http://www.wood-and-light.com/index.htmlUpdateendavid@wood-and-light.com© 2010 David Mathias2011-09-06T17:49:12+02:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:17:04 +0200WoodAndLighthttp://feedburner.google.comdavid@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-09-06T17:49:12+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/6f471beeea0ed1c2073599975cd09c33-118.html#unique-entry-id-118http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/6f471beeea0ed1c2073599975cd09c33-118.html#unique-entry-id-118

Drawer detail of the table from the entry hall of the David Gamble house, Pasadena, CA, 1908-09.
One more guest blog entry before I finally get my butt back in gear and start writing something now and then. This post is from my friend Darrell Peart. Darrell is a furniture maker located in Seattle. It won’t surprise any of you to learn that like me, Darrell worships at the altar of Greene & Greene. One of only a handful of truly excellent woodworkers who make furniture in the Greene & Greene style, Darrell prefers to make pieces of his own design drawing heavily from the Greenes’ design vocabulary. The result is a collection of stunningly beautiful furniture that you can view at Darrell’s website. Here are some thoughts he was kind enough to put together for me on the topic of artistic evolution.

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Proficiency of any skill or talent is achieved by emulating the master. This is how things have always been and how things will always be. Every creative endeavor owes its existence to that which preceded it. If this were not so, every artist would be compelled to invent art itself: there would be no starting point or any foundation to build upon. Without a starting point art would simply not exist.

The Greene’s mimicked those who came before them, with much of their earlier work being more imitation than original. With experience though, they became masters themselves. The style they developed brought together elements borrowed not only from their predecessors, but diverse sources within their sphere of contact. As master designers, the Greene’s were able to fuse seemingly unrelated elements into a unified body. The Swiss Chalet and the Asian cloud-lift, under their skillful direction spoke the same language. The Greene’s were supreme masters of their creative environment.

Art, at its most rudimentary level is nothing more than imitation. An artist sees something and is inspired to make a likeness. That something can be anything the universe has to offer. The ways in which an artist’s inspirations are presented and arranged is what makes it unique. A style is born when the artist’s vision becomes a cohesive unit – when there is a common DNA connecting all their work.

Art is not meant to be static. It is under constant change. The creative vision is unceasingly restless. The Greene’s work continually evolved throughout their careers. Each new project saw the introduction of new design elements which blended seamlessly with the existing ones. These new elements were things that appeared within the Greene’s field of vision – things they came in contact with either through random chance or focused study.

If Charles and Henry were alive today, and engaged in design, their work would have moved on, bringing in new elements and ideas from their changing environment. Their creative vision would not have been static. It is even possible that their work would not be recognizable as what we consider Greene & Greene.

The truly creative spirit is forever restless: it is an essential part of the mix that makes for a great artist and master. Truly emulating the work and spirit of the Greene’s is not found in producing exact replicas. Take what you will from Greene & Greene : let it soak in and then move forward as they continually did.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-08-26T14:52:53+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/42ad8281f41d1224c074a8f09de574a2-117.html#unique-entry-id-117http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/42ad8281f41d1224c074a8f09de574a2-117.html#unique-entry-id-117

The Greene & Greene flyswatter. Original drawing by Terry Peart.
It has been quite a while since I’ve posted to this blog. Just over two months, in fact. The reason is quite simple, I haven’t felt like writing. Actually, it isn’t quite that simple because I’ve had this guest post from Tom Moore and another by Darrell Peart on hand for quite some time and haven’t posted them. No particular reason other then the fact that I’ve been spending as much time as possible hiking in the mountains and more time planning hikes, assembling panoramic photos, etc.

The flight of fancy that appears below is the product of the fertile mind of my good friend Tom Moore. Tom’s writing has appeared previously in this space but this story is particularly inspired. One point that Tom was too modest to mention: after writing this piece, he made several of the flyswatters, one of which is on display in my living room.
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On December 17, 2004, Sotheby’s held another of their many “firsts” auctions, “American Renaissance: Including An Important Private Collection of Greene & Greene.” It included the largest single offering of objects from turn-of-the-century architects Charles and Henry Greene. Every item was designed, built, owned or painted by the Greenes. In all, 50 G&G lots were available. When the cash settled, Ted Wells, spokesperson and bidder for the Guardian Stewardship secured all lots.

What followed was unexpected and most interesting. Others in possession of G&G objects offered them to Ted for sale. Shortly thereafter, Ted posted a message on Darrell Peart’s Greene-Style-Furniture, a Yahoo! group. “…there are scores (or more) of Greene and Greene pieces out there that we are (or at least I was) unaware of, especially considering that since the December auction I have been approached about buying scores of pieces that before now, have never been exhibited or seen by the public or current scholars or authors…”

Without providing any concrete details about what resides in our neighbors’ homes, Ted further commented the they are “…some of the most incredibly constructed and beautiful pieces of decorative arts created in America.” My mind raced, imagining the most fantastic objects I could. I wished all these items could one day appear on the PBS show “Antiques Roadshow”.

The next day I couldn’t help but dwell on imaginary treasures. Then, at lunch, I began typing. I had no idea what to type, or where it would lead. In about 25 minutes or so, the story below appeared in my word processor – I don’t know from where. It was a story that virtually wrote itself. That evening I posted it on the Yahoo group.

Upon reading it, Darrell’s wife, Terry, took chalk in hand and created the image that leads this blog giving form to my main characters, Eileen and Paddy. It really brings them “to life.”

Hope you enjoy the reading of an Antiques Roadshow episode never (yet) aired.
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The spotlights brighten, illuminating scores of individual furniture pieces placed strategically about the auditorium. They range in size from desktop accessories to dining tables and sideboards.

Eileen Left, the show host, stands behind a simple display of what looks to be a very old, common household apparatus. The camera pans the crowded auditorium, revealing the scope of furniture and the excited owners assembled for this first-ever show dedicated to the body of work of a single architectural firm, the Greene brothers - Charles and Henry - of Pasadena, CA, in the foothills above Los Angeles.

Without a sound, the camera zooms in on the host, and then focuses on the object before her. "Yes, folks, this is what you've been waiting for! It’s the only surviving example of high bungalow art applied to a fly swatter. What a find!

"This glorious sample of art for art's sake found the light of day only last week, when a Greene & Greene admirer noticed its resemblance to the organic yet sinuous lines of furniture characteristic of the famous Gamble House in Pasadena. Upon investigation, the work was attributed to Greene and Greene, specifically Charles Sumner Greene. Not because of the so-called cloud-lift pattern along the shank of the handle, not due to the generous number of ebony plugs, not because of the “tree of life” illustration on the lacework on the business end of this effective tool, but because of the inscription and initials found faintly visible on the edge of the handle. The inscription reads, 'Seven flies with one blow,' followed by the initials C. S. G. These initials, we have come to know, stand for Charles Sumner Greene, the more artistic of the Greene brothers.”

(Eileen angles the swatter for the camera close-up.)

"Notice the long, sculptured Honduras mahogany handle, and the delicate silk netting, replete with Charles Greene’s favorite watercolor Oak Rose pattern. Likely it was inspired during one his numerous walks in the arroyo adjacent to his hilltop home a few blocks from the Gamble House.

"Let’s take a closer look and learn more about this startling discovery. We have an expert guest to assist us today. Here to provide his own unique 'lens into the artist' viewpoint is acclaimed architect/author/bon vivant, Paddy O'Ferncher. Welcome, Paddy."

"Thanks for inviting me, Eileen. I’m pleased as punch to have been selected to describe this unique Greene and Greene piece accessory."

"That’s a good place to start, Paddy. Most viewers know Greene and Greene through their incomparable architecture, embodied in the half-dozen or so houses referred to as the 'ultimate bungalows'. Some viewers may not know that the commission for those houses included designing accessories and exclusive furniture, intended not only for a certain room within the house, but for a specific spot in the room.

"Paddy, when first I held it, I was struck by much more than just the overall pleasing aesthetic. The feel is, well, sensuous. The balance - disproportionate but neutral. The Honduras mahogany handle - it's sooo smooth, and fits my dainty hand perfectly. And I just love the tiny Ebony faux plugs placed so randomly, yet so pleasingly along the handle. They’re adorable! Tell me, Paddy, for which house was this exquisite fly swatter designed?"

"Sorry to say, Eileen, but that handle is not actually Honduras mahogany as I heard you say - twice now. You misspoke, and we can't mislead our viewers, can we? In the interest of historical accuracy, and to maintain the sanctity of Charles’s unmatched ability to select the most harmonious materials and features to capture the essence and simplicity of the Arts and Crafts Movement, I should wish to set the record straight. It is African mahogany. This species is a member of the mahogany botanical family Meliaceae. Its botanical name is Entandrophragma Cylindricum. It is widely used as a substitute for genuine – that is Honduras - mahogany in Europe. Made in any other wood species, the swatter would be useless. Charles was brilliant!"

"Um, thanks, Paddy...I think."

"I like to refer to this as the 'little flyswatter that could.' First, let's gaze at the overall piece. My prescient eye noted the hue of the handle. It’s unlike any other Greene & Greene creation, known or unknown. It’s sublime, it's...it's recherché!

"And the handle design itself is unprecedented. As I rotate it on its secondary axis, we are treated to another aspect of design heretofore unknown in the entire Greene & Greene body of work - the rumored bifurcated cloud lift! Through the years rumors of this persisted, but until today, they were just that - rumors. Well, rumors no more. Ha!

"And, Eileen, those aren't just randomly placed faux plugs, no. Sorry again. I guess you hadn't paid attention when we spoke before the show. It takes the uncommonly educated eye of a true connoisseur to recognize that the actual placement of every plug was by intention; Charles’s aggressive use of these plugs is the key to the inscription. The Mickey Mouse, brave little tailor type claim: 'Seven flies with one blow.'

"Only when you rotate it on its tertiary axis do you recognize that the plug arrangement replicates the ancient Japanese booby-trap motif. Eureka! Brilliant! To the ignorant observer, these look to be just plugs. But Charles knew that this particular plug arrangement does more. It interferes with a fly's vision, confusing its electrochemical output. Brilliant!"

"Paddy, get a hold of yourself. You’re panting. You’re sweating. Actually, you’re vibrating."

"As you know, one of the principles underlying the Arts and Crafts Movement worldwide was disdain for machine-made objects. Within the Movement, and high on the Greene’s personal list of imperatives was to utilize machinery sparingly. They were used only to relieve the craftsperson from tedium and mind numbing, repetitive work. To the Greenes, there was a moral importance to honest craftsmanship. This fly swatter is a sterling example - completely hand made, save the wire form that shapes and supports the netting. I’ll demonstrate how it works so effectively.

"As one approaches an unsuspecting fly buzzing about, the fly catches sight of the plug pattern and is mesmerized. Waving it in this manner...” (Paddy assumes a semi Tai Chi stance and slowly and deliberately moves the fly swatter in larger and larger circles, followed by ever-smaller circles.) We know that the term 'boxing' means empty-hand combat, but Charles knew you can't catch flies on the fly with your bare hands. By the way, what do you call a fly with its wings removed? A run! Ha! Heheheh! Oh, how I amuse myself!"

"Amusing...," Eileen offers with exasperation.

"Anyway, Charles thought of everything - down to the last detail. He foresaw the ultimate frustration of the servants and kitchen help as they dealt with those pesky Southern California flies and in brilliant fashion, provided an elegant solution. He put into their hands the most deadly weapon possible against flies, scourge of the domestic. Brilliant!

"The innate design of the plug pattern, in concert with expert manipulation of this ancient-weapon-masquerading-as-a-work-of-art, spelled instant annihilation for the flies. Brilliant!

"By the time you complete the smallest of circles, the fly is rendered virtually helpless. Simply, it cannot see to navigate, so it lights on the closest horizontal surface. And with one Rambo-style, kendo wrist-flick – splat – one less nuisance."
Paddy tears-up and breaks down, falling to one knee. Eileen plucks the fly swatter from his now limp hand, holds it high above her head, hesitates, and then delivers a deliberate and purposeful whack on his head, raising a welt the size of a golf ball. Paddy ends up prostrate on the floor. Crimson oozes from the wound.

The 100 year-old handle, dry and fragile, shatters upon impact. The fine-spun netting, weak from thousands of previous successful fly smashings, was left without strength sufficient to withstand this most vicious swing. It bursts apart, transforming into a hovering cloud of pastel dust. All that remains intact is the machine-made steel wire that lies glistening on the floor beside Paddy.

Eileen turns and slowly faces the camera, open mouthed, and with a blank look on her face. Instinctively, the stage director dims the lights and disconnects the microphones. All onlookers stand motionless, staring as it all goes black.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-06-22T13:33:34+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/020774012e607b34692efdbf5ea373bd-116.html#unique-entry-id-116http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/020774012e607b34692efdbf5ea373bd-116.html#unique-entry-id-116

Archival drawing of a plant stand designed for the William Thorsen house, Berkeley, c.1910. Charles Sumner Greene Collection (1959-1) Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley. Used with permission.
During the first decade of the 20th century, Charles and Henry Greene, together with Peter and John Hall and a small army of workers and craftsmen, created five Ultimate Bungalows. Or four. Or possibly six. The answer depends less on one’s ability to count than on what constitutes an Ultimate Bungalow. Until the International Standards Organization speaks to the matter, there will be some disagreement. Whatever the final number, everyone we can find near universal agreement that these houses constitute the culmination of a prolific and all too brief period of intense creativity that included the design of many other remarkable homes before, during and after the construction of the Ultimates.

The William Thorsen house in Berkeley is the last of the Ultimate Bungalows. The Thorsens lived in the house until their deaths in the early 1940s. At that time, the house was purchased by the University of California chapter of Sigma Phi. Now 100 years old, the house is in need of some restoration work, not least a seismic retrofit to ensure that it remains standing when the “big one” hits. The post below is the first of several by my friend Joe Johnston who is involved with an effort to bring to the house reproductions of furniture designed by the Greenes for the Thorsens. As with all aspects of the restoration effort, brothers of Sigma Phi are actively involved.

A Great Opportunity

Being in the right place at the right time has its advantages. Consider Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg from the technology world. They were both in the right place at the right time with a product everyone wanted. They both just happened to make a fortune in the process.

From my perspective, being in the right place means living within 15 minutes of the Thorsen House, one of the five “Ultimate Bungalows” designed by Charles and Henry Greene.

When I received an email from Darrell Peart a couple of months ago, I felt that I truly was in the right place at the right time. When he asked if I would be interested in helping some of the student members of Sigma Phi Society reproduce some of the smaller tables at the Thorsen House, I jumped at the chance. I thought, “Wow, I just might get to photograph, measure, draw, and reproduce an actual piece of Greene and Greene furniture - this is the chance of a lifetime!”

The Thorsen House has been owned by the Sigma Phi Society since 1943. Several of the alumni are active in the preservation and restoration efforts at the house. I met with Dave Munroe, one of these alumni, and we agreed that it would be great if we could find any original drawings that might exist for the furniture. Dave set up an appointment at the Environmental Design Archives at UC Berkeley where many of the original Greene and Greene drawings are archived. Use of these archives for the purpose of furniture reproduction is normally not allowed. We were only granted access because the project was a restoration effort for the house itself.

Like kids in a candy store, we searched through all of the material related to the Thorsen House. Lo-and-behold, we found a small 1 ½” scale drawing of the Thorsen “plant stand”. Interestingly enough, there was some pen & ink handwriting on the drawing calling out mahogany as the material for construction. Knowing that the actual piece was made of teak, we tried to envision what the design process might have been. Since the Thorsen taboret, a similar piece, was made of mahogany, we guessed that this drawing was some sort of hybrid representation from which both pieces had evolved.

A hands-on experience

Since drawings are not necessarily the final word in the evolution of a project, Dave and I decided that it would be best to examine the pieces in person, if possible. By doing this, we could get exact measurements and photographs, rather than merely relying on the drawing. Knowing that the plant stand had been on display at the Huntington Library in San Marino, we had hopes that the taboret was also there. Dave set about to try to arrange a viewing for us. Dave was able to set up an appointment through the director of the Gamble House, Ted Bosley. He confirmed that both tables were entrusted to the museum and were either onsite or in offsite storage. Ted, Dave, and I visited the Dorothy Collins Brown Wing of the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art where many Greene and Greene pieces are on permanent display. Upstairs, in temporary storage, we found the taboret and plant stand. We had about 1 ½ hours to measure, photograph, and take notes. Dave and I donned our cotton examination gloves and set about measuring the pieces with a cloth tape measure.

Dave and I thanked Ted as we left the museum. We were both extremely grateful for the opportunity to examine actual Greene and Greene furniture pieces.

Furniture reproduction

Writing this piece now, I am well into the process of reproducing both the taboret and plant stand. The plant stand reproduction is a collaborative effort with a couple of the students, Zach Wong and Adam Hoagland, and the process is being documented for the Thorsen House blog. Both students are enthusiastic about the reproduction process and are very capable woodworkers. The taboret reproduction is an effort I chose to undertake myself. I feel extremely honored to be involved in any part of the restoration effort, and this was my way of contributing to that effort.

You too can contribute to the Thorsen House restoration effort. You can visit their web site (www.thorsenhouse.org) to learn more about the restoration and make a contribution to this worthy effort. I would encourage every Greene and Greene enthusiast to help the Sigma Phi Society with this effort to help preserve one of the five beloved “Ultimate Bungalows”.


]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-05-31T15:06:44+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/44df432f0ab8123b817d132ac7c80555-115.html#unique-entry-id-115http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/44df432f0ab8123b817d132ac7c80555-115.html#unique-entry-id-115
A hand plane inspired by the work of Charles and Henry Greene. Designed and made by Chris Adkins.
Charles Greene once wrote that part of the goal of the firm he founded with his brother, Henry, was "...to make these necessary and useful things pleasurable." Their almost single-minded drive in achieving that goal plays a significant role in their legacy and continued popularity. One need only look at the garage doors at the Gamble house to understand. It is not surprising that these utilitarian objects employ design elements found in the house. What is surprising, in my opinion, is that those elements are not used in a cursory way. The level of detail suggests a very careful approach to the design.

In the last several decades, as the Greene & Greene legacy has grown and their style has become a favorite among woodworkers, many have designed pieces, typically furniture, using their unique vocabulary. There is a broad range of success, or lack thereof, among the results. Some, such as the work by my friends Darrell Peart, Tom Stangeland and David Wade, are quite wonderful. Many others languish in less rarified air -- I include in this category the first G&G piece I designed, a coffee table on which I wish I could take a mulligan.

Other designers have taken to heart the quote above and created Greene & Greene versions of purely necessary things, crating beauty in unexpected places. Several years ago, my good friend Tom Moore created several fly swatters as Charles Greene might have designed them -- in mahogany with ebony accents. (Perhaps I'll ask Tom if I can post the essay he wrote that was the impetus for the fly swatter project.) I proudly display one of them in my living room. More recently, a woodworker named Chris Adkins, whom I "met" online, created the Greene & Greene hand plane pictured above.

Chris' plane embodies the spirit of Charles Greene's statement. Shop made planes have been around for a very long time. Often, though not always, they emphasize functionality almost completely over appearance. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that approach. Using any good tool provides a woodworker with a degree of satisfaction that increases greatly when that woodworker has created the tool in question. In Chris' case, he gets the added pleasure of using a beautiful object, which is exactly the point.

Visit Chris Adkins’ website at: www.highrockwoodworking.com

]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-05-16T12:28:31+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/e85343092fb28e03821385074e9534a3-114.html#unique-entry-id-114http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/e85343092fb28e03821385074e9534a3-114.html#unique-entry-id-114
Cape au Moine (1941m), Alpes Vaudoises, Suisse by Samuel Bitton.

Like many people my age, I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid. John Glenn orbited the earth around the time I was born and Neil Armstrong walked on the moon when I was 7. However, unlike most, I never really grew out of that desire. Well into high school, astronaut was still my top career choice. Until, that is, reality reared it's ugly head in the form of several inconvenient facts. The Apollo program was finished and the shuttle not yet a reality meaning that astronauts were not in great demand. Most astronauts (perhaps all at that time) came out of the military which was not a path I was willing to pursue. And, perhaps most troubling, I don't like roller coasters so how was I supposed to get through astronaut training and actual space flights? (This point was brought home quite plainly when, years later, I went on the NASA ride at EPCOT. My equilibrium was off for hours.)

Everyone goes through similar realizations. At some point we understand that we'll never be the next Hank Aaron; we'll never catch the winning touchdown pass in the Super Bowl or sink a putt to win the Master's. We realize that despite that most American of cliches, we'll never be president (later, we begin to wonder why anyone would want that job). At some point we stop waiting for the call from the Nobel committee. Some people seek greatness, others have it thrust upon them. The rest of us have to be happy with living good lives, loving our families, raising our children well, helping others when we can.

For me at least, the realizations haven't yet stopped. Last week, for example, I realized that I'll never be the next Samuel Bitton. You've probably never heard of him -- I hadn't until Friday. Throughout the facility where my wife works, are displays of art. On a monthly basis, the displays are changed from one artist to another. Often the works are paintings, currently they are panoramic landscape photographs by a photographer named Samuel Bitton. I haven't viewed the photos in person but on his website they are spectacular.

Perhaps I am predisposed to like his photos because many of them were shot locally and I am familiar with more than a few of the places depicted. However, I think that I like them primarily because they are astoundingly good. It might be depressing except for the fact that I'm old enough to have made peace with who and what I am, and who and what I am not. Of course, that won't stop me from trying to recreate a few of his photos but it should help salve my ego when I'm not able to achieve his beautiful results.

To see more of Samuel Bitton's photos, visit www.samuelbitton.com
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-05-12T15:21:07+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d6620ffe09ba3a7120f5cd2c2d6b64e4-113.html#unique-entry-id-113http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d6620ffe09ba3a7120f5cd2c2d6b64e4-113.html#unique-entry-id-113
The Diablerets Massif from above Col de la Croix.
Switzerland is, by any measure, a beautiful place. With an abundance of snow-capped peaks, verdant alpine meadows, crystal clear lakes and interesting ancient buildings, it captivates one's mind. These wonders are not hard to find: a country roughly the size of West Virginia, Switzerland is home to more than 5000 peaks of over 2000 meters. The beauty is literally everywhere.

If I tried to list the most beautiful places I've ever been, nearly all of them would be here and in the past year. Hawaii would make an appearance, as would the Monterrey Bay. Of course there are many fantastic places that I've never been: Arches National Park, Scandinavia's fjords, the plains of Africa. But if limited to places I've actually visited, the most beautiful places in the world are all within 100 miles of where we live.

The best way to experience nature is, of course, to get out among it. Through the car (or train) window is great but it is so much better up close and personal. Those who know me well know that I was never much of an outdoorsman in the US. I now know that that says more about the places I've lived than it does about me. I used to enjoy heading to a nice park (Brandywine Creek State Park in Wilmington, DE, where I grew up) or to the closest thing to hills in our vicinity (the Hocking Hills in Ohio, about an hour from where we spent 13 years before moving here) but I now live for hiking up mountains or through alpine valleys. I've walked more in the last few months than in the last 10 years (it's a guess -- don't hold me to it).


Gratuitous cow photo taken during a hike last week.
Every hike holds some surprise that adds to the experience. On most excursions, Sergio and Lars are my hiking partners. Last week, the three of us were going from Les Diablerets to Villars, a 16km trek over Col de la Croix with the spectacular 3000m Diablerets Massif as backdrop. While walking through a forested section of the trail, Sergio stopped and told us to listen. The sound we heard was remarkable, at least to me.

Everyone is familiar with cuckoo clocks -- they're the temporal equivalent of dinner and a show. I may be the last sentient being on the planet to learn this but cuckoos are real birds. The sound that Sergio pointed out to us last week was the call of a male cuckoo. It sounded exactly like every cuckoo clock you've ever heard and the experience was both hilarious and fascinating. A couple of days later, while on a solo hike, I heard two more cuckoos. I thought them quite charming until I read a little about them -- they are avian sociopaths. (Read the wikipedia page for "common cuckoo.") Evil birds aside, every hike is an opportunity to learn: about nature, about myself, and because Lars is a nuclear physicist, about the universe. Not a bad way to spend a day.

]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-04-18T12:15:06+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1d5b929dad607627e6b101ed121fb284-112.html#unique-entry-id-112http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1d5b929dad607627e6b101ed121fb284-112.html#unique-entry-id-112
The Pyramid Leg Dining Table by Tom Stangeland.
When I was woodworking I had one inviolable rule: no drinking before going into the shop. Sharp blades, 3600 rpm, and beer don't mix. Maybe there's no causal connection but I still have all of my fingers -- you can't argue with success.

At least one very successful Seattle-area furniture maker has found a way to combine woodworking and alcohol. In particular, wine. He too still has all of his fingers. Probably because he's the producer rather than the consumer of the wine. OK, he's a producer and a consumer of wine and he's just lucky to still have all of his fingers. Either way, he makes furniture and wine. His name is Tom Stangeland.

I first encountered Tom's work, early on in my Greene & Greene infatuation, in the book Arts and Crafts Style and Spirit: Craftspeople of the Revival by Chase Reynolds Ewald. The pieces shown owed much to Greene & Greene but were also quite distinct, perhaps more Asian, certainly gorgeous. Years later when I had the opportunity to see Tom's work up close (in fact, to help him unload it from a truck for Pasadena Heritage Craftsman Weekend 2007) my impressions were confirmed: the pieces are striking, the craftsmanship is fantastic. Though his furniture is not derivative, Tom pays homage to the Greenes by emulating their attention to detail and sensitivity to the interplay of elements in a design.

Many amateur woodworkers dream of becoming professionals, turning our hobby into a vocation. For me, these thoughts often occurred when I was grading final exams. One thing keeps most of us from making that leap: Making a living as a professional woodworker is challenging. Lack of skill also plays a part. That's two things. But mostly it's fear driven by the difficulty of being successful as a pro. Tom decided that making a go of it as a furniture maker wasn't sufficiently arduous so he did what anyone in his position would do -- he started a winery. In other words, Tom is a masochist.

Tom and his wife Joannie have made wine for years but only recently decided to go commercial. Their label, Cloudlift Cellars, gives a tip of the cap to Greene & Greene and to the attention to detail that is an important aspect of all creative endeavors. I wish I could give you a brief review but every time I ask Tom if I can try some of his wine, he laughs and mutters something about pearls before swine. I'm not sure what he means but I think it could be an insult. Despite his disdain, I am sure that the wine is quite good. There are two reasons for this opinion: first, I don't think Tom would drink bad wine and second, I don't think Tom would make bad wine. He's too careful and committed and proud. But mostly, he doesn't want to drink bad wine.

To see more furniture by Tom Stangeland, visit his website.

]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-04-11T17:16:58+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d8996e897959e6da2165519549e8e219-111.html#unique-entry-id-111http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d8996e897959e6da2165519549e8e219-111.html#unique-entry-id-111
I'm reasonably certain that the concept of "power couples" didn't exist during the time of Gustav Stickley and Charles & Henry Greene. There were, I suppose, a few such couples -- the Curies come to mind, though their story didn't end well -- but the idea hadn't yet developed. Maybe the Curies put a damper on power couples for a while. At any rate, power couples are now common.

The modern Arts & Crafts world boasts its own power couple: Bruce Smith and Yoshiko Yamamoto. Bruce is a researcher and author specializing in all things Greene & Greene, though not exclusively. Bruce's best known book, Greene & Greene Masterworks, has, I think, sold more copies than all other Greene & Greene books combined. He is a captivating speaker and one of the nicest people you could ever meet. For all of these reasons, I hate him.

Yoshiko is an accomplished block print artist. I look across my office every day to see her Centennial commemorative print of the Gamble house. At Arts & Crafts shows, I lust after many of her beautiful prints and wonder at how one creates such stunning detail in that ancient medium. Her work is, in a word, wonderful. Together, Bruce and Yoshiko operate The Arts & Crafts Press.

Yoshiko's newest print, titled Matsushima Bay, was created for the sole purpose of benefitting victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan one month ago. It is a lovely image of a scene that has likely been forever altered by that disaster. All proceeds from sales of the print will go to the relief effort. You can see and order the print, as well as Yoshiko's other work, at The Arts & Crafts Press website.

]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-04-07T09:19:35+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/cd027b9d648323d2d72f54d33d0514a3-110.html#unique-entry-id-110http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/cd027b9d648323d2d72f54d33d0514a3-110.html#unique-entry-id-110
Some photographs, such as many of those in Poems of Wood & Light, are painstakingly planned in every detail. Permissions, logistics, equipment, lighting, batteries (the modern equivalent of film in the sense that you have to make sure you have plenty with you), etc. Other photographs just happen. Such is the case with one of my favorite photos that I've taken.

In Summer 2009, I spent a couple of weeks in Switzerland with my wife while she was here on a month-long assignment, before we knew that six months later we would transfer here. My plan was to spend much of the time that she was at work writing (the book wasn't yet completed). That plan went out the window not long after I arrived and saw the incredibly beautiful scenery. Instead, I spent most of my time driving around the countryside taking photos.

Not far from the facility where Patty works is the world's most beautiful highway rest stop. (In the interest of full disclosure, I have not conducted an exhaustive survey of rest stops but feel reasonably confident in my claim nonetheless.) Known as Bavois, this rest stop features an attractive building, excellent restaurant and incredible views across the valley to the Jura mountains on the border with France. One entire side of the building is glass to enable diners to enjoy the view. It is truly wonderful and completely unlike any other rest stop I've seen.

So it was that one day I found myself headed to the rest stop to shoot photos. Not of the rest stop itself but of the valley, mountains, and chateau nearby. While in the area, I thought I'd explore a bit. Driving a country lane above, I came across a wonderful scene: a field of golden grain with farm buildings in the distance. Indicating that I was meant to photograph the scene, nearby was an area where I could pull over and park (a rarity here). All I had to do was take advantage of the beautiful scene.

Not long prior to my trip, I had acquired a couple of tilt/shift lenses. Prized by those who photograph architecture and landscapes, these lenses allow one to do two things: shift the lens up/down/left/right and tilt the lens changing its axis relative to the camera body. The latter action permits the photographer to change the plane of focus which is normally parallel to the camera's sensor (or film if you're old school). The net effect is that you can lay the focal plane down giving, in effect, perfect focus both up close and at infinity. One can achieve the same effect, to some extent, by increasing the f-stop which makes the region of acceptable focus "thicker". However, this is done by closing down the aperture which greatly reduces the light entering the camera, thus requiring longer exposures.

Imagine a long exposure for the photo above. With any breeze at all, the grain will move and no longer be in focus. By tilting the lens, laying down the focal plane, I was able to shoot at f/4 for 1/4000s rather than at f/16 which would have required a shutter time of 1/250s, too long in this case, and even without any breeze still wouldn't have provided the same crisp focus throughout the photograph. In woodworking, it is often said that a good craftsman can create beautiful work even with lousy tools. While I agree with that in principle, there are times when having just the right tool is absolutely essential.

To see more, visit my photography site.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-04-04T12:49:56+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/5171b020d7e0bb8d135771712ef7141f-109.html#unique-entry-id-109http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/5171b020d7e0bb8d135771712ef7141f-109.html#unique-entry-id-109
"A well-written, character-oriented, sci-fi, rock & roll novel." That's how one reviewer on Amazon.com describes the book Glimpses by Lewis Shiner. The heart of the book is a collection of what-ifs: what would have happened if Brian Wilson has completed Smile in 1967 (he did in 2004, 38 years after beginning it and 11 years after Glimpses was written), if Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix hadn't died? What music could we have expected? How would the music world be different?

In the book, Hendrix is described as wanting to break away from his guitar-god image, to explore more musical terrain and grow as an artist. The catch is that he felt trapped by the expectations of his fans. I'm not sufficiently knowledgeable about Hendrix to know how much truth there is to that portrayal but it certainly seems plausible. In televised interviews I've seen, he seems like a bright, if not particularly talkative, man. He certainly had good taste in music as witnessed by his love for Bob Dylan (and notwithstanding his "we'll never have to hear surf music again" line at Monterey Pop after the Beach Boys withdrew as headliners).

The premise is believable because, in general, artists want to evolve. They need to evolve. No true artist is content to simply regurgitate that for which they are most famous. Charles and Henry Greene could have simply continued with the style for which they were well known - that would have been the easy course. However, when approached in 1911 to design a large house, with furnishings, for the Culbertson sisters, they chose to go in a different direction. The Culbertson sisters may even have expect the classic Greene & Greene style given the work the firm had done for their brother, James. Instead, the result is a near total departure from their earlier work. There are clues to the origin of that house and the furniture but they are not obvious.

The photo above is of a small section of a massive piece of furniture measuring roughly 12 feet wide and 7 feet tall, comprised of 6 separate units (3 upper and 3 lower). Bookmatching is not the first technique to come to mind when considering the work of Greene & Greene yet it is employed liberally in the Culbertson pieces. This, together with the more traditional forms, lends the furniture a more formal presence. The house, too, was more formal than the Greenes' norm. Yet certain features from earlier works remain: the shelves utilize breadboards, the drawers and doors are wrapped in ebony around their perimeters, pulls and escutcheons are shop-made, detailing is exquisite.

Had Charles Greene simply stayed the course, the Culbertson sisters' house would likely have been another beautiful "chalet in the Japanese style" as are the Ultimate Bungalows. Instead, his evolution continued and we are treated to a glimpse of another side of his creative genius.

More photos of this piece appear in Poems of Wood & Light. Order your signed copy here.

]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-03-31T16:40:15+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/2f5d572417e7123ec838b5cc86047bcd-108.html#unique-entry-id-108http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/2f5d572417e7123ec838b5cc86047bcd-108.html#unique-entry-id-108

Blogging is a narcissistic exercise, the 21st century equivalent of yelling, "Look at me!" except that, as with all things internet, the electronic barrier eases the discomfort we might otherwise feel. Even by the metrics of the blogosphere, however, this post scores high on the self-promotion scale. I hope that you'll indulge me.

Today, I'm announcing that I will not seek, nor will I accept, my party's nomination for President of the United States. Please try to contain your disappointment, I know it's difficult. Today, I am also announcing a new website: photography.wood-and-light.com

This new site (beautifully designed, if I say so myself) is dedicated to the sale of photographic prints from my catalog. It may surprise you to learn that not one of the photos on the site is even remotely related to Greene & Greene. I'll wait a moment for the shock to subside... The photos fall into three broad categories: architecture, landscape, and abstract. I hope that you'll have a look. Don't be shy about sharing the link with friends -- particularly those friends with significant disposable income.

Please let me know what you think about the photos. Unless you don't like them. Just kidding -- of course you’ll like them.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-03-28T14:14:29+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/dab2aaf306e8a2437978001a1c3b3ed0-107.html#unique-entry-id-107http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/dab2aaf306e8a2437978001a1c3b3ed0-107.html#unique-entry-id-107
Amazon doesn’t have a stock image of a Kindle with Poems of Wood & Light on the screen. Bastards.
For authors, one consequence of the ascendance of Amazon.com is the importance of Amazon sales rankings. For those named James Patterson or Mary Higgins Clark, the steady stream of arriving large trucks filled with bags of money provides a clue to the success of their latest offering. For the rest of us, the Amazon sales ranking is our primary indicator.

I freely (and happily) admit that I don't understand the business world. I feel fortunate to have spent nearly my entire adult life on college campuses, places where, in my discipline, at least, knowledge of the finer points of marketing, accounting, etc. are largely irrelevant. Thus, it is beyond my feeble abilities to understand why Amazon doesn't publicize the number of units sold for the books in their inventory. The reason may well be the first lesson taught in Business 101 but I was absent that day. What Amazon does instead is publish the relative sales ranking for the books they sell. The number is available on the page for each book and is updated hourly (for truly obsessive authors). It is, however, a single data point -- no past numbers are available, only the current rank.

Enter several services that track the Amazon ranks and store them for later perusal. I use a free service called Metric Junkie. I can log in and look at the Amazon ranks for Poems of Wood & Light hour-by-hour over the past weeks. There are graphs and charts and high and low rankings for various time periods. As the name suggests, the service is somewhat addictive.

As Arlo Guthrie would say, that's not what I want to talk you about today. At least not entirely. Several times this year, I've read reports that for a significant number of New York Times bestsellers the number of digital copies sold is higher than the number of hard copies sold. Certainly this is indicative of the rise in popularity of e-readers, a market in which Amazon's Kindle is still king.

Poems of Wood & Light is available for the Kindle and thanks to Metric Junkie, I'm able to keep an eye on how it's doing. Which is easy because it isn't doing much. Given that most books sold for Kindle are read on a Kindle device (as opposed to the Kindle software available for other mobile devices and for computers) and that the Kindle is black and white, it isn't surprising that a coffee table book filled with color photos is not selling in big numbers. My Dad bought a Kindle copy as soon as it became available (thanks, Dad), surprising if only because at the time he and my Mom had a couple hundred copies of the book in their sunroom. His opinion is that the poor photo quality on the Kindle screen allowed him to focus on the writing without being distracted by eye candy. Seems reasonable. Of course, my Dad isn't the most objective source in this particular case. By the way, the Kindle edition looks great on computer screens and makes a perfect companion to the hard copy you surely already own. :)

The point is that the relative ranking of my Kindle edition, and how it changes with sales, has demonstrated something about the market for e-books: it appears that e-book sales are deep but not broad. Bestsellers are selling very well but many books are not moving many e-copies at all. Even those that are selling reasonably well in hard copy. How do I know this? Well, I don't "know" it, it's more like a theory. But I do have some evidence. One day last week, someone bought a Kindle version of my book. The sales rank for the Kindle version jumped from 348,853 to 49,884. A single sale leapfrogged Poems of Wood & Light past almost 300,000 other books. Clearly, they hadn't sold a copy in a while, as was the case for my book leading up to that moment. Further, such a jump in ranking is impossible for the hard copy. Fortunately, the rank for the physical book hasn't been nearly as high as 350,000 since well before its release so a direct comparison isn't possible, however, the last change in rank that landed that version at a number close to 49K was from 86,175 to 46,589. As ranks get better for the hard copy, jumps become even smaller. Several days ago, a sale resulted in a change from 18,817 to 14,713.

What does all of this mean? I have no idea. In my defense, I don't think the publishing industry has it figured out yet either. I guess they missed that day of Business 101. Or maybe it's difficult to figure out what's happening when there is a fundamental shift in an industry (I'm in a charitable mood). Let me know if you have a theory about this -- maybe you went to class that day.

Poems of Wood & Light is available for the Kindle, the Nook and the iPad. Or you can order your signed, old-fashioned copy right here.

]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-03-21T10:51:47+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/f9cfd7c65d66f187371ac1ef32fa1a97-106.html#unique-entry-id-106http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/f9cfd7c65d66f187371ac1ef32fa1a97-106.html#unique-entry-id-106
Photo courtesy of the Guardian Stewardship.
The first time Tom Moore invited me to stay at his house, we’d never met. We shared an obsession with Greene & Greene (try to contain your surprise), which was the reason for my visit, in October 2007, to his corner of the world. Jenny, his very tolerant wife, was probably not shocked that Tom was bringing home another stray. Despite never having met, Tom and I were already fast friends courtesy of a Greene & Greene Yahoo! group we both frequent. If this was an episode of Law & Order, events would certainly take an unpleasant turn at this point. Fortunately, everything went very well. When I returned to California on subsequent trips to photograph houses and furniture for Poems of Wood & Light, Tom and Jenny were equally hospitable. Each time, Tom would take vacation from work and hit the road with me. We logged many miles, visited many homes and shot thousands of photos. We also had the best time imaginable. I am very pleased to present, as the first guest post on my blog, this essay by my very good friend Tom Moore. Tom’s writing is always entertaining and usually requires that the reader have a dictionary close at hand. Thank you, Tom, for contributing so eloquently.

“The furniture made by the brothers Charles and Henry Greene might rightfully be called the most impressive contribution to the art yet made by any American.” ~ Alan Marks, Fine Woodworking #21, 1980

By all accounts, in 1906 things were humming along in the architectural office of brothers Charles and Henry Greene in Pasadena, California. A confluence of factors had set them on an adventurous and prosperous path, one they would walk for several years.

* In each of the preceding two years they designed and built 11 houses, including several of the best commissions, those from repeat clients.
* Freed from the shackles of ordinary craftsmen, they experienced a creative awakening in the collaboration with another set of brothers, Peter and John Hall, builders and furniture artisans.
* Architecturally, they were well into developing their own regional design that would soon manifest as the so-called Ultimate Bungalows.
* In their furniture design, they surrendered influence by Gustav Stickley and were establishing themselves as designers of extraordinary sensitivity, progressively demonstrating the vocabulary that would lead their practice for years.

In 1906, Dr. William T. Bolton, a client faithful to the Greenes, committed to his third house, one that included a full collection of furniture. Tragically, Dr. Bolton died before the house was completed. Mrs. Bolton moved out of California, eventually renting the house to Belle Barlow Bush and her daughters. Ms. Bush liked the dining room furniture – the only furnishings finished at Dr. Bolton’s demise – and agreed to completion of the entire suite, thereby realizing the artistic unity Charles Greene had envisioned. In addition, she requested a few other pieces, including the stylish curio cabinet pictured above.

The Bolton furniture was a design tipping point. The Asian influence seen in the Adelaide Tichenor designs of 1904 continued, but with a refreshing harmony. Also, it was the first to be endowed with ebony caps either covering screw heads or as added ornamentation. That said, the Bush curio cabinet design stands apart from the Bolton collection, possessing elegance and subtlety absent in earlier work. It embodies the language that would dominate the Greene’s practice for several years. Attribute the difference in appearance to the cabinet’s later design. The Bolton furniture dates to mid-1906, while Ms. Bush’s cabinet rose from Charles’s imagination around August 1908, probably folded into the stream of office projects in parallel with the Gamble House commission.

Scale is sometimes hard to gauge in a photo, thus I was surprised at its smallish size when viewed at an exhibition in 2008. Ted Wells of the Guardian Stewardship, current caretakers of this jewel, stated the size at 15 1/8” tall x 25 3/8” wide x 5 ?” deep. The proportion was attractive and looked familiar, perhaps based to the Golden Ratio.

The Golden Ratio (also known as the Golden Mean, Divine Proportion and other names) is the historically revered proportioning system of Classical architecture. In brief, by experimentation, the ancients found that a rectangle with the proportion of height-to-width of 1 to 1.6 (written 1:1.6) presented a most pleasing aesthetic to the human eye. Its use continues today. Unable to measure the cabinet directly, I gauged existing photos. The cabinet dimensions presented above include its outsized base and overhang of the top. However, if only the case itself is measured, the height-width proportion matches exactly the Golden Ratio. A sketch of the case on the Greene & Greene Virtual Archives supports the notion that the proportion was intentional.

To this classic form the Greenes added their own iconic details including generous edge rounding, directly expressed finger joints (mating the case top and end panels) and decorative ebony inlay. The exterior is bespeckled with proud, pillowed and polished ebony caps, and the lower door rails are emblazoned with ebony double-lift motifs that mimic in abstract the profile of that rail. The formed silver side handle appears to be a near duplicate of those found in the Gamble House downstairs guest bedroom furniture.

As luxurious a picture as the exterior presents, impressive surprises await inside. One must open the doors fully to appreciate the delicate pastel coloring of the leaded glass front. Sotheby’s 2005 auction description described the glazing colors as “pale taupe and blue.” You may recognize the shape bounding the blue glazing as a Greene staple in designs of this period. The lift motif is a variant of a feature in Ming dynasty furniture. Over time, the Greenes created seemingly endless adaptations, retaining freshness in each implementation.

Note the shelf cut-outs exist on the right side only. The alcove cradled one of Ms. Bush’s favorite vases. Below, tiny carved ebony drawer pulls reside in a lift-shaped inset.

In an earlier post here, David Mathias commented that children are usually rigid in their favorites, e.g., they have one favorite ice cream flavor, be it Blue Bubblegum or Candied Bacon. As a result of this outlook, they lead rather black and white existences. Adults tend more toward gray. They recognize the positive attributes of more than one flavor. This approach allows several favorites to co-exist, therefore, more pleasure in their lives.

While I subscribe to David’s thesis wholeheartedly, when it comes to the Greenes’ furniture oeuvre, I continue to place the Bush curio cabinet, not necessarily at the top of my list, but “first among equals.” Whether open or closed, this piece, so rich in detail, persists in intoxicating me.

Order your signed copy of Poems of Wood & Light.

]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-03-17T12:06:26+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/934d54495b860429b763c021458859ec-105.html#unique-entry-id-105http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/934d54495b860429b763c021458859ec-105.html#unique-entry-id-105

In a 1908 article he wrote for Western Architect, Charles Greene enumerated his primary considerations when designing a house. "The style of a house should be as far as possible determined by four conditions:
First -- Climate.
Second -- Environment.
Third -- Kinds of materials available.
Fourth -- Habits and tastes -- i.e. the life of the owner."

One need not tour too many historic homes to realize that some architects do not spend much time considering the fourth point, if it were to appear on their list at all. But Greene & Greene are known for creating very livable houses, houses that even today can make one feel at home, that don't feel out of date or out of touch with the times. Apart from the magical creations that we know as the Ultimate Bungalows, that may be the most significant aspect of their legacy.

Pictured above is the living room of the first of three houses the Greenes designed for Josephine Van Rossem (1903). It was not a grand commission nor an imposing design. It was significantly altered in 1906 for subsequent owner James Neil. It is striking, I think, how entirely inviting this 108 year-old room, from a $3,800 house, is today. If built now, the ceiling would likely be higher but otherwise this room is just about perfect. The fireplace, the wainscoting, the exposed beams create an atmosphere that encourages one to stay for a while.

Today the Van Rossem/Neil house is best known for the world's finest clinker brick wall. When we think of Greene & Greene interiors, we tend to reference the Gamble and the Blacker houses. But the Van Rossem/Neil house and a number of other examples designed by the firm in the first years of the 20th century, ably demonstrate the democratic nature of their work, their commitment to the comfort of the people who would inhabit the buildings they designed. It is little wonder then, that for a time Greene & Greene were very much in demand and that a century later new generations are still in awe of their accomplishments.

Order your signed copy of Poems of Wood & Light.

]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-03-14T11:48:52+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d13bfdb37af46ae681463218d5457db4-102.html#unique-entry-id-102http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d13bfdb37af46ae681463218d5457db4-102.html#unique-entry-id-102
I have often referred to the Blacker house as the most beautiful manmade place I have ever been. The entry hall, stairway included, and living room are simply stunning works of art, every detail attended to and every one perfect and perfectly in balance with the whole. Those spaces contain numerous pieces any one of which could constitute the crowning achievement of a career in design: the entry hall lanterns, the living room arm chairs, the living room bookcase, the basket lanterns, and yes, the staircase. Each is permanently engraved in my brain, the result of countless hours spent examining photographs of them. Taken together, they explain the high regard I have for the Greenes' masterpiece.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-03-10T09:47:06+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/dc32da5eb31f76ad4748f2bdfbcab79f-101.html#unique-entry-id-101http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/dc32da5eb31f76ad4748f2bdfbcab79f-101.html#unique-entry-id-101]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-03-06T22:28:13+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/f11bc10a5fd1067213835bcce8d590a0-100.html#unique-entry-id-100http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/f11bc10a5fd1067213835bcce8d590a0-100.html#unique-entry-id-100de rigueur. My answer to the inquiry was always the same: "No." Sometimes I would explain that I had already provided them with a syllabus -- complete with carefully chosen readings from the text book -- and half a term of inspired, thrice weekly lectures. Other times I would simply note that while I would be happy to answer questions, it simply isn't possible to encapsulate weeks of material into 50 minutes in any meaningful way. They seemed to buy it.

This is my 100th blog post for Wood & Light. So naturally, I've decided to write an entry that encapsulates the previous 99 entries. By way of explanation to any former students who may be reading this, I offer only that this entry will not be even remotely meaningful. And to everyone who is reading this, thank you. It has been my privilege to share these brief essays with you over the past 10 months. So here goes...
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-03-02T16:20:06+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/5a3ce21f03b28869a207f016ef9a68fa-99.html#unique-entry-id-99http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/5a3ce21f03b28869a207f016ef9a68fa-99.html#unique-entry-id-99
No longer encumbered by anything as bourgeois as employment, I was free this year to make the pilgrimage to Asheville. Unfortunately, distance is now a deterrent. So while I considered making the trip, I decided against it. Enter Jennifer Strauss, Co-Publisher of Style 1900 magazine. Jen invited me to do a book signing in the Style 1900 booth at the conference. Because she offered me a huge fee and guaranteed that I'd sell 500 books, it was an offer I couldn't refuse. (Some, or possibly all, of the facts in that last sentence are entirely fabricated.)
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-02-16T18:13:40+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/a09b566e754b986a85e705d90b799f2d-98.html#unique-entry-id-98http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/a09b566e754b986a85e705d90b799f2d-98.html#unique-entry-id-98
Thus, it may be surprising that Greene & Greene were not Californians. Nor were they from a warm climate. They were born in Cincinnati, raised in St. Louis and educated in Boston. Yes, Boston. America's answer to Old World civilization. The birthplace of the Revolution. Home of the Brahmins. It was in this world that Charles & Henry Greene acquired the skills that would enable them to develop the quintessential west-coast style.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-02-14T11:37:14+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d50423338547f99f3639ba06e093f007-97.html#unique-entry-id-97http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d50423338547f99f3639ba06e093f007-97.html#unique-entry-id-97]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-02-09T12:15:33+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/0c52acd6e4374359251e16187436dd7d-96.html#unique-entry-id-96http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/0c52acd6e4374359251e16187436dd7d-96.html#unique-entry-id-96I originally wrote this post five months ago for the blog of Venezuelan architect Ana Manzo, "the place of dreams." [How many Venezuelan architects do you suppose I'd know if not for the internet? One less than I do now, that's how many.] Ana's blog is beautifully written and she brings to her writing a poetic soul about which I can only dream with envy.

Recently, my wife, our sons and I vacationed in Luzern. Switzerland is, among other things, a land of multiple languages. In Luzern, German is spoken. In high school, I studied German for three years. I was never fluent but was able to communicate haltingly. Unfortunately, that was thirty years ago. During those years, I haven't spoken German at all. How little I remember was illustrated during our trip. One thought was often in my head: "That word looks familar - I think I used to know what it means." A few facts about German have remained in my brain. For example, I remember the tendency to create huge compound words. Words such as "fernsehenprogramme" and "gesamtkunstwerk."
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-02-07T13:14:04+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/425ffdc5dbbb80af61ab5af4872cab45-95.html#unique-entry-id-95http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/425ffdc5dbbb80af61ab5af4872cab45-95.html#unique-entry-id-95Poems of Wood & Light opens with a quote that, to my mind, speaks to the general theme of that chapter. Thus, the discussion of important influences on the development of Greene & Greene begins with a quote by Sir Winston Churchill, "Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse." This is true, I think, not only at the macro level, which it seems was Churchill's intended meaning but also at the micro level as well. The art world must experience innovation to avoid stasis as must the artist to avoid falling into self-parody.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-02-02T11:23:41+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/311c270a3837f91c0452330647710e9e-94.html#unique-entry-id-94http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/311c270a3837f91c0452330647710e9e-94.html#unique-entry-id-94]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-01-31T12:45:25+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/6c7ede4abdf2f97e0d06e9a65379a00c-93.html#unique-entry-id-93http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/6c7ede4abdf2f97e0d06e9a65379a00c-93.html#unique-entry-id-93
The Westridge School exists to this day, as an exclusive preparatory school for girls. Were the founder's professional pedigree the only Greene & Greene connection, it would be of only tangential import to those interested in the firm's work. There is, however, a more concrete, or perhaps, shingled, cause for attention: the Westridge School campus is curently home to the Robert Pitcairn, Jr. house.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-01-28T14:55:14+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/f50b4f3f9c1f336e99a3714302c75d70-92.html#unique-entry-id-92http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/f50b4f3f9c1f336e99a3714302c75d70-92.html#unique-entry-id-92]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-01-26T11:43:21+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/3506ce690f4f4ae8dbdd1166b927fe71-91.html#unique-entry-id-91http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/3506ce690f4f4ae8dbdd1166b927fe71-91.html#unique-entry-id-91]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-01-24T17:54:40+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/c50723aabb8703a2bc40179355dd5542-90.html#unique-entry-id-90http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/c50723aabb8703a2bc40179355dd5542-90.html#unique-entry-id-90]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-01-21T12:24:27+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1ca9b293cc25110844ce954ed3f31297-89.html#unique-entry-id-89http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1ca9b293cc25110844ce954ed3f31297-89.html#unique-entry-id-89]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-01-19T15:26:29+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/cd6823272ce3fbdcde1a168f69ba9ad7-88.html#unique-entry-id-88http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/cd6823272ce3fbdcde1a168f69ba9ad7-88.html#unique-entry-id-88]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-01-17T12:19:11+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/a4c92b96899b7c6cd1bd5aaf5f578d77-87.html#unique-entry-id-87http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/a4c92b96899b7c6cd1bd5aaf5f578d77-87.html#unique-entry-id-87]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-01-14T09:15:24+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/797c927485c9923429594cb815d39a94-86.html#unique-entry-id-86http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/797c927485c9923429594cb815d39a94-86.html#unique-entry-id-86Poems of Wood & Light, I wrote to a friend that references and footnotes in books were the original World Wide Web, in decidedly lower tech guise. The idea is that like the web, one book (webpage) leads the reader to other books (webpages) which lead to still others and so on. Some "links" go far afield while others lead back to the starting point.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-01-12T14:42:16+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/028ff9381dc7bd45c612766d3dbb9b35-85.html#unique-entry-id-85http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/028ff9381dc7bd45c612766d3dbb9b35-85.html#unique-entry-id-85]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-01-06T11:41:45+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/109b4bc850c026a62b72dceb588a2221-84.html#unique-entry-id-84http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/109b4bc850c026a62b72dceb588a2221-84.html#unique-entry-id-84]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2011-01-03T12:51:39+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/4d9cf8600598ace59ec27e4fa9a49954-83.html#unique-entry-id-83http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/4d9cf8600598ace59ec27e4fa9a49954-83.html#unique-entry-id-83
One of the quotes attributed to Bob DeNiro (his friends call him Bob -- since he doesn't read my blog, I can too) got me thinking, an unexpected outcome while reading Esquire. "If there's a shortcut taken when you're building a hotel, people are going to notice and feel cheated out of something. It's kind of like a movie: Cumulatively, all the shortcuts and cheats take away from the texture." DeNiro knows a little about texture, he's made about a thousand movies with Marty Scorsese (also doesn't read my blog), a true master of the filmmaking craft.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-12-21T14:51:34+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1fccb19f049612613dc8885d62e15e5a-82.html#unique-entry-id-82http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1fccb19f049612613dc8885d62e15e5a-82.html#unique-entry-id-82]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-12-17T14:20:32+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/b6e63e6a23597c4f9512a262cbac81e8-81.html#unique-entry-id-81http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/b6e63e6a23597c4f9512a262cbac81e8-81.html#unique-entry-id-81]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-12-15T11:50:48+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/668573940d736cae88816318e9feb246-80.html#unique-entry-id-80http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/668573940d736cae88816318e9feb246-80.html#unique-entry-id-80]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-12-13T13:39:43+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/0f5291b9804e0e1839e7b84a515e0159-79.html#unique-entry-id-79http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/0f5291b9804e0e1839e7b84a515e0159-79.html#unique-entry-id-79
Before the iPad was released last Spring, the web was awash in pundits predicting that it wouldn't find a market, that it was an answer for which there was no question. Fortunately for Apple shareholders, Steve Jobs appears not to listen to pundits. Apple has now sold roughly 10,000,000 iPads, accounting for roughly 8% of the worldwide mobile PC market. One web ad firm predicts that by the end of 2011, the iPad will account for 2.3% of North American web traffic. Not bad for a device that nobody was supposed to love.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-12-10T14:53:59+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/771cee386bd5c22aa6cdc7213217427c-78.html#unique-entry-id-78http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/771cee386bd5c22aa6cdc7213217427c-78.html#unique-entry-id-78]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-12-08T11:55:36+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/8d59a7139314edb68bee43a4273d2e2b-77.html#unique-entry-id-77http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/8d59a7139314edb68bee43a4273d2e2b-77.html#unique-entry-id-77
Another topic about which I know very little is museums. Sure, I've visited quite a few -- more than 20 in the last few years for both research and pleasure. Of course, that doesn't tell one any more about the world of museums than driving by a farm reveals the secrets of Agriculture (there's another one, this really is getting depressing). The point is that I'm not well versed in how museums operate, the challenges they face (other than fundraising, of course) and the rules that govern them.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-12-06T13:41:33+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/92eb5b53d56c9324a4207e30aea7485e-76.html#unique-entry-id-76http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/92eb5b53d56c9324a4207e30aea7485e-76.html#unique-entry-id-76blog post entitled "Frank Lloyd Wright and Beatlemania." It was a somewhat tongue-in-cheek examination of the relationships and parallels between Wright and the Beatles on one hand and Greene & Greene and the Beach Boys on the other. Architect Magazine picked up on it via Twitter and asked their followers to devise other architect : musician pairings. They did, and I posted a list a couple of days later. The exercise was interesting and entertaining.

I think it's time to try this again. Given the season, this is Architect : Musician Pairings - Christmas Edition. The Christmas Edition is just like the Standard Edition except that it comes in a different box and costs 50% more. Oh, and the musician should have produced music appropriate to the season. I wonder how many pairings we'll get that include Mannheim Steamroller....
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-12-03T16:31:17+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/51767154bf99b3f38329e81020299e57-75.html#unique-entry-id-75http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/51767154bf99b3f38329e81020299e57-75.html#unique-entry-id-75]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-12-01T14:04:02+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/611e5d3cc4565c79b52352cfadf6cf74-73.html#unique-entry-id-73http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/611e5d3cc4565c79b52352cfadf6cf74-73.html#unique-entry-id-73]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-11-29T12:40:08+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/5aab9b78f03240c4fbe39916b6ce07ff-72.html#unique-entry-id-72http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/5aab9b78f03240c4fbe39916b6ce07ff-72.html#unique-entry-id-72]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-11-26T15:39:54+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/e7dd59cac1e6e7b823f5b5d5477d594a-71.html#unique-entry-id-71http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/e7dd59cac1e6e7b823f5b5d5477d594a-71.html#unique-entry-id-71
My first thought was that we would have turkey -- it's available here as parts but I've never seen a whole turkey in the store -- and as many of the accompaniments as we could manage. It didn't seem that stuffing would be too hard. Mashed potatoes would be a snap. Green beans, check. Because the only sizable turkey breast I could find was without skin, gravy would be a bit of a challenge but we could improvise. I didn't hold out much hope for cranberry sauce though I thought pie would be easy. I was wrong.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-11-23T14:57:01+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/fa2491ff4d8839db2d92fa96d52a634d-70.html#unique-entry-id-70http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/fa2491ff4d8839db2d92fa96d52a634d-70.html#unique-entry-id-70
Looking through these drawings, one is struck by the incredible detail, and concomitant amount of work, for even their more modest houses. For example, for nearly every commission there are schedules of doors and windows. In each case, these are original designs specific to that structure. Think about that for a moment: original windows and doors for virtually every commission. It is little wonder that the firm's workload was crushing or that the Greenes are remembered today for their attention to detail.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-11-19T12:37:12+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/a3d80016ed0b87b95f3556ee5ba06564-69.html#unique-entry-id-69http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/a3d80016ed0b87b95f3556ee5ba06564-69.html#unique-entry-id-69Poems of Wood & Light criticism never occurred to me. Except for my own. I think that's a good thing. One shouldn't write with the voices of imaginary critics ringing in their ears. The thought of angry reviews, boycotts and blockades of the stores carrying my book certainly would not have helped the creative process. Writing my Pulitzer acceptance speech wouldn't have been much better. Of course, once I realized that readers would express their opinions, as they should, a nagging fear setup camp at the back of my brain.

Yesterday, the website Life of an Architect published a review of Poems of Wood & Light written by Michael Malone, AIA. Life of an Architect is run by Dallas architect Bob Borson, AIA and is quite popular. Some months ago, before the book was released, I asked Bob if I could write a guest entry for his blog and he graciously agreed. He also offered to review Poems of Wood & Light when it became available. After he received the review copy, Bob asked if I would mind if he had a colleague do the review, someone more familiar with Greene & Greene. That's where Michael, an obvious fan of the Greenes, enters the story.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-11-17T13:07:43+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/f67d0d032959a4855b90c41e8f4b6143-68.html#unique-entry-id-68http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/f67d0d032959a4855b90c41e8f4b6143-68.html#unique-entry-id-68Poems of Wood & Light is that details define the work of Charles and Henry Greene. The macro level is important, as it must be in any architecture, but it is at the micro level that we find the wonder in their houses and furniture. Whether iconic or rare, subtle or obvious, details provide beauty and drama in the Greenes' irresistible creations.

It is somewhat ironic then, that the best time to experience a Greene & Greene house may well be the evening, a time when dim light and creeping shadows serve to obscure details and hide them from view. Those fortunate enough to witness this time in a Greene house should thank the darkness for performing its task -- the absence of details allows one to appreciate the scene in toto, no longer drawn to every detail like a moth to the flame. Our focus, deprived of one target, finds another.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-11-16T11:57:57+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/6017d00921bdd11c12a5150db8e8014d-67.html#unique-entry-id-67http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/6017d00921bdd11c12a5150db8e8014d-67.html#unique-entry-id-67
Despite this, Thankskgiving is my favorite day of the year. I love everything about it (aside from the aforementioned parade). The ritual gathering of family. The Johnny Mathis Christmas album on the stereo for the first time of the season. Bad football on television. Mom's pies -- pumpkin and pecan, with the world's best pie crusts -- in the oven. The meal is, of course, the star of the day. In fact, almost the entire day is spent building toward that tryptophan-laced climax. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and stuffing. The ultimate comfort food. Across the country, millions practice variations on the theme.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-11-15T12:20:52+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/8de73b248921569f0699c9d0c4d50346-66.html#unique-entry-id-66http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/8de73b248921569f0699c9d0c4d50346-66.html#unique-entry-id-66Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was 3.8 million copies. According to Wikipedia, "This record statistic was broken by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, with 8.5 million, which was then shattered by Half-Blood Prince with 10.8 million copies. 6.9 million copies of Prince were sold in the U.S. within the first 24 hours of its release; in the United Kingdom more than two million copies were sold on the first day. The initial U.S. print run for Deathly Hallows was 12 million copies, and more than a million were pre-ordered through Amazon and Barnes & Noble."

The above statistics are close to those for Poems of Wood & Light, if close means within about three orders of magnitude. Its initial U.S. print run is 6000 copies. That's about 5995 copies greater than the run for my previous book -- a collection of photos of my kids that I created with Apple's iPhoto. Reviewers called that an instant classic. OK, maybe that was my parents. In any case, the numbers are trending in the right direction.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-11-12T17:18:54+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/78a40f71605a7b82e66c0ce112038741-65.html#unique-entry-id-65http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/78a40f71605a7b82e66c0ce112038741-65.html#unique-entry-id-65]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-11-10T16:15:26+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/2920df098dc5284adc2ed451ff70c112-64.html#unique-entry-id-64http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/2920df098dc5284adc2ed451ff70c112-64.html#unique-entry-id-64
The magic of the Greenes' work is due, in large part, to the seemingly effortless combination of disparate influences: the Arts & Crafts movement, Japanese imperial and temple architecture, and the unique environment of Southern California. The synthesis of elements born of these sources resulted in an iconic style that is both elegant and casual. Japanese influence is obvious in a number of their house designs and it is well known that Charles Greene had numerous opportunities to observe Japanese design in the United States. However, the primary Japanese influence may well be more philosophical -- it is the Japanese attitude toward beauty that permeates Greene & Greene commissions.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-11-08T10:13:09+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/4ff2bc082140aefbe364df0ba1dbe8f9-63.html#unique-entry-id-63http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/4ff2bc082140aefbe364df0ba1dbe8f9-63.html#unique-entry-id-63]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-11-05T16:18:40+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/0ea1fc0fef27044f8428bc259fff5af4-62.html#unique-entry-id-62http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/0ea1fc0fef27044f8428bc259fff5af4-62.html#unique-entry-id-62
I've been thinking about intimidation today because of something I read on the internet last night. It started with a link posted by one of my Twitter friends. The story is sordid, the main elements are these. A young writer posts an article about apple pie on a website. Sometime later she receives an email from a friend congratulating her for having an article published in a magazine called Cook's Source. Since she'd never heard of Cook's Source she was curious. After confirming that it was her article, she contacted the magazine's editor.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-11-03T18:14:03+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d3d7fa48a2f6d605fd797572bc59d651-61.html#unique-entry-id-61http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d3d7fa48a2f6d605fd797572bc59d651-61.html#unique-entry-id-61
In 1916 Charles Greene and his family moved from Pasadena to Carmel. The practice of architecture was not foremost on his mind but in 1918 he accepted the commission, one that would engage him for five years.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-11-01T11:00:16+01:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1d4e54cb15efc1d4810d4bdbf7c9b5d6-60.html#unique-entry-id-60http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1d4e54cb15efc1d4810d4bdbf7c9b5d6-60.html#unique-entry-id-60Bob Gignac. On the surface Bob and I don't have much in common. He's Canadian (difference number 1) which means that he's friendly (difference number 2) and plays hockey (difference number 3). I would probably have written "ice hockey" in the previous sentence but that would have caused Bob to go into convulsions and lecture me on hockey syntax, which doesn't include the word "ice," at least not in the part of the world where hockey actually matters.

Bob no longer lives in Switzerland. That's why we met. Patty, the boys and I now live in what was his apartment. I suspect that it was quieter when Bob lived here. And neater. But that's not really the point. Bob lectures frequently on financial planning. More accurately, he lectures to financial planners on how to communicate with their clients. During the six years when he lived in Switzerland, Bob made roughly 75 trans-Atlantic round trips. Yes, 75. An average of about one per month. That's quite an iron man statistic. I asked Cal Ripken, Jr., one of the world's great iron men, about this. When I quoted the relevant data, he shivered audibly and said that he didn't have the stamina to pull that off. Then he asked me how I got his number and told me never to call him again.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-10-22T18:45:38+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/8fb9d7f8095733273308cdca95bde97b-59.html#unique-entry-id-59http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/8fb9d7f8095733273308cdca95bde97b-59.html#unique-entry-id-59
As regular readers know, last December my family moved from Ohio to Switzerland. It has been, and continues to be, a wonderful experience for all of us, particularly the children. There are very few downsides but one has been on my mind lately -- being located in Europe makes it difficult (or impossible) to do many of the things that authors do to promote their books. Things like signing events and stopping in at bookstores to make sure that their book is prominently displayed. Since my book is not in wide release in Europe, I haven't been able to do any of those things. Until last weekend.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-10-13T11:30:14+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/213322e0f99f63172bed386ff328956f-58.html#unique-entry-id-58http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/213322e0f99f63172bed386ff328956f-58.html#unique-entry-id-58]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-10-11T11:08:26+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/b2de3aabeb57810fbbae59dd935d71d2-57.html#unique-entry-id-57http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/b2de3aabeb57810fbbae59dd935d71d2-57.html#unique-entry-id-57
During the judging on Saturday's show, there were many references to the styling and dress of various performers. I'm not trying to be disingenuous when I ask, should that really matter? I'm old enough to remember when music was not a visual medium. I couldn't tell you what John Lennon was wearing when he recorded "Imagine" or Brian Wilson when he recorded "Cabinessence" but I can tell you that I don't care. Nor would I care what they wore if I saw them on stage. Only the music matters. Substance rather than style.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-10-07T13:27:16+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/195d75f3708b3f4436bfc33b2f0e3d9c-56.html#unique-entry-id-56http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/195d75f3708b3f4436bfc33b2f0e3d9c-56.html#unique-entry-id-56
The Gambles were not idly rich. Devoutly religious and deeply committed to philanthropy, they instilled the same values in their children. Cecil, Sidney and Clarence Gamble learned their lessons well. All three excelled in their careers. Cecil joined the family business becoming an executive with Procter & Gamble after starting with the company working on the factory floor. Sidney Gamble became a renowned expert on China and traveled extensively there. Clarence became a physician and early advocate for the use of birth control. Though each received $1,000,000 on their 21st birthdays (with the stipulation that they devote at least 10% to charitable causes), it is clear that they did not live their lives on the family dole.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-10-04T11:52:27+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/c17faefbe37cef991cc94f17abd34564-55.html#unique-entry-id-55http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/c17faefbe37cef991cc94f17abd34564-55.html#unique-entry-id-55
My favorite sounds on those occasions are bells - the ubiquitous Swiss cowbells and the bells from the church in St. Legier. The church bells ring every quarter hour, all day and all night. During the day, I rarely hear them. Our bedroom is on the opposite side of the building so I don't hear the bells at night either. But in the evening, when there is little going on in the world outside to mask the sound, the chimes mark time for me.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-09-30T15:33:34+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d8dccdbb62f0795bbc1e14c990e6e606-54.html#unique-entry-id-54http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d8dccdbb62f0795bbc1e14c990e6e606-54.html#unique-entry-id-54
My childhood best friend was Scott Watson. Scott and I were inseparable. In 4th grade, when school music lessons started, I tried the saxophone and Scott took up the trumpet. I lasted for the 3 month trial period. I didn't have the desire or the discipline to continue. Scott continued. And continued some more. He majored in music education in college and became a music teacher and high school band leader. While working, he took classes and ultimately completed a doctorate in music composition. I don't know where or how but during middle school, in the early 70s, Scott encountered the music of the Beach Boys. On the school bus during field trips he would teach a small group of us to sing the harmonies.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-09-28T14:28:07+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1001f8403be11cafc56ef2e210ff28ba-53.html#unique-entry-id-53http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1001f8403be11cafc56ef2e210ff28ba-53.html#unique-entry-id-53]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-09-24T16:27:18+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/7568efb3750b761f185be5f7584e31e3-52.html#unique-entry-id-52http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/7568efb3750b761f185be5f7584e31e3-52.html#unique-entry-id-52]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-09-21T14:19:23+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/e60d7db76069fc543f32d561323ccd91-51.html#unique-entry-id-51http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/e60d7db76069fc543f32d561323ccd91-51.html#unique-entry-id-51"the place of dreams" by Ana Manzo. Ana is an architect in Venezuela who writes quite beautifully about topics related to her profession. Her command of the emotional aspects of architecture, and writing, fascinates me. As a scientist, I tend toward the analytical, only wishing that I could be more poetic. I have never seen Ana's designs but I imagine them to be very sensitive and wonderful.

In her latest blog entry, Ana writes, "...not only do we have to get into the minds of our clients, we must also be able to get into our own mind; to discover what we love and devote ourselves in an endless search of the object of our passion..." I've been thinking about this idea of the architect melding the client's passion with their own. The architect should neither subjugate himself to the client, nor overpower the client with the architect's own point of view. This isn't a novel idea, nor is it unique to architecture, but I think it might be a part of what sets some of the greats apart from mere mortals.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-09-16T10:37:49+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/4f929132aad923a360ce1d8eb5c4c889-50.html#unique-entry-id-50http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/4f929132aad923a360ce1d8eb5c4c889-50.html#unique-entry-id-50                | More        
Over the past month I've written a handful of guest entries for other blogs. Though I've advertised them on Facebook and Twitter, many of you have probably not read them. Therefore, I'm gathering links to them here to make them easily accessible. Each of the blogs contains a great deal more of interest beyond my entry, so take some time to look around.

Greene & Greene and Modernism: Complete Perfection. For the Life of an Architect blog by Dallas architect and great guy Bob Borson. Bob's blog is very entertaining and he has friends in high places in the fashion world.

gesamtkunstwerk. For the place of dreams blog by Venezuelan architect Ana Manzo. Ana writes beautifully and thought provokingly about architecture and other topics. In two languages. In fact, she translated my entry into Spanish.

A New and Native Architecture: Charles and Henry Greene and their Years in Boston. For The Evolving Critic blog by Boston architectural historian and preservationist Anulfo Baez. Anulfo's blog is always interesting and worth reading.

The Perfected Synthesis of Greene & Greene. For the Building Moxie blog. Building Moxie is a wide ranging blog with a focus on home improvement and architecture with many contributors.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-09-15T16:28:49+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/e1f4bac60da1df1a0cade5a516e92100-49.html#unique-entry-id-49http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/e1f4bac60da1df1a0cade5a516e92100-49.html#unique-entry-id-49
The highest point in the state of Delaware, my childhood home, is 448 feet (136 meters). That's roughly the same height as half of the buildings in Manhattan. It's 8 feet lower than the world's tallest roller coaster (Kingda Ka at Six Flags in New Jersey. It's no accident, eclipsing the highest point in Delaware was their goal. No one knows why.) Among U.S. states, only Florida has a lower highest point, though they have alligators. And jai alai.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-09-13T09:53:44+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/8eb044f3abb801e5fef326aa3d67a4dd-48.html#unique-entry-id-48http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/8eb044f3abb801e5fef326aa3d67a4dd-48.html#unique-entry-id-48tsuba form into the Greene & Greene vocabulary.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-09-10T17:32:24+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ed28884c5e72713291726f6517505245-47.html#unique-entry-id-47http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ed28884c5e72713291726f6517505245-47.html#unique-entry-id-47
In the 1970s, photographer William Current set about documenting Greene & Greene houses. In 1974, he and his wife Karen published a book, Greene & Greene: Architects in the Residential Style built around William's photographs with text by Karen. A photo in that book inspired my photo above.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-09-09T13:25:59+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/5c7fc2540936623069d3545bdede978e-46.html#unique-entry-id-46http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/5c7fc2540936623069d3545bdede978e-46.html#unique-entry-id-46
Google and a few well-chosen keywords gave me access to hundreds of businesses willing to sell me shipping materials. The search also returned a link to a blog by a man who runs an online book shop. He has shipped thousands of books. His packaging method is simple, secure and cost-effective. Best of all, it is fully documented, complete with photos, on his blog. Where else could one find this information now that Book Shipper's Monthly is no longer published?
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-09-06T03:17:02+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/e917f40a10d0b25195eef981a5649cc3-45.html#unique-entry-id-45http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/e917f40a10d0b25195eef981a5649cc3-45.html#unique-entry-id-45                | More        
I apologize for the lack of content over the last several days. I am currently in the US at Wood & Light central (my parents’ house) to sign and ship books. In fact, I’m about done with that process -- there are a few more to put in the mail Tuesday morning and then I’m off to the airport to return home. It was very satisfying to be able to finally begin sending books to those of you who have been so supportive. I hope that everyone enjoys them.

While at the Post Office to mail a large batch of books on Saturday, my brother and I were standing at the counter next to a stack of packaged copies. The mailing labels depict a portion of the cover of the book, including the title. After some time, we heard a voice behind us say, “Is that the new Greene & Greene book I’ve heard about?” Somewhat stunned, I turned to speak with the obviously enlightened individual. I told him that it was the new Greene & Greene book and that I am the author. We had a very pleasant conversation and for a few minutes I felt the way that Robert Ludlum must feel whenever he’s at the Post Office to mail copies of his latest book (but without the bother of considerable wealth).

Regular entries resume on Wednesday.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-09-01T00:15:36+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1c31adb243c6d7158e3147eb5b17c6d3-44.html#unique-entry-id-44http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1c31adb243c6d7158e3147eb5b17c6d3-44.html#unique-entry-id-44]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-08-30T09:26:14+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/c44f87885cb4c85841ee454c18eae0f6-43.html#unique-entry-id-43http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/c44f87885cb4c85841ee454c18eae0f6-43.html#unique-entry-id-43becoming a member of the Friends, you can help support The Gamble House and programs such as the Sidney D. Gamble Lecture Series. Membership starts at $40. In return, you'll receive the satisfaction of helping preserve one of the icons of American residential architecture. In addition, membership offers benefits commensurate with the membership level, including complimentary tours, a subscription to the newsletter and the annual Friends of The Gamble House calendar.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-08-27T12:44:04+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/9a8cb90f8b017ce3967a1f2bb780f036-42.html#unique-entry-id-42http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/9a8cb90f8b017ce3967a1f2bb780f036-42.html#unique-entry-id-42
The point is that our training serves us well. So it is little surprise that we don't often notice some things. Such as the stretchers on chairs. They aren't edible and they aren't very likely to eat us. Typically they aren't any more brightly colored than the rest of the chair. So why would we notice them? The only reasonable answer is because we are furniture geeks. In fact, even furniture geeks marvel at the extreme geekiness of one who would run about looking at chair stretchers. Seriously, get help. Consider this an intervention.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-08-26T11:03:19+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/a0c214ee1042884f6975348e4c4dfadf-41.html#unique-entry-id-41http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/a0c214ee1042884f6975348e4c4dfadf-41.html#unique-entry-id-41
Yesterday I wrote about analogies between Frank Lloyd Wright : The Beatles and Greene & Greene : The Beach Boys. On Twitter, Architect Magazine picked up on it and asked for other Architect : Musician analogies. What follows is a list of the pairings that @ArchitectMag's Twitterati came up with.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-08-24T10:26:03+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ed2b32875e8f8d95e09a574bdca81765-40.html#unique-entry-id-40http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ed2b32875e8f8d95e09a574bdca81765-40.html#unique-entry-id-40
Wright was THE architectural star of his time. His fame was unparalleled, certainly in popular perception, and was so great that it became self-perpetuating. Wright's reputation and popularity were well deserved, his work an important part of our cultural heritage. In fact, his fame was such that clients were willing to overlook "features" that would have ruined lesser architects.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-08-22T16:48:47+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d949382f774afa150895c5cdc4ab3fb0-39.html#unique-entry-id-39http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d949382f774afa150895c5cdc4ab3fb0-39.html#unique-entry-id-39 myurbanist.com where he blogs about topics related to urban development. All photos by Chuck Wolfe, myurbanist.

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Like streets, doors and windows, shutters stand at the intersection of public and private domains. A venerable urban feature with Greco-Roman origins, the shutter historically provided security, privacy, shading, and ornamental interface. Today, shutters provide one of many ongoing opportunities to recreate a sense of place and vibrantly define the look and feel of city spaces.

]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-08-20T01:22:09+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/98766b37cdb2ae1cf07ee6a83e500132-38.html#unique-entry-id-38http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/98766b37cdb2ae1cf07ee6a83e500132-38.html#unique-entry-id-38
The reason for my trek through "The Greatest Garden in the World" is that I'd been granted the privilege of visiting and photographing the Thorsen house, located in Berkeley, and Charles Greene's studio in Carmel. The well known Thorsen house is one of the premiere commissions of the Greenes' careers, the last of the so-called Ultimate Bungalows. Charles Greene's studio is a much more private place. Built by Charles after his 1916 move to Carmel, the studio became his refuge and his canvas during the final decades of his life.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-08-18T09:50:58+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/81ccabcef278e65f7093bd1ec09fbe0a-37.html#unique-entry-id-37http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/81ccabcef278e65f7093bd1ec09fbe0a-37.html#unique-entry-id-37
The two houses in which I spent nearly my entire childhood share a feature that caused me some confusion as a child. I believe that the first time I saw shutters that actually closed was in The Wizard of Oz (not one of my favorite movies -- to this day, I hate those damn flying monkeys). The house we lived in from the time I was six had shutters. They were black and rigidly attached to the house. No hinges, no latches, no attempt at functionality. Until I saw The Wizard of Oz (I hate those monkeys), I thought nothing of it, I had no idea that there was a function for them.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-08-16T10:13:16+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/9bb3448951acbf5c662db5f485b4da18-36.html#unique-entry-id-36http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/9bb3448951acbf5c662db5f485b4da18-36.html#unique-entry-id-36
Other factors -- some tangible, others less so -- are at least as important to the look and presence of a piece as is the design vocabulary. Scale, visual weight and proportion, grace and the previously mentioned sensitivity all figure large in the success of a design. Charles and Henry Greene mastered use of their unique and inventive vocabulary as well as these intangibles. The result is furniture that is widely considered to be the best of the American Arts & Crafts era.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-08-13T17:19:56+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ad67417e0a8ed7ff83d99828a47ebf3f-35.html#unique-entry-id-35http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ad67417e0a8ed7ff83d99828a47ebf3f-35.html#unique-entry-id-35]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-08-11T14:16:40+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/c7d30503e4b2bcbba7afaf4f0c70a327-34.html#unique-entry-id-34http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/c7d30503e4b2bcbba7afaf4f0c70a327-34.html#unique-entry-id-34
Last Summer, I spent two weeks in Switzerland with my wife, who was here on business. During the day, when my wife was at work, I drove around the countryside, photographing anything that didn't move: fields, mountains, buildings, towns. I had never experienced anything quite like it. Ancient villages with incredible, old buildings were around every bend in the road. It was a wonderful experience. It was also almost entirely free of chalets.

Switzerland is roughly one third the size of Ohio -- small, but not as tiny as Lichtenstein. Or Monaco. Or Delaware. In spite of being area-lly challenged, it contains a surprising degree of regional diversity. It begins, of course, with the languages. In most of the country's 26 cantons, German is the official language. French is spoken in several cantons while several others are officially bilingual. In Ticino, the canton bordering Italy, Italian is la lingua ufficiale. It is a confusing situation with which the Swiss seem entirely at ease. By comparison, a little regional architectural identity isn't surprising, even in so small a country.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-08-09T12:39:21+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/c08e4452781083bd8d7a62d9e9705abd-33.html#unique-entry-id-33http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/c08e4452781083bd8d7a62d9e9705abd-33.html#unique-entry-id-33Poems of Wood & Light headquarters. This event was originally scheduled for last week, that is until I learned that Shark Week at The Discovery Channel began August 1. Not wanting to steal their thunder, I postponed Chalet Week. To my friends at The Discovery Channel, you're welcome.

"Little Switzerland." This name has often been used to describe the Arroyo Terrace neighborhood of Pasadena, a neighborhood that includes an unusually high density of houses designed by Greene & Greene, including Charles Greene's own house, the Hawks house, the Willet house, the Van Rossem/Neil house, the White Sisters' house, the Irwin house and the James Culbertson house. The Gamble house and the Cole house are located nearby. The Little Switzerland nickname appeared by 1907 when it was used in an article in the Pasadena Daily News.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-08-06T14:50:38+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/0c915eda6956b00aa934f27214c59955-32.html#unique-entry-id-32http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/0c915eda6956b00aa934f27214c59955-32.html#unique-entry-id-32
LEGO is not new, it was founded in 1932. My brother and I had them when we were kids. They came in any color we wanted, as long as it was red. There were a multitude of shapes: square and rectangular and... Uhhh, square. We would put them together to make bigger squares and rectangles. Maybe the lack of variety and my own lack of imagination are the reasons that I didn't play with them more. If I had, maybe I would have had the foresight to see what was coming. Maybe Inga and Birgitta would be serving me lunch on the lido deck.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-08-04T15:16:45+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1492ea74499b5d8f17b49dca907a1bf6-31.html#unique-entry-id-31http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1492ea74499b5d8f17b49dca907a1bf6-31.html#unique-entry-id-31
I doubt that I will ever have a more surreal experience than standing in the delivery room watching my son come into the world. (For the record, I know they are no longer called delivery rooms but I can't remember the new-agey name in vogue at that time.) We had taken the classes and read the books and done all of the things that modern, enlightened couples are supposed to do to prepare for that day. We hadn't been at the hospital for very long when I realized that it had all been a colossal waste of time. There was nothing that my wife needed to know that wasn't hardwired into her brain by mother nature. And there was nothing I needed to know, period. Nothing.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-08-02T15:54:04+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/b5cd1d555d870fa17397a0b6331082d8-30.html#unique-entry-id-30http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/b5cd1d555d870fa17397a0b6331082d8-30.html#unique-entry-id-30
I know very little about art education but this activity makes sense to me. In every discipline, students must understand the significant contributions of those who have come before. What better way to understand the work of the masters than by observing AND doing?
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-07-30T13:19:15+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/bfcfd96c319538529999d88b556047e3-29.html#unique-entry-id-29http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/bfcfd96c319538529999d88b556047e3-29.html#unique-entry-id-29
So obviously, we haven't seen Inception, a new Summer blockbuster that opened a couple of weeks ago. In fact, I know almost nothing about it. I have a vague notion that it is a thriller of some sort. And I know that it stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page and the Freeman A. Ford house. Honestly, I had to look that up. I've never heard of any of those people except for DiCaprio. Believe it or not, I've never seen one of his movies -- please refer to the first sentence of this post.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-07-29T14:06:19+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ea3b854a4993f80656166612a11a0af9-28.html#unique-entry-id-28http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ea3b854a4993f80656166612a11a0af9-28.html#unique-entry-id-28]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-07-28T14:31:06+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/55a0e74d3d8db7fbd32fe29bc0dfbc45-27.html#unique-entry-id-27http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/55a0e74d3d8db7fbd32fe29bc0dfbc45-27.html#unique-entry-id-27
There's a straightforward corollary here regarding architecture: We should be judged not by the buildings we erect but by those we demolish. Our societal memory is faulty; our quest for the new, unrelenting; our thirst for the almighty dollar, unquenchable. Nothing and no one can stand in the path of progress. It's unAmerican. Those who attempt to do so are subject to scorn and ridicule.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-07-26T15:10:26+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1f9e88b69bb3ba5057257dca2fa20f1f-26.html#unique-entry-id-26http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/1f9e88b69bb3ba5057257dca2fa20f1f-26.html#unique-entry-id-26
There are several reasons for the predominance of Blacker pieces. The number of pieces designed for that house is very large. There are complete suites for the entry, living room, dining and breakfast rooms and the owner's bedroom. The furniture and lighting demonstrate inspired design and excellent execution which, naturally, makes them of interest to museums. However, the primary reason for the presence of many Blacker items in collections, both institutional and private, has to do with a yard sale.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-07-23T13:10:48+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/f3ee22391b43ea894c78c5af3d19dedd-25.html#unique-entry-id-25http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/f3ee22391b43ea894c78c5af3d19dedd-25.html#unique-entry-id-25The Passion and the Legacy, a little over a decade ago. It was in those pages that I first encountered the claim that Charles and Henry Greene considered the Blacker house to be their masterpiece.

The David B. Gamble house, designed soon after the Blacker house, is the best known building by Greene & Greene because it has been open for public tours for more than thirty years. It too is spectacular, a wonderful testament to the marvelous possibilities afforded by the coming together of design genius with enlightened client, substantial budget and dedicated craftsmen. The total unification of the result leaves one in awe.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-07-21T10:11:58+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/4fddffcd6cef4608c3321dbc5fd53e7d-24.html#unique-entry-id-24http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/4fddffcd6cef4608c3321dbc5fd53e7d-24.html#unique-entry-id-24
The "Central" in Central Ohio indicates that it is located, more-or-less, in the middle of the state. About two hours to Cleveland and a little less to Cincinnati. We'd been to Cincinnati years earlier when Patty's sister lived there for a time but we had never visited Cleveland. After living in Ohio for several years, we still hadn't been to Cleveland. Locals were beside themselves. "You've never been to Cleveland?! Why not?" We didn't have a good answer. We weren't avoiding that fine city, we simply hadn't gone.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-07-19T12:50:03+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/94c194b58d69d8c153f10d4e059c043b-23.html#unique-entry-id-23http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/94c194b58d69d8c153f10d4e059c043b-23.html#unique-entry-id-23
Of course, the Ultimates didn't arise from the ether. They represent the culmination of an intense evolutionary process that occurred over the previous five years. In particular, a number of houses from 1906-07 provided the link between earlier houses and the Ultimates. Without houses such as the Phillips, Pitcairn, Cole and Bolton, one might be puzzled by the appearance of the Blacker and Gamble houses.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-07-16T00:45:38+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/3e4f69e1bd1ac886d3802426a5889d86-22.html#unique-entry-id-22http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/3e4f69e1bd1ac886d3802426a5889d86-22.html#unique-entry-id-22]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-07-14T10:34:40+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/69431f8fcf113f10f97eafd3850b28ce-21.html#unique-entry-id-21http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/69431f8fcf113f10f97eafd3850b28ce-21.html#unique-entry-id-21Poems of Wood & Light, what follows is the Preface.


On a beautiful Southern California evening a couple of years ago, I had one of the more surreal experiences of my life. At about sunset, I found myself standing at the front door of the Gamble house, the best-known of a series of significant and wonderful residences designed by Charles and Henry Greene in the first decade of the 20th century. Having rung the doorbell, I waited for someone to answer, to open the door to the most beautiful man-made place I had ever been.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-07-12T11:54:58+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d7058d0769fc3b60cb427a5c388982aa-20.html#unique-entry-id-20http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/d7058d0769fc3b60cb427a5c388982aa-20.html#unique-entry-id-20The Passion and the Legacy, I probably said something along the lines of, "This is Greene & Greene?"
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-07-09T00:31:42+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/279814f9e22fdd36ebbc5d57eb331236-19.html#unique-entry-id-19http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/279814f9e22fdd36ebbc5d57eb331236-19.html#unique-entry-id-19Pasadena Heritage Craftsman Weekend is one of THE events on the annual Arts & Crafts calendar. Earlier today, PH sent an email with some information about the 2010 edition (you can sign up on their website to receive such emails). I'm sure that there will be many wonderful events but I haven't been able to look beyond the Saturday evening reception.

Each year, the showcase event during Craftsman Weekend occurs on Saturday evening. It consists of a house tour and reception at an Arts & Crafts house of note. Greene & Greene have been well represented in recent years with the Cordelia Culbertson, Robinson and Ford houses all playing host to the event. Though distance usually prevents my attendance, I was there in 2007 for the Robinson tour and reception. It was quite an experience, outstanding in every regard.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-07-07T11:28:01+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ad95e2f7f92599d9eacd69580550ee35-18.html#unique-entry-id-18http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ad95e2f7f92599d9eacd69580550ee35-18.html#unique-entry-id-18
During Craftsman Weekend 2007, I bid on a beautiful, small art glass panel made by one of the exhibitors. Looking as though it was straight out of a Greene & Greene house, this piece already had a place in my home, if only in my mind. That’s as close as it came to my home – I was outbid. I learned later that the successful bidder was twelve years old, I had lost to a child. Apparently, a well-funded child. More than two years later, I can still see that beautiful stained glass, by Southern California artist John Hamm, so similar in style to the wonderful work of Emil Lange.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-07-05T11:49:28+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/efd75dd4c2f66fdb28bdfab06d29093b-17.html#unique-entry-id-17http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/efd75dd4c2f66fdb28bdfab06d29093b-17.html#unique-entry-id-17
The defining feature of this wonderful home is visible from the curb. It is, in fact, at the curb. The Van Rossem/Neil house boasts the world's greatest clinker brick wall. Clinker bricks are bricks deformed and darkened by excessive heat during firing. Greene & Greene made extensive use of clinkers, to very good effect. None more so, however, than the impressive wall that spans the front of the Van Rossem/Neil property. In addition to clinker bricks, the wall incorporates massive arroyo stones and green Chinese tiles that make another appearance in the dining-room in the house's interior. The same tiles are also featured in a wooden gate toward the East end of the wall.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-07-02T11:00:06+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/aec7c07770ee59a7f0f3615158c82a00-16.html#unique-entry-id-16http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/aec7c07770ee59a7f0f3615158c82a00-16.html#unique-entry-id-16]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-06-30T12:39:03+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/43958470a093944198027e7fe4db5636-15.html#unique-entry-id-15http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/43958470a093944198027e7fe4db5636-15.html#unique-entry-id-15men) for careers in an industrial society, particularly engineering careers. Founded by Calvin Milton Woodward, the first Dean of Engineering at Washington University, the Manual Training School existed for roughly 35 years. The university archives contain significant records about the school. Unfortunately, during my time at WashU I hadn't yet discovered Greene & Greene and was unaware of their affiliation with the university. It's always about timing.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-06-25T12:25:38+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/3bbae4f2d345c2c981caf25bee228c6c-14.html#unique-entry-id-14http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/3bbae4f2d345c2c981caf25bee228c6c-14.html#unique-entry-id-14]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-06-22T10:37:02+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/9319a033486098881a9f68fe72b9edd8-13.html#unique-entry-id-13http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/9319a033486098881a9f68fe72b9edd8-13.html#unique-entry-id-13It was time to take photographs - a brilliant, blue morning in California's central valley. We -- my wife, our hosts and I -- had just finished breakfast. For the second time in as many days, we had dined at a table designed 80 years earlier by Henry Greene. After eight decades of use, the table is immaculate. I doubt that anyone who has been seated there, in all of those 80 years, was more thrilled by the experience than I. It may sound silly but sitting there, sharing a meal and stories, was a profound experience.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-06-18T08:48:47+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ea902bafef15175c229f430f6360ed11-12.html#unique-entry-id-12http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ea902bafef15175c229f430f6360ed11-12.html#unique-entry-id-12Poems of Wood & Light was winnowing the huge pool of photographs down to a still-too-large-but-not-obscenely-large set of candidates from which we chose the images that are in the book. Some good photos didn't make the first cut and some very good photos didn't make the second. This blog gives me the opportunity to share a few of those left on the metaphorical cutting room floor.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-06-16T11:40:10+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/825bb2fc946cfa3d559d8c0020b81ab4-11.html#unique-entry-id-11http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/825bb2fc946cfa3d559d8c0020b81ab4-11.html#unique-entry-id-11]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-06-14T00:45:30+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/e2abb1e43c5cf09a2d2f401f211474e9-10.html#unique-entry-id-10http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/e2abb1e43c5cf09a2d2f401f211474e9-10.html#unique-entry-id-10]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-06-09T22:39:28+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/73f662f205db363e19664313ad360ca3-9.html#unique-entry-id-9http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/73f662f205db363e19664313ad360ca3-9.html#unique-entry-id-9Poems of Wood & Light in which this aspect of Greene & Greene design is discussed.
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So, I don't know if I have a favorite piece of Greene & Greene furniture. As with movies and songs and many other things, I have a set of well-loved examples any one of which could serve as favorite. While a teenager might consider this indecisive, I think it is sensible. How can one compare God Only Knows with Like a Rolling Stone? The Godfather with Lost in Translation? Lasagna Bolognese with aloo gobi? The Thorsen living-room table with the Freeman Ford dining-room chair? Why choose one favorite when many will do?
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The term Ultimate Bungalows was created by Randall Makinson and Robert Judson Clark to describe a small set of houses that are the ultimate expression of the unique design aesthetic developed by Greene & Greene. There is general agreement on a number of points. Each Ultimate is substantial. Each Ultimate contained many pieces of furniture, and other decorative objects, designed by the brothers. Each Ultimate is perfect in every detail. What is less commonly agreed upon is this: how many Ultimates are there?
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You don’t meet many people named Harry anymore. I don’t know if it was ever a common name but it’s certainly less so now than it used to be. It was my maternal grandfather’s name. I was named after him and though Harry is my first name, I don’t go by it – even my parents have never used it. But it fit my grandfather – it’s a salt-of-the-earth name and he was a salt-of-the-earth man.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-05-30T22:50:48+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ea553d9088c81c6f8152265fb684ef71-5.html#unique-entry-id-5http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ea553d9088c81c6f8152265fb684ef71-5.html#unique-entry-id-5
They take cows seriously here. Outside of the few big cities, I don't imagine that there are very many square miles of land without cows. And the sound of cowbells. You know the cowbells that you see (and hear) Swiss fans ringing at the Winter Olympics? Those aren't a quaint throwback -- they are a way of life. Cows really wear them. Sheep wear them too, though fortunately for the sheep they wear smaller versions. The effect is similar to wind chimes, though far more pleasing, in my opinion.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-05-28T18:54:41+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ccdaca358e9dd2a74049827073f97acf-4.html#unique-entry-id-4http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/ccdaca358e9dd2a74049827073f97acf-4.html#unique-entry-id-4]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-05-27T16:07:10+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/3a3096b9112ef97bb69bdf8a4ea1ee10-3.html#unique-entry-id-3http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/3a3096b9112ef97bb69bdf8a4ea1ee10-3.html#unique-entry-id-3]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-05-26T12:47:35+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/cdf2a0e4f7f314051289b15fa6b52776-2.html#unique-entry-id-2http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/cdf2a0e4f7f314051289b15fa6b52776-2.html#unique-entry-id-2Poems of Wood & Light consists of a series of twenty-one short sections, each illustrating some aspect or detail of Greene & Greene design. What follows is an excerpt from the introduction to that chapter.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-05-25T12:28:14+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/dd9ad86248e571152b11d1fb61cca08e-1.html#unique-entry-id-1http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/dd9ad86248e571152b11d1fb61cca08e-1.html#unique-entry-id-1have done, and enjoyed. Passion.
]]>david@wood-and-light.comEssays & Blog2010-05-25T12:08:22+02:00http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/9df225b351839985f69ec2fecf642e9b-0.html#unique-entry-id-0http://www.wood-and-light.com/blog/files/9df225b351839985f69ec2fecf642e9b-0.html#unique-entry-id-0Greene & Greene Furniture - Poems of Wood & Light, share some stories about researching and writing that book and announce some of the other projects I'm working on.
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