First!

What a beautifully unfolding sequence of prose and pictures, Gary. And the artistry in the chandelier is remarkable.

Simply splendid space you have here, Gary. Love the sinmplicity of the African Violets, shadowed by the domed ceiling and marvelous chandelier. Where in the world did you find that light fixture? The danceing reflection on your walls and ceiling are as stunning as elements of the Cistine Chapel. It would be magical to sit in this room and just melt into its charm.

Rob, Thanks so much for taking a look and for the comment on the prose. I am still feeling the joy of having you back to OS!

Gary, your work is always incredible. I love this post.

Kathy, it is a space that still figures into my dreams at night. We have been here for 11 years this summer, and the house continues giving up secrets..with gentle coaxing.

LJ found the spun copper globe at an old shop in Illinois. I adapted it for the space at the top of the stairs. It literally took our breath away....

I love how you look at the world, Gary, and how the world looks through your eyes...

I love the light!

Great light it's magnificent!

Amazing. All that gorgeous interplay of light and shadow from one 75 watt bulb.

That is the coolest light I have ever seen. I could really get into those designs some nights.

Hello Kathy! Glad to see you come along and visit!

Roger, the first one is taken just as the light is going down outside.
There is an illusion of there being more stuff outside the window
than there really is.

Donna, thanks for visiting again. My eyes burn sometimes and can’t offer much,
But I keep trying…

Jane, no need for forgiving…yes, transoms are a particularly brilliant invention.
I wish they were still in common use in houses now-a–days. I agree the copper ball is incredible. With a clear bulb, the cutouts project in the pattern….a very happy discovery.

Gwool, Me too! Thanks!

Anne, the magnificence is in the simplicity of the materials and the space.

Ladyslipper, the darkness quotient in the space counts for a lot of the effect. I am constantly amazed by the space transforming qualities of light.

Thank you Ric, from someone with such a brilliant mind for the "visual", that's a comment I value very much, and will cherish...

a gorgeous series, gary. i'm always amazed at how each picture in a sequence like this can be so intrinsically different. great openwork lantern! i have an iron fixture in our master bath that has beautiful handwrought chains, and the shadow they cast on the ceiling is lovely but not nearly as intricate as this. -r-

Femme, thanks for the visit. I have always been facinated with the various varieties of open-work lanterns. They are made to have walls, clear and light in color for full expression.

The light that sez ten thousand words... Nice work, Gary.

Beautiful! Not only amazing photos, but if this is your living space then lucky you! Smart thinking with that chandelier! I am rethinking my lighting now!

This is exceptionally beautiful. You take the simple play of light and make it something otherworldly, delicate. Just lovely Gary, thank you for this.

I love seeing the world through your eyes. (And you managed to do this with very few words! ;) ) xoxo

You never cease to amaze me Gary. Just wow..

I want one, Gary. Seriously. Send me info?

beautiful images. I was transported by your poetry and ideas

Simply beautiful...
RATED

I love the way that chandelier casts its light on the room - it looks like the all-seeing eye on the ceiling.

Great shots, G. Thanks much.

Highly Rated.

"Architecture can sometimes be impersonal, to the extent that we stop caring. But when an interior form is transmuted towards spectacle, miracles happen, shouting splendor, and causing time to cease…. "

Having an eye for color, light and shadow is essential for making architecture beautiful and alive. Something you obviously know and live. Gorgeous prose and photos, Gary.

Beautiful pictures. The play of light always captures my eyes when photographing. I love what it does for the subject I'm photographing. Of course, there are times when the light itself becomes the subject. Thanks, Gary.

Dyno, it is almost screaming story…thank you

MAWB, It is an inexpensive way to charge a space and change it by the proximity of the globe!

Rita, you are welcome, light work is so conducive to experimentation. The Moors had this figured out hundreds of years ago.

Cartouche, thank you for coming to the light fest. A neighbor said it is “psychedelic without the tie-dye….

Thanks Trig, loved the piece about Kansas and Melvern Lake!

Greg, perhaps I can find you one…Although I am investigating the manufacture of this type of globe, and perhaps plasma cutting technique. If you shop antique shops, keep your eyes open for copper globes. Thanks!

Thanks Greg!

Bill, It activates the small space unlike anything I could have imagined. Thanks for the visit, great to see you as always!

Smithery, thank you for the appreciative note. I’m touched that you have seen the piece in this manner.

Patricia k, I think the balance of object and effects worked out well in this case. Thanks for you comment, Its always good to see you come by, and thanks for you lovely writing.

Oh. My. Goodness.

That copper light fixture. What I wouldn't give for one of those cut as flowers! That is simply one of the most innovative and gorgeous things I've seen in a long while.

Light. So simple.
So ridiculously extraordinary.

The spun copper is amazing! And I love this line: the rolling uncertainties of the nighttime are removed. That is so evocative . . . including when thinking of a long, dark night of the soul.

i want one! will you tell me how?

You have opened my eyes to a whole new way of capturing changes much in the same way as when I light a painting, the brightness or angles of light change it as the day passes. Thank you for these.
R

I always come here with excited expectation that I will learn something new, and that I will be shown something of beauty. The enchanted world you created and unveiled, bit by bit with words and pictures is beyond what I could have imagined. Wow. Thank you.

Beautiful...

Your domicile is something of the jewel box.

Surreal.. something African, batik? about the globe's shadows - no wait, you said Moors right?

Very very neat!

Rated for a flight of imagination :)

Beautiful copper artwork. I'm in love with light myself. Thank you for spreading it through words!

I love your vision and willingness to share it. I echo many others here.

exquisite

Gary Justis. I confess. I follow, innocently.
You are never a nickel short. Ya hatch bee.
I mean:` a bee apiary matriarchal colony.
You cook a dozen eggs for lingering folk.
If You sit on a dozen geese eggs we eats.
You can wear a baby blue head bonnet.
Whatever You do just don't be cranky.
You can skip parts here readers skip.
Skip to a- La La Lu Lu Ba Ba behave.

Your sense of artistry is magnificent, Gary; sharing it with us is always a treat for a man who has little of that sense; but what I do not have innately, you give, and in doing so, you open my heart just a bit more each time.

Thank you, brother.

Monte

Thanks everyone, I will answer you all very soon!
With affection, G

Wondrous, as always.

The metamorphosis of space touched by grace: light. xox

Gary, great looking light and space! It's amazing how you were able to capture all of the shadow detail in photos 3-5.

No Hat? I like your face. Just had to say.

Everyone has used all the good words. Fantastic. And the avatar? Um, I liiikkkee it. :)

Charming, into every sense! Light Explores the Day - you take us into this journey from the very title itself .... this is such a lovely weaving of word and image. From the knock-knock world to the abstract - well done, Gary Justis. Lovely....

I like those old stain glass windows--they're a common fixture in Boston "triple-deckers." We had one in my house growing up. It was great for when you dropped acid and you'd . . . uh . . . watch the rainbows . . . on the wall from the light streaming in.

Hello Ann, Yes, one with a flower motif would be very fine. The cutouts have to be small to project properly.

Owl, I’m looking for a place to get the spun copper, and a plasma cutter will do the trick on the cutouts. I’m glad you liked the writing as well…this ype of lighting can shed light on any dark soul.

Dianaani, Moroccan designs can be found in antique shops occasionally. I think the simple ones are the best. http://www.tazidesigns.com/catalog/Lighting/moroccan_lanterns/1055

Buffy, I am glad you came away with something from this post! Thank you!

Sally, You are welcome my friend and thanks so much for always coming by….

Thank you Myriad.


Monsieur Chariot, I think in some areas of the house, the jewel box metaphore would apply. Thank you Monsieur!

Thank you Seer, Yes Moroccan design..

Maria, you are welcome and its so nice to see you visit my posts!

Stacey, thank you and I loved the post on the cat!

Thanks Roy!

Monte, when it was in place and we lit it up, it was like a dream…breathless..

Thanks Karin, it transforms the space in a grand manner…unexpected grandeur.

Thank you Lea..Good to see you!

Hello Robin, and it is so simple to achieve…

Designanator, the digital camera functions so well with direct and reflected light. I was amazed by the detail as well. Thanks for the visit!

Rita..Well, no hat for a while anyway..thanks

Thank you Sweetfeet!

Travellini, Great to see you again, as always! I’m glad you liked the writing as well and thanks for the lovely comment!

Hi Con, Nope this is a drug-free house….well, I have some Advil laying around, and a few ounces of Vodka….

That is an awesome display of light and shadow! And as Rob said, your verbal description is full of art as well.

The creation of light patterns is always soothing and amusing to the eye. Thanks for Sharing.

Simply delightful. Can I sit a spell?

For me, this seems like a moment of realization which you have caught with your camera and managed to fully memorialize in your descriptions. No matter what we do, some moments are so challenging to capture because of similar intricacies, differing light, and the transient fragrances of life as it unfolds. Somehow, I can smell spicy herbs and roasting lamb wafting unseen in these pictures.

I wanted to write something clever to match your extraordinary pictures. I am found MUCH wanting. Thank you for sharing this room, this light of lights, this vision with us! ~r!

This is so beautiful! and so trippy! I bow to your genius. I'm not sure I would ever leave the room. It reminds me of the pressed tin (or whatever it's really called, I suck at detail) that they used to use on the ceilings of buildings. The light makes it LOOK like the ceiling is made of pressed tin but in amazing patterns. We have so many antique shops here, if I EVER see a copper globe...

Not-so-incidentally -- gorgeous prose.

What a lovely journey of light and shadow! Well ordered and thoughtfully done!

As always, a visual feast (and feat!). r

seer said it first-- a Moorish influence pervades the scene. Moroccans love pierced work and are very adept with it. The text accompanying the lovely photos brings a bit of a quandary for yours truly, that being, Which to enjoy first? -R-

Steve, thanks my friend. I’m glad you appreciate the writing as well. The main thing in this type of lighting is the use of clear filament bulbs. They project more readily than most others.

Algis, You are welcome and I appreciate you coming by.

Kris, You ae always welcome to sit a spell…

Susanne, there is a hint of Morocco in the patterns. Thanks for a fine comment making light of the moment and the challenge!

Kit, it does leave us w/o words sometimes!

Hello Suzie, The patterns suggest a more substantive surface…Its merely plaster walls, with the projected light. Any space can be transformed.

X, thank you and I hope to see you more as time goes on!

Old NL, Good of you to say that Friend!!

Poor Woman, I hope they can both be enjoyed equally….and returned too. Thanks.

Gorgeous, rich and inviting.

...I'm talking about your new profile pix by the way.

The piece was pretty awesome too!

(To think you could create such magical light play with a simple 75 watt bulb...amazing.)

Gentle coaxing, indeed.

thanks, Gary

Thanks Beth...I think your profile pick takes the cake. As we used to say in High School, "Don't ever change...."

High Connie, thanks for the visit..Indeed!

I really, really love these windows and light!

Oh, god, I want to say how beautiful this is, those glowing curtains the leaves and blossoms outside, the dark cozy chair in the foreground, the light, the patterns, your words - but all I can think is I.WANT.THAT.LAMP.