A few years ago I renovated the front of my studio building, in the process uncovering the prismatic leaded glass above the store windows. When the building was built in 1909, shop owners had these installed to direct the light the prisms caught. Although my building spent most of its life as the Star Concertina and Accordion Company, its original purpose was as a jewelry store – J&L Jewelers. I’m guessing they wanted the kind of light that would, with the addition of some gas or early electric light, make their stuff really shine. On a sunny day a giant blob of light wanders across my studio walls, from north to south as the sun moves. It’s a real character in my studio. Here it’s falling on part of my hammer collection (got 31 so far) and a portion of a 34 foot long mural by Indiana artist George Jo Mess. A painter and illustrator prominent in the 40’s and 50’s, Mess produced this scene for his neighbor’s model train set.
Categories: My studio