed. Successful business owners have passion, vision, belief and enduring energy that their product and service with be useful to others. And it is the customers and clients that endorse, sustain and support the dreams of the business owners that make them profitable. It truly is the American way.

Thanks to all who came, and I wish you the best in your journey of fulfilling your dreams in business and in publishing!  Thanks to the Bud Werner Library for providing a beautiful, light-filled space for those who gathered to learn more about what I see as a fascinating, fast growing, sustainable industry. www.steamboatlibrary.org.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.