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PaperModelKiosk.com - Blogs http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php This is a blog for the Crechemania.com Web site for paper nativity enthusiasts: http://crechemania.com en Fri, 18 May 2012 14:14:14 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/images/misc/rss.jpg PaperModelKiosk.com - Blogs http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php <![CDATA[From Shakespeare's Globe to Sir Christopher Wren's St Paul — Heritage Models' Roger Pattenden]]> http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=99 Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:28:27 GMT "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players… —William Shakespeare

You could watch bear-baiting or bull-baiting in 1599 at London's Bankside Southwark pleasure district — or one of Shakespeare's renowned plays. Roger Pattenden's Heritage Models kit faithfully recreates Shakespeare's Globe playhouse in a 1:150 scale that allows for fine detailing like the Pillars of Hercules (clearly shown in this aerial view of the open-air Globe), the twin columns supporting the stage ceiling — known as the "heavens" — and its thatch roof. (Photo courtesy Roger Pattenden.)


Romeo And Juliet, a Greek Classics Illustrated 1950s edition — and a 13-year-old non-English reader's prized possession.

I entered room 306 of Woodrow Wilson Junior High one morning in the fall of 1965 with Mr. Sea, the principal, and came face-to-face with Ms. Chesebro — and the Globe.

I immediately recognized Shakespeare's theater, pictured in the large poster Ms. Chesebro had pinned on her bulletin board, because I had seen a small black-and-white image of the Globe in a Greek encyclopedia. But this image seemed almost three dimensional, more a photo of a paper model than a drawing of a building.

Ms. Chesebro, who loves to tell the story of our first meeting, remembers, "You were wearing black short pants, a white shirt — and you were shaking like a leaf. 'I've got a new student for you, Margo," Mr. Sea said, 'and I know you two are going to get along just fine.' He was almost out the door when he turned around, adding, 'By the way, he doesn't speak English.'

"I was an English teacher! What was I going to do with you? This was before the days of teaching English as a foreign language. In fact, you were the first foreign student at Woodrow! All I could think of was to send home a note with an assignment."

The assignment? Ms. Chesebro, who was teaching Romeo and Juliet, suggested finding the comic book — sorry, Classic Illustrated — version of Shakespeare's play, thinking that having me looking at the pictures would at least be better than having me stare at the ceiling.

Imagine Ms. Chesebro's surprise when I returned the next day not with just one, but two Classics Illustrated: tucked in my notebook was also Ρομέος και Ιουλιέττα , one of a few of my treasured Greek Classics Illustrated editions that I brought with me across the Atlantic (see cover, at left). Of course, what I was reading was a pedestrian modern Greek translation of the Bard, but what did it matter? I was "reading," along with the class, and thrilled to feel that I belonged.

Ms. Chesebro, a wonderful teacher and mentor, was delighted. And since I didn't speak English, she decided that we could communicate in Spanish, and enrolled me in her first-year Spanish class!

But in English class I only had eyes for the Globe. I had been a young paper model enthusiast in Greece, and wondered: was there a paper model of the Globe I could build?

But my adoptive parents were more interested in my getting an education, not pursuing my childhood hobby, so no note about a Globe model ever reached Ms. Chesebro.

It wasn't until many years later while I was in the army that I discovered that a model of the Globe did, indeed, exist. Why, there it was, on the shield of PMI, the card models catalog I had just received in the mail.

"The Globe? That was our best seller!" says Louis Dausse (See, Saying “Goodbye” — Louis Dausse of Paper Models International. "Teachers assigned extra-credit for a model in English class."

Lou sent me a Globe kit — and my love affair with paper models was rekindled. Then, years later, while in London on a photo shoot you can imagine my excitement when I found myself alone in the reconstructed Globe Theatre at Southwark.

Inclement weather forced me indoors, in a manner of speaking, because at the open-air Globe I still found myself surrounded by gray clouds besides Shakespeare's "Wooden O." I don't know quite how long I stood there. If I trembled, as I had in my first day in Ms. Chesebro's class, it surely wasn't because of the cold.

The red twin pillars known as the Pillars of Hercules that hold up the stage roof towered above me, and, all around, the 20-sided, three-story Globe encircled me. Shakespeare's words echoed in my ears (one of my majors is English) and I could swear that at any moment Juliet would make her entrance in the balcony behind the Pillars of Hercules. Could Romeo have hidden behind one of them?


Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Heritage Models' "authentic scale model kit of the recosntructed Globe Theatre at Southwark," bears Roger's Heritage Models logo — and the Globe imprimatur.

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

And what was I thrilled to find in the Globe gift shop? "Shakespeare's Globe Theatre; an authentic scale model kit, 99 component parts, six full colour A4 cards," by Heritage Models, designed by Roger Pattenden.

"You were there? That's great!" says Roger Pattenden. Isn't it an amazing place? The Globe was the chief venue for the performance of Shakespeare's greatest plays: Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, and Othello.

"The concept of reconstructing the Globe — which was built in 1599 — was Sam Wannamaker's, the American actor, writer, and film director. After his first visit to London in 1949, he founded, in 1970, the Shakespeare Globe Trust, dedicated to the reconstruction of the theater, and the creation of a permanent exhibition and education center.

"They found the original site, which was excavated, they found the exact dimensions of the original building, they did a lot of research. The Globe was built as near as they could to the original site, about 100 yards away, because its original location is a preserved archaeological site.

"In the early days of the reconstructed Globe it was quite fabulous, because it was a combination of all sorts of specialities: architects, archeologists, actors, builders, people knowledgeable about timber-framed buildings, as the Globe would have been in the 1500s."

How did the Globe paper model come about? Did Roger just walk into the Globe development office?

"More or less, yes! I had a little visit to the Center around the corner from the reconstructed Globe, and suggested to them a model. At that time, the Globe Theatre was a concrete base and a couple of beams standing up, but it very rapidly developed. That was about 1993; it was finished in 1997.

"Being a model maker in general, they asked me in the early days if I could also produce a large, one-off, scale model of the Globe. It is still there, in a glass case in the foyer. It's about two feet in diameter, at 1/50th scale. It was built of heavy cardboard, and balsa wood, and modeling clay and all sorts of things!

"Did you see, outside the Globe, in the yard, the large stone slabs? At the time they were charging about £300, which was a lot of money then, to have your name engraved on a slab. As a thank you for my offer of the Globe model, my name is on a slab, in perpetuity, right outside the theater! Every time I go there, I like having a look at that; it's wonderful — and it will be there forever, long after I'm gone.


Roger Pattenden with the Mayor of Harrow, England, Councillor Lurline Champagnie at the Harrow 2004 Show. Roger's Doric Euston Arch is shown at bottom right, his Cornish Beam Engine at bottom center. (Photo courtesy Roger Pattenden.)

"I had the privilege of being invited to the very first production, in 1997, which was Henry V. I wasn't familiar with the play and wanted to know it before the production, so I read it forwards and backwards. "

O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention,
A kingdom for a stage, princes to act
And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!
Then should the warlike Harry, like himself,
Assume the port of Mars; and at his heels,
Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword and fire
Crouch for employment. But pardon, and gentles all,
The flat unraised spirits that have dared
On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth
So great an object: can this cockpit hold
The vasty fields of France? or may we cram
Within this wooden O the very casques
That did affright the air at Agincourt?

"It's the most fabulous speech. They did it so superbly, I was absolutely stunned. I've seen some fabulous productions there every year. To actually stand in the yard, which can be very tiring, as a groundling, to stand there and watch a three-hour performance is just so consuming, so wonderful."

How long did it take to design the Globe model?

"Any model like that takes weeks, and weeks, and weeks. Probably three or four months. It's just a very time-consuming operation. You have to make it over and over again, and take it apart, strip it to its component parts until you're absolutely satisfied that everything will fit together and you've got the best possible design. It takes an awful long time."

While designing the Globe, did he, at any time, have doubts? When I'm shooting a book, If I think of it being out in the world I probably wouldn't be able to squeeze the shutter. And this is the Globe we're talking about.

"You've got to give it your best shot. Keep at it, do your absolute best. It worked out. I've done many more things since then, and I'm getting better at it. And the computer has helped.

"The first model I've created on the computer was the third revision of the Globe Theatre. The first version was hand-drawn and printed in monochrome, because we couldn't afford to print it in color.

That suddenly took off — I don't like to boast, but in the best part of twenty years I think the Globe Theatre model kit has something like 65,000 copies. The Globe, of course has licensed it, so I can use their name and logo on the design. In exchange, they get a percentage of the sales, so everyone has benefitted.

"After the initial monochrome printing sold out, it was done again in color. But then the design of the stage roof changed, and at that point the third revision was done on the screen."


Roger Pattenden's Euston Arch still stands, but sadly, the glorious original's stones are to be found in one or two English fields. (Photo courtesy Roger Pattenden.)

The Euston Arch

The Globe wasn't the only model I bought from Lou Dausse: I also had him sent me Roger's The Euston Arch, so reminiscent of the famous Propylaea entrance to the Acropolis (see image at left).

And no wonder, as Roger relates in his The Euston Arch paper model, in a beautifully lettered script that he could easily market as a font:

The Arch was an immaculate and inspired recreation of a much admired historic prototype (the Propylaeum leading onto the Acropolis in Athens. The Euston Propylaeum was the largest Greek Doric Propylaeum, or portico, ever built and reached a height of over 70 feet. The construction of the Propylaeum, or Arch as it was quickly christened, marked the apogee of the Greek Revival in British architecture and was the first major monument of the railway age. Euston Station was the world's first railway terminus into London and the exit from the capital to the North.

"I remember seeing the Euston Arch as a young lad. We lived not far from London, and I remember my dad taking me to see the sights on Saturday morning. They tore it down in 1961. I got involved — and it is quite an interesting story — through a TV program about architectural history. Writer, historian and TV presenter Dan Cruickshank did a piece on The Arch. He had done an investigation about what really happened to the remains of the Arch when it was knocked down.

"I saw that program, was fascinated, contacted the BBC, they put me in touch with Dan and I went to see him. He had the original architectural drawings of the Arch that were commissioned by British Railways very kindly before they knocked it down. And I produced the model from those drawings.

"There is still an organization, Euston Arch Trust, and they've been trying to raise money and educating to having the Arch actually rebuilt. It's described as the greatest architectural travesty of the century to knock it down, it was such a beautiful building.

"This was 1953, before the list of preserved buildings was established. The Prime Minister at the time was Mr. McMillan who signed off the death of The Arch.

"I've been trying to revive that model. There are a couple of museums in London who'd be happy to stock The Euston Arch. The original model is a rather monochrome design, and I'd like to add a bit more color. But I have had trouble trying to color what was really a blackened stone building.

"By the ay, I just came across the catalog with the date of the model: 1996, would you believe. The Euston Arch was hand drawn — pen and ink with a bit of color wash — before I discovered computer graphics! My first models were all hand drawn, with an enormous amount of trial and effort: drawing designs, trying to put them together making sure they fit, making adjustments.

"It's so much easier now with computers, and my art school training years ago helps. I was trained as a graphic designer and did lettering, calligraphy and heraldry. I loved it. But then I spent twenty years working for a bank. It took a long time for all that teaching to bubble up."


Pollock's Toy Theatre — featuring a scene from 'Alladin — a delightful Heritage Models pop-up card featuring exquisite art and "die-cutting" courtesy of Roger's own hand and X-Acto knife. Mouseover the image above to see inside. (Card opens sideways, not as shown for this animation. Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

So how did Roger begin designing paper models?

"I live very close to the this old building in Harrow, the 1506 Tithe Barn, so named because the peasants of the estate were required to give a tenth of their crops to the landlord. It's a huge, ancient barn, and there's Headstone Manor next door. The earliest parts of this moated manor house date from the 13th century — and I know you don't have much like that where you are!

"I was thinking of something to entertain my youngest daughter who was about ten at the time, so we thought we'd measure up the barn and produce a model kit of it.

"It got to the point where I thought, hang on a minute, I could produce this in kit form. I spoke to the people who look after the Harrow Museum and they said yes, if you get them printed we'll buy them. And they did.

"I didn't know anything about color printing at the beginning. They were line-drawn models to be hand-colored before assembly. I was completely unaware of the paper model industry, apart from my experience as a youngster building Micromodels, a huge series, published in the early 1950s of very tiny models of all sorts of subjects: steam engines, airplanes, boats…

"From there, I visited lots of local museums in London and did the same thing, producing a model kit or line drawing, printed on white card to be colored in and glued together.

"Even when I came across the Globe Theatre, that model was a monochrome brown design. It was the Globe that got me going, realizing that there was a world out there of colored models. I got in touch with other builders and designers. That's when the Internet came along and I realized there were a lot of other people out there doing the same sort of thing. And then I got in touch with people the likes of Louis Dausse and Mike Stamper."

Do you have a favorite model that you've designed?

"The Globe? Of course I'm very, very pleased with, so proud of. Another favorite? There's one that I found very pleasing, because the coloring worked out very well: the Cornish Tin Mine Engine House, a stone building with a slate roof. That was one the first I did in color, and that's one I'm now especially fond of.

"I'm now thinking about redoing The Euston Arch along the same lines: the model will be the same shape and size, but with a bit more color."


We have the 1666 Great Fire of London and Sir Christopher Wren to thank for the magnificent St. Paul's Cathedral — and Heritage Models' Roger Pattenden for the newly published St. Paul's Cathedral paper model that allows you to, "Create your own model masterpiece."

St. Paul's Cathedral

How did St. Paul's paper model come about?

"The good people at St. Paul's contacted me to say that they had seen my work at the Globe Theatre and could I do something similar for them?

Did you work from Sir Christopher Wren's drawings?

"Not the original drawings, but I was given some set of drawings. It's such a beautiful building. I was given a personal tour that the public doesn't get to see. The Triforium Gallery includes what is called Sir Christopher Wren's Great Model. A wooden model of his second design of St. Paul's, about twelve, thirteen feet long, large enough to fall in if you were so allowed. It is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. And even so, that design was rejected, and he ended up building something else."

Was St. Paul's model more challenging than the Globe?

"Technically challenging, yes. It's always difficult to get the proportions exactly correct, and the model is far more intricate. There are lots more tiny component parts. I supposed St. Paul's was the most challenging so far."

You have also designed a model of The Rose, the first Elizabethan open-air Playhouse?

"Shakespeare and Company, Lenox, Massachussets, approached the architect of the reconstruction of the Globe, Jon Greenfield and Peter McCurdy, who's an expert in timber-framed buildings — he and his company built the actual timber oak frame of the Globe — to reconstruct the Rose. My model kit is based upon Jon Greenfield’s designs. So again, I was able to build a model from his drawings."

Did you build paper models as a child?

"I'm of an age, I was born in 1946, before plastic models were available. Micromodels were my first introduction to paper models, and I suppose any cereal box I could get a hold of I'd turn into a model of something!"

Are you still designing models?

"Yes, but the last ten, twelve years I've worked in a school as a technician: woodwork and metalwork, what is called Design & Technology. I retired last year, but I didn't like retirement too much, so I'm back at the school again.


Heritage Models pop-up card, the Urania toy theater, designed for Pollock's Toy Museum. (Photo Crèchemania.com.)

"I'm now also employed as a drama technician. I love designing and building all the props and the sets of the annual school play, the drama production. I would have carried on doing that voluntarily, but they found a little bit of funding to employ me. But it's really the greatest job working with those very talented youngsters, performing."

You do modeling shows. What's happening in the world of paper modeling?

"Have you met Mike Stamper? He'd would be great in answering this question, because he's really involved in the modeling world.

"Mike and I discovered each other on the Internet some years ago. We've get together, some five or six of us, similarly minded, and we meet regularly at the model shows. The IPMS plastic model society has gotten used to our presence now. We've got an increasing number of followers.

"What's happening in the modeling world? Some large model retailers have gone out of business, which is really sad. But paper modeling is still very much strong in the rest of the world, especially in countries that were behind the iron curtain in the fifties and plastic models never seems to have reached them. The paper model tradition has survived, and they're doing strongly. I'm hopeful that will grow and recover."

My question is prompted by Roger's comments on his site that, "Many had passed by my tables with complete indifference…" So what does he hear from the people that do stop?

"What made the event so enjoyable was the response from the very many who were genuinely surprised and intrigued by the display. Filled with wonderment, that this thing exists, something they had never known of before. It's from one extreme to the other."

Thank you, Roger. I've enjoyed talking with you very much.


All the world's a stage — "Greetings from Stratford upon Avon." — Heritage Models pop-up card designed by Roger Pattenden for Shakespearience. (Photo Crèchemania.com.)

"It's been great talking to you, Alexis. And your paper nativities are quite fascinating to me; something I hadn't come across before, all those beautiful Nativity models. You've opened my eyes to an area of paper modelling that I hadn't known of.

"Your blog about Lou contains a Schreiber model Theater-Krippe. That puts me in mind of the pop-up cards which I produce for the Toy Theatre companies in London. I shall put a sample of one or two of those in the package which I shall send you."

Pop-Up Greeting Cards

Roger's package arrived ust in time to photograph and share his colorful pop-up cards with you. A card that Roger has designed for Shakespearience features "Greetings from Stratford upon Avon," and, when opened, a typical Elizabethan stage that pops up, with the theater's three tiers topped by a thatched roof.

Besides the Elizabethan stage, Roger's pop-up greeting cards for Shakespearience include a period cottage, a house, and a church. Measuring 5 x 7 inches and printed on heavier ivory stock, the cards are available with a matching envelope and presentation cellophane cover.

Roger has also designed a set colorful pop-up cards for Pollock's Toy Museum.


A Heritage Models pop-up card, The Regency, a Pollock's Toy Museum toy theatre. (Photo Crèchemania.com.)

"Pollock's," he says, "specialize in Victorian Toy Theaters, which adapt admirably to this folding format. Each card displays the theater with four levels — the proscenium arch, the players, the side flats, and the backcloth."

Roger's toy theater designs include Pollock's Theatre with a scene from 'Aladdin;' The Regency, featuring a performance of 'Harlequinade;') the Victoria and the Urania.

Beautifully designed, softly colored and finely die-cut — or I thought! "They're all cut with a scalpel [X-Acto knife], with my own hand!" Roger says, these pop-up greeting cards will bring a smile to anyone who's ever sat spellbound in front of a stage.

I've already made my list of those who'll be getting one. Topping the list? Ms. Chesebro, who so long ago taught Romeo and Juliet, and me my first English words.

—AYX

You'll want to visit Roger Pattenden's Heritage Models website, and enjoy all his other great models and the insightful comments that accompany his presentation. Ordering information is also available on his pages. I'm delighted to announce that soon, the Globe and other Roger Pattenden Heritage Models will also be available in the Paper Model Kiosk.


"I heard today from the good people at Rosslyn Chapel," Roger Pattenden says, "a model I've spent much time working on last year. Rosslyn is a beautiful ancient chapel south of Edinburgh that became famous for being featured in Dan Brown's book, The Da Vinci Code. They'll now be going ahead with that. (Photo courtesy Roger Pattenden.)

]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=99 <![CDATA[Rev. Thomas Davies Clay's Inspirational Cathedral Quest—& Remarkable Cathedral Models]]> http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=98 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:29:09 GMT "A quest to experience the great cathedrals and historic churches of Europe," through travel — and paper models…


Crenelations and diamond-patterned tiles ring the spires, and flying buttresses the apse of the Church of Our Lady — Budapest's 13th century St. Matthias Cathedral — in Thomas Davies Clay's superb 3-D Karton paper model. (Photo courtesy Thomas Davies Clay.)


Thomas Davies Clay on his Cathedral Quest, with the lacy flying buttresses of St. Barbara's Church — begun in 1388 and not completed until 1905 — in Kutná Hora, Czech Republic. (Photo courtesy Thomas Davies Clay.)

It's always a pleasure when you get in touch with me — just click Contact, on top of the page — and a special treat hearing from Philip Charlton, who wrote, a few weeks ago, from England:

"Like your good self, I've been busy cobbling together some things for Christmas. The varnish is drying on the 1940s Vintage Creche as I type.

"Although I'm not a crèche maniac (they are called Nativity scenes where I come from), I've been active in building and collecting paper models of all kinds since I was a schoolboy. Your site is very entertaining and thank you for the Free Downloads.

"My wife Sue and I (she's the photographer and modeler in her own right) are currently working on a Christmas Album on our Photobucket Gallery. It will include two Santas, a Christmas wreath, a couple of tree decorations and a nice Nativity — sorry, crèche — from Bohemia. It should be ready in a couple of days; I'll inform you as to where and when. Best Wishes for the Festive Season, Philip."

I was enjoying browsing Phillip and Sue's wonderful creations when another message arrived from Philip with a tantalizing proposition: would I consider opening the Crèchemania and Paper Model Kiosk Forum?

The rest, as they say, is history.

Philip has proved a veritable Sherlock Holmes in unearthing Vintage Models and Paper Cut Outs, and Bible Paper Toys, and is sleuthing for more, "wonderful stuff out there," that he posts to the Forum for the benefit of paper modelers everywhere.

Then there was Philip's Traveling Man Forum post:

"Hello All,

"I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Thomas Clay, a retired Episcopal minister residing in Maryland, USA. His mission is to visit all the great religious buildings of Europe. He's been to quite a few already but hasn't stopped yet. He is also a keen paper modeleler and tries to build a model (if one is available) of all the places he's been to. Not only cathedrals, churches, and the like, but secular buildings too.

"If you enjoy Alexis's In Search of The Nativity series I think you might enjoy Thomas's travels as well. So I invite you to visit his Cathedral Quest web site where you will find, apart from the details of his journeys, lots of pictures of his built models. They are very nice. Philip."

As you can imagine, having just returned from an 11,000 mile trip in Search of the Nativity myself, I was thrilled at the thought of meeting someone who has visited — and shared on the Web —all those spiritual, far away places.

The list, itself, on the Cathedral Quest home page, and its mission, "Our quest to experience the great cathedrals and historic churches of Europe," is a veritable Grand Tour: England 2003, Italy 2004, France 2005, Paris 2006, Germany 2007, Italy 2008, Spain 2009, Central Europe 2011…

And there he is, in his clerical collar photo next to his pithy online biography, "My life in Nine Sentences," the Reverent Thomas Davies Clay — Episcopal Priest, world-traveler, gifted writer and editor of the prodigious Cathedral Quest website.


Berlin Cathedral rises in Berlin's Schlozzplatz — and in Thomas Davies Clay's home: his beautiful Schreiber-Bogen model. (Photo courtesy Thomas Davies Clay.)

And did I mention paper model enthusiast?

"Please, call me Thomas," he says from the lower level of his Maryland home one recent morning. "What a wonderful surprise to hear from you, Alexis. Thank you for your kind words about my site. I have enjoyed exploring your blog (I am never quite sure what a blog is since I have never blogged!) I especially enjoyed your beautiful site and reading about the Berliner Dom. Your photos, especially the video, are spectacular. Your descriptions, exceptional.

"Isn't Berlin Cathedral a great church? And a beautiful model. I'm looking at it — along with the other 50 cathedral and church paper models I have made.

"I have my desk down here, my computer, my workshop in the next room, my train layout in another room with a wall-full of model cars and ship. This where I live most of the time, with all my paper models and my Cathedral Quest memories.

"I grew up in the church, and when I was eight-years-old I became a server. In High School I had decided I wanted to be an orthodontist: I had gone to one for six years, and with every twist of that wire, it seems, was worth several hundred dollars. So I thought that would be a good living!

"But during an Episcopal Church Youth Conference in the mountains of East Kentucky,during the summer between my Junior and Senior year in High School, I felt the need to climb one of the mountains by myself (this was against camp rules). While sitting there by myself, I had a Moses type of experience. I heard an inner voice telling me, 'I want you to go into the priesthood.' That night around a bonfire, the bishop talked about leaves; how each leaf was unique and each had a purpose. I felt he was talking directly to me.

"I thought about it; prayed about it for a long time; even wrote the bishop and told him that I really wanted to be an orthodontist! He wrote back, saying that it's important for children to have straightened teeth — but it's even more important to have straightened souls! This was in 1955. I graduated from high school in 1956, from college in 1960 and I went directly to the seminary. I was ordained 49 years ago.

"For the next 35 years I served parishes in Richmond, Kentucky; Washington, North Carolina; LaGrange, Georgia; Front Royal, Virginia; and California, Maryland. I retired from active parish ministry in 1998 at age 60. In 2000 we built our retirement home in Maryland, just fifteen miles south of Washington, D.C.


Destroyed during the bombing of Dresden, Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) was reconstructed after World War II and stands as a symbol of reconciliation — and faith. (Photo courtesy Thomas Davies Clay.)

"That's where I spent five rewarding years as a docent at Washington Cathedral. Twenty-five to thirty groups of students — many busloads, from all over the country — would come through in a day. Those children, most of them eighth graders, would come in — and their mouths would drop open.

"There was something there that these kids were enthralled by. Were they awe-struck by the beauty of the Cathedral? Was it the presence of God, a taste of heaven (as we say of the cathedral)? The beauty of the sacred art — the stained glass windows, alone, are magnificent — the sheer height of those Gothic arches, there's so much there to draw you in, and leave you speechless.

"I know the feeling, because I experienced it when I was fifteen and saw the Washington Cathedral for the first time. It wasn't finished then, but I was amazed, and I remember going back again and again. Since 1978, I have lived within 60 miles, so I would visit quite often.

"When I saw a notice that they were looking for docents I applied, and they were glad to have a priest.

"After one of my Cathedral tours, I came home one day and said to my wife, 'I think I'd like to go to England and visit the cathedrals there.' She nearly fell over, but had the plane reservations that night.

"That was the beginning — England 2003 : St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral, Wells Cathedral, Bath Abbey.

"I wrote to each church, telling them that I was an Episcopal priest, a docent, and that sometimes we gave behind-the-scenes tours at the Washington Cathedral. Did they offer such tours?

"I was delighted to get responses from all of them. At Canterbury Cathedral, for example, just to mention one example, it was remarkable: we had a private tour with a canon, the head vestiturer, and a docent. Three wonderful people — for just my wife and me! They took us to a small room that overlooked the chapel downstairs where Thomas Becket had lain. The monks had used this little room to guard his body, and the docent said, 'I've been here twenty years — and I've never seen this room before!'

"We also visited the sacristy where we were shown the Archbishop of Canterbury’s cope. The canon said “try it one” and there's a picture of me on my website wearing the Archbishop of Canterbury's cope.

"Often, wood and paper models I made influenced next year's Cathedral Quest itinerary. And I discovered that building models of the cathedrals I was planning to visit enhanced my experience.


Thomas Davies Clay's Amiens Cathedral is made up of 636 pieces and required over 3,877 cuts. (Photo courtesy Thomas Davies Clay.)

"I spent over 300 hours making a 38-inch-tall wooden model of Amiens Cathedral, an amazing piece of scrollwork, designed by Al Spicer of Greensboro, North Carolina. The model contains 636 pieces and has 3,877 inside cuts. That means I drilled almost 4,000 holes, with a drill bit the size of a needle, threading the saw blade through each hole, often for a little cut that took no more than a couple of seconds!

"Naturally, after making the clock I wanted to see the real Cathedral. Ten years before, I had made a model of Chartres Cathedral and Mont St. Michel, not knowing where either was located — or much else about these beautiful places. So, anxious to see Amiens, Chartres, and Mont St. Michel, we headed to France.

"After visiting Amiens Cathedral, I made a correction to my second clock: I printed a photo of the rose window on acetate and replaced the clock face with the stained glass window. It looks very nice.

"That's been the fun part. You spent do much time building these models, like I did building Melk Abbey, before visiting Austria. I had my camera, taking photographs of Melk as I was building it, and a stopwatch: it took me 33 hours to build it.

"When I went to Melk, one of the world's most famous monasteries overlooking the Danube, I couldn't help myself saying, 'There's that little fountain!' Of course, in real life, that fountain wasn't so little at all. Or, 'Look at all those dormers! They were so hard to put on, I had to use tweezers!' People would look at me funny.

"Once I visited a cathedral before I had a chance to finish its model, and being there gives you a feeling of dèjá vu. Then, when I returned home and started working on the model again, I found me talking to myself: 'Oh, that's where that little roof is.' That's the fun part of it.

"In the past eight years we have been in nine countries, 60 cities — to Paris, Venice and Florence twice — and we have visited 172 churches, 49 of them cathedrals. We have also seen 8 castles and 4 palaces, plus a number of famous public buildings. And I can see them all in my mind's eye. Sometimes I might get the inside of the churches confused, but I do have the pictures — thousands of them!

"On our 2009 trip to Spain some people said, 'Churches? You've seen one, you've seen them all!' But that's not true: every single one is different. That's what I try to get across when I give tours or write for my Web page."

Is there a church or cathedral that stands out in Thomas' mind?

"There's something about Reims Cathedral that stands out. Something so beautiful about the Cathedral façade. Or maybe it's the way Reims is outlined against the sky — so many cathedrals are crowded by other nearby buildings — that I love it so much. I even have a picture of me toasting the Cathedral at a small champagne shop across the square, with Reims in the background.

"A couple of years ago, I found a print of Reims Cathedral in an antique store, and when I heard the price, I said no, thanks. But I walked around the block, and went back and got it. It's hanging in our dining room, where we eat every night, and I love looking at it.


We are as much in awe of young Thomas using a 4 x 5 camera — a marvelous, but bulky and slow apparatus — to shoot a football game, as we are of Rev. Thomas Davies Clay's prodigious Cathedral Quest. (Photo courtesy of Thomas Davies Clay.)

"But it isn't just Reims, of course; I love looking at pictures of cathedrals. I have so many feelings: awe, in the presence of God and the beauty of a cathedral's sacred art; amazement at all the history that has taken place there; admiration for the faith of those who build these cathedrals for the glory of God; and lasting gratitude for those who rebuilt them after many were destroyed because of fire or war, like Dresden's Frauenkirche."

What a splendid church — and model! (See photo, above left). And speaking of models, does Thomas have a list in mind of the next models he's planning to build?

"A list? Yes! But I know I won't live long enough to build them all!

"There are these beautiful Instant Durable cathedrals I have in mind to do. And people from all over the world don't just send me standing invitations to stay with them — they send me models. Yesterday, a friend sent me a Wells Cathedral kit, so I've added that to my list of models to do. I have another model of Wells, so I will have to build two models of Wells Cathedral!

"Another aspect of my paper models important to me has been asked to teach at three local universities about my cathedral experiences and travels. In my presentations, which have proved popular, I combine the paper models with photos of the real thing, pointing out on the models exactly what I am discussing.

"I should also mention, since I am talking to Crèchemania, that I also have made many Christmas Decorations, and scroll-saw nativity pictures and a couple of wood nativity scenes. These can also be seen on my website, Creations By Thomas.

"In fact, on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, I almost started a new thread on the Forum, 'The Wise Men have Come!' Of course, most nativity scenes have the shepherds and the Wise Men together, but we have a family tradition of not having the Wise Men at the manger, but somewhere else in the room. Every few days we move them a little closer, and on Epiphany they finally arrive at the manger."

That reminds me: I must ask Thomas about what the Nativity represents.

The Priest Associate at St. James Church in Indian Head, Maryland, thinks for a moment and says, "My Christmas Eve sermon this year started with a little boy looking at his father's picture.

"His father's in the army, and his mother hears him say, 'I wish daddy would step out of the picture.'

"On Christmas Eve, The Father stepped out of the picture."

Join Thomas, Philip, me, and paper model enthusiasts from around the world — including our good friend Celso Rosa from Brazil — on the Forum! And enjoy all of Thomas Davies Clay's cathedral photos and commentaries on Cathedral Quest.


Fine scrollwork outlines Thomas Davies Clay's Nativity. (Photo courtesy Thomas Davies Clay.)

]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=98 In Malta, Julian Scicluna — and 60 young enthusiasts! — enjoy a crib-making session http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=97 Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:48:50 GMT "It looked like a scene from Santa's Grotto," Julian says, "with some sixty little elves busy at work making nativities!


Proud children of employees of Malta's Bank of Valletta Plc., with their Nativity glass paintings and mentor, artist Joanne Cassar. (Photo courtesy Julian Scicluna.)


A crib-making invitation in One to One magazine of the Bank of Valletta, Plc., showcases a familiar image — the Crèchemania Svatava Nativity. (Photo courtesy Bank of Valletta Plc.)

The full page announcement, in Malta's Bank of Valletta Plc. One to One magazine, is guaranteed to warm a crèche lover's — and paper modeler's! — heart.

Under a color photo of Crèchemania's Svatava Nativity Free Download and the title, "Make a Paper Crib," is an invitation:

"Why not spend some fun time with your children making a paper crib?

"Discover the world of paper cribs which are also called fold-out Nativities, Pop-up Nativities or Paper Models. You can easily download these from the Internet, print them using a colour printer and then cut out and assemble. In a short time you have a finished crib to enjoy.

"Visiting www.papermodelkiosk.com: This site is full of fascinating fold-out Nativiites which you can download. First experiment with the simple designs that are free to download. If you find this activity to your liking, you can choose the more elaborate designs which are usually cheap to buy.

"From the home page click on 'Downloads' and scroll to the 'Arches Crèche' which is very easy to cut out and assemble. Detailed instructions are available on the same page. All downloads require that you are registered and logged on, but this is an easy process. This is required so that you confirm that you will not sell the designs, which is understandable.

"The site recommends good quality printing on thick photo quality paper. However, if your printer cannot handle this, you should print with a 'Best Quality' setting on normal paper and then stick on thin cardboard (kartoncin) before cutting out. Alternatively, some stationers offer good quality laser printing which at times is more cost-effective.

"Want to try out something different? The site also has lots of other stuff like Advent Calendars, Christmas Cards, Puzzles and Christmas Tree Ornaments.

"You may run out of time, but definitely not out of ideas!"

This wonderful Christmas present — not just for the children, but for Crèchemania.com — is courtesy of Maltese Enthusiast Julian Scicluna, who's noted for his three-dimensional nativities.


Crib-Maker-In-Chief Julian Scicluna (fourth from left) with brand new young nativity enthusiasts and Bank of Valletta Plc. colleagues Daniel Magrin and Aldo Micallef . (Photo courtesy Julian Scicluna.)

"I was requested to write an article for my workplace One to One in-house magazine (1,500 families get it free)," Julian says, "and I used the space to promote the Paper Model Kiosk site. I hope to get more people interested in this fascinating world of nativities!

"Since my childhood I was always surrounded by papier mâché cribs, the local Maltese traditional way of making nativities. My father and brothers always created several cribs each year, which as Christmas approached, they gave away to friends and relatives.

"As a young ten-year-old boy, not having my own crib on Christmas Day made me resolve to remedy the situation; I made my own first crib! Crib making materials where at hand, and I had acquired the know-how by watching my family at work. From that time on I never stopped making cribs."

And this Christmas Julian, the Senior Manager in the Bank of Valletta's IT Department, decided to share his love of making cribs with the children of the bank's employees.

"After the announcement went out to 1,500 employees in our bank magazine," Julian says, "the response was overwhelming — we had to limit the applications to the first 60 children."


The crib-making session's large three dimensional nativity scene features an arched stable, palm trees, three-dimensional figures, and Bethlehem in the distance. (Photo courtesy Julian Scicluna.)

A nativity-making session

Just before Christmas, in what turned to be a rather cold season in Malta's otherwise mild Mediterranean climate, Julian and the crib-makers gathered at the St. Joseph Institute in Santa Venera.

"A small team of work colleagues and I decided to give the children of our fellow bank employees a treat," Julian says. "An afternoon session of Nativity scene making. For once, allow the children forget their computer games, electronic toys and gadgets and get down to some old fashioned craft making!

"It looked like a scene from Santa's Grotto," Julian says, "with some sixty little elves busy at work! Sixty enthusiastic children, lots of crafts supplies, some great ideas — and this is what you get!

"Since I felt that paper nativities might prove less messy and therefore more attractive to the children than the traditional papier mâché cribs, we offered the children three choices: a nativity collage (especially designed for the younger ones); glass painting a Nativity Scene in a gold frame; and a specially adapted Nativity Crib.

Collage Triptych: "For the youngest children, I prepared materials for a collage (see photo, bottom of page). The children were supplied with 6 sheets of legal-size (8.5 x 14 inch) paper attached to thin card stock. They were guided to cut out the figures, sheep, houses etc, and use sticky foam pieces to assemble on the triptych. This gave the collage a 3-D effect. The background was decorated with coloured paper, and the whole piece was enhanced with stick-on stars and glitter glue. The figures and sheep where reproduced from vintage Christmas Cards available locally 50 years ago.


A young glass artist at work at Julian's Crib-making in Malta. (Photo courtesy Julian Scicluna.)

Glass painting: "For our Nativity glass painters, I prepared a simple design of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus that the average 10-year-old could handle. We only had two-and-a-half hours, so there was no time for reverse-glass painting. To have children avoid handling sharp glass edges, each child was given an assembled frame with the coloured design on paper underneath the glass. Then the children were guided to trace the outline of the design using black relief glass paint, and then 'fill' the areas with coloured glass paint. I was wary that this might prove too difficult for them, but they*all got it right!

3-Dimensional Crib: "I timed the creation of the crib prototype to ensure that it could be completed in two-and-a-half hours — we didn't want to have children idle, or not have them be able to finish their nativities! I spent days (and even some nights) preparing the designs and materials: hundreds of colour printouts, hundreds of palm leaves, large bunches of pre-cut balsa wood, the list was quite long. But look at the photo of those happy children!

"None of it, of course would have been possible without the children's enthusiasm, the support of their parents, and the wonderful help of my colleagues Joanne Cassar, Doreen Agius, Daniel Magrin and Aldo Micallef, and by the end the satisfaction on every child's face (and that of the proud parents) was worth the effort!

"Already we have had great feedback and requests for next year's event.

"And Crèchemania must come to the rescue!"

Thanks, Julian! Just let me know what you'd like me to do.

AYX

Post a comment; I would love to hear from you!


The youngest children in Julian's crib-making session with their nativity collage triptychs and mentor, craft enthusiast Doreen Agius. (Photo courtesy Julian Scicluna.)

]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=97 <![CDATA[Alexis' Christmas 2011 Letter]]> http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=96 Sat, 24 Dec 2011 22:00:00 GMT

Merry Christmas Friends and Season's Greetings to all…


Miniatures nativities measuring 3.5 inches wide and weighing about .10 ounces or less hang from the delicate branches of this year's Miniature Crèche Tree.


Play a note, and the Miniature Crèche Tree and its crèches dance on top of the grand piano.

It isn't just seven year old Grace and 6 years old Allie dancing on Grandpa Mike's knees, but my Miniature Crèche Tree dancing on the grand piano.

Grace and Allie's dad is accompanying the girls' mom Heidi and me, and as the sound of the piano, violin and alto recorder fill the room my miniature nativities are bobbing up and down to the rhythm of Jingle Bells!

It's really a sight to see. Just below a large icon of the Mother of God tenderly holding the Child Jesus (see photo at left), the slender branches of the Crèche Tree bow ever so slightly only to spring up again with each note.

Never in a million years did I ever imagine that I'd be decorating a wire-and-crystal-bead tree, let alone blogging about it. But this isn't just any wire-and-crystal-bead affair, but a lovely creation I found at my friend Joni's antique shop. I didn't initially buy it as a Christmas tree, but as a prop for a jewelry book shoot. Then, about a week ago, I found it in a corner of my studio.

During my shoot, its delicate branches had proven ever so delicate, even for the lightest earrings ‚ so what I was I planning to decorate it with, exactly? Feather ornaments?

The answer? Miniature nativities, of course! But miniature-light-as-a-feather-nativities, because you breathe into those slender wire branches and they bend.

I thought 3.5-inch-wide miniatures might do the job — small enough to hand, large enough to show off the art. I cut an outline of a nativity on a blank piece of the paper that I am going to use to print, then I cut the manger and side walls. A quick hole through the lot, and I hang the pieces of paper on the tip of a branch.

Bingo! The branch lowers ever so slightly in a graceful curve, but does not bend. So this is the magic weight, that my postal scale reads as less than .05 ounces. The string! I forgot about the hanging part. OK, .10 ounces with the string. (See what my excitement is all about: Crèchemania Miniature Nativities Collection 1)

Deciding on which nativities to design as miniatures isn't easy, and not only because I have so many favorites. The real problem is which candidates among the many in the Crèchemania Collection will look good in a small scale.

You might have printed a nativity at an extremely reduced size, only to discover your beautiful créche turned to a muddy mess? After all, how many pixels can really squeeze in 3.5 inches?

The answer, I knew, would be to choose a nativity of light color and simple design, and I knew just the one: a charming crèche whose manger is reminiscent of a brick schoolhouse: the Heureux Noël Miniature Nativity was born.


The Heureux Noël Miniature Nativity is so light it seems to float.

The Heureux Noël nativity — named for the "Merry Christmas" greeting in French of the vintage original — was also the perfect candidate for a cellophane window, just like the ones that glistened in those small Christmas tree houses of my youth.

Suspended from a string of lights, they dazzled my eyes from shop windows when I was growing up in Greece. But times were tough, and my father could scarcely afford shoes for us, let alone Christmas decorations. But, for a few drachmas, he could buy a nativity sheet for me. With a few color pencils, I would make another copy on cardboard, so that my little brother would have his very own. Then we'd set about cutting and pasting, using flour and water for glue.

That time of my youth when we had so little has been running through my mind as I've been making miniatures and listening to Christmas hymns piped over the Web from Greece. Sadly, that's not all that's been coming out of Greece lately: the airwaves and TV are filled with news of the economic crisis that has Greece in its grip.

Then a note comes to touch my heart and remind me that bad times aren't limited to the land of my birth:

I found your website today and I just wanted to say "Thank you so much!". This Christmas we are on such a limited budget. My children were so sad that we could not buy gifts for their grandparents, teachers, etc. Your free downloads for nativity scenes are so beautiful that we are going to make them as gifts for our loved ones. My daughters are so happy now to have a truly beautiful and meaningful gift to give. Thank you for sharing these wonderful downloads.

We started to make a few of the nativity scenes yesterday and they are looking wonderful. We did one in a shadow box and we are making another as sort of a diorama. We have an idea to make a very tiny one in an Altoids box, which should be fun and challenging. My girls and I are having a wonderful time.

I had to write back.


A precious nativity scene, the vintage Whitman Manger Scene, a special present for an 11- and 14-year-old brand-new crèche enthusiasts.

Dear Sir,

The thought of you and your girls creating your Christmas presents this year touched my heart.

I grew up poor in a village in Greece, and my parents worked hard to keep us fed and clothed. At the farmers' market my mom and dad sold olive oil, onions, and burlap bags full of oregano to make ends meet.

Do you know how much oregano it takes to fill a bag? Lots, and lots, and lots of trips to the mountainside by my mother, brothers, sisters, and me!

And do you know how much money a burlap bag would fetch? A few drachmas (about 50 cents). Just about enough for a nativity sheet that my dad bought for me and which I copied with a few colored pencils on cardboard — so that my little brother could have a nativity too. We’d cut and paste — with huge shears and flour glue! — and on Christmas Eve place our nativities by the oil lamp, next to the icon stand, and fall asleep dreaming of Christmas.

I’m so delighted that you and your girls have discovered the joy I learned as a little boy, the joy I learned of drawing a nativity for my younger brother, the joy of giving something you create with your own hands.

That’s why I’m sending you what I consider a most precious nativity, the vintage Whitman punch-out book that I first discovered in 1965 when I first came to America and that is responsible for Crèchemania.com. May you and your daughters enjoy assembling it into a family crèche that, in better years to come, you’ll treasure and remember the Christmas spent together cutting and pasting.

With best wishes for a Very Merry Christmas,

—Alexis

Besides receiving touching emails, I've also been getting letters stuffed with money. And that hasn't happened since I was a kid, when I'd get $10 dollars for Christmas from my sister Anna in Australia.

This letter is from Germany, from enthusiast Roger Lorenz who, not having a credit card, wishes to pay for a Premium Download with cash, and writes tongue-in-cheek:

Hello Alexis,

Thank you, the Christmas Lantern is amazing. For all the European economic crisis we took our last five Euros for this Christmas present. But, "Yes, we can?" Fun must be!

What about the windows of St. Stephan in Mainz from Marc Chagall as your next edition?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Roger


Perfectly complementing the Miniature Crèche Tree — not to mention the decor — the 91-year-old Augsburg Crib.

Thank you, Roger. I've got to add Mainz to my itinerary. I wonder; is it far from Augsburg? That's where I found my latest nativity which you see at the foot of my Miniature Crèche Tree, a perfect complement to it's rusty wire look. And no wonder: the Augsburg Crib is over 91-years-old.

Pasted on the thinnest veneer and lovingly cut out with a fine jig saw, the Augsburg Crib is mounted on wood that has aged so beautifully it matches the artwork. Another point of interest is that the Holy Family of this nativity scene is reminiscent of the stained glass window of St. John Cantius in Chicago. But the Augsburg Crib theme is the Adoration of the Shepherds, not of the Magi.

Holding the Augsburg crib in my hands takes me back many years, when I was student at 6th Elementary School in Pyrgos, Elias, about 20 miles from Olympia. I, too, used to mount printed nativity sheets on plywood, cut them with a primitive jig saw, and create nativity scenes.

I remember my friend Giannoulis and I using our Christmas caroling money to buy a square foot or two of plywood, and do a quick paste of the sheet, and start sawing away.

We weren't alone. Deep in the darkness below, Kallikantzaroi , the scary trolls of Greek folklore, are on a mission to cut down the trunk of the tree that supports the earth. Thank goodness that, with their task almost completed, Christmas comes and they abandon their saws to cause mischief above ground.

By the time they return to their job, the tree trunk has grown solid again, and they're at it again for another year.

Will my boyhood friend Giannoulis going to do as well? Sawing that is, one of my favorite nativity sheets, the Paper Model Kiosk's Theater Nativity that is on its way to him as I write these words?


When my boyhood friend Giannoulis is not working on his cuckoos around the clock, he loves spending time at his country home with his wife Yiota, and sons Vassilis and Demetris.

Paper nativities don't get any better than this re-issue of the classic paper model by German publisher J. F. Schreiber. The Theater Nativity, as its name implies, unfolds on a stage, behind a proscenium decorated with a Greek pediment and featuring an eight-pointed star and red curtains. Below the stage, at the front, an angelic orchestra is serenading the Newborn Child with voice, violin and recorder.

I wonder if Giannoulis will mount his nativity on plywood — as we used to do so long ago? I he does, it might not be for a while, because he's knee-deep in cuckoo clocks just now. He's been repairing the two I gave him last time I visited, trying to get the bellows to work. His wonderful wife,a great cook and English teacher, tells me that he's been laying awake at night counting the cuckoos.

I can just see him, soon, though, with his demitasse cup of Greek coffee sitting under the shade of the plane tree that shades his whole yard, cutting away on his Theater Nativity.

Giannoulis regularly keeps me in touch with the land of my birth with his frequent letters that sometimes include a crèche, like the vintage Greek Arched Nativity that he found on the top dusty shelf of a dime store.

Besides Giannoulis' there are so many more warm letters I would love to share with you, so many wonderful photos — like Celso Rosa's latest superb monastery nativity installation — that I just might have to write to you again soon.

But I can't give you my season's greetings without passing on the wishes of Mario Pirola, an enthusiast from Italy and the get the Crèchemania Miniature Nativity Collection:

If at Christmas each star was granted a wish, I wish the sky was full of stars
If a gift at Christmas was a clear day, then distribute thousands and thousands of gifts
If at Christmas around the world finds a smile, then I would ask only that it was still Christmas
Congratulations from the heart for a Happy and Peaceful Christmas

Se a Natale ogni stella fosse un desiderio esaudito, vorrei che il cielo fosse pieno di stelle
Se a Natale ogni dono fosse un giorno sereno allora distribuirei mille e mille doni
Se a Natale ogni angolo del mondo trovasse un sorriso allora chiederei soltanto che fosse sempre Natale
Auguri di cuore di un felice e sereno Natale.

Mario and Luisa

Buon Natale to you and Luisa, Mario.

And Merry Christmas to you, my friends!

With thanks for your friendship and support, and Season's Greetings to all,

AYX

I invite you to join me on Facebook

]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=96 Investing in paper nativities? http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=95 Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:03:28 GMT

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You, too, can invest in a beautiful paper nativity, but not for the hundreds of dollars of the crèche craze on the Internet — the brand-new Gothic Arch Nativity Premium Download.


"The Frank-Perola Czech Advertising Sheet Free Download, courtesy of Svatava Vizinová.

I know the world is going through an economic crisis, but are people really abandoning bonds, stocks — even gold! — and investing in paper nativities?

How else to explain the Internet crèche craze just now?

A tiny Christmas nativity card — 4 x 3 inches — can be yours for $200; a small (five-inch-wide) vintage fold out crèche was just sold for 202 euros (over $270); and you know those lovely cribs found in the Crèchemania Gallery? Well, I don't think I'll be adding to my collection any time soon: a medium-sized one just went for…

Yes! Sold! For 480 dollars!

Why, even things that I've been giving away for free for years are fetching good prices on the Web: check out a Czech nativity sheet selling 16 dollars. I'm talking about a nativity sheet similar to Crèchemania's Frank Perola Free Download.

But before you shell out 16 dollars, check out our free Czech nativity sheet offerings, courtesy of Crèchemania friends Svatava Vizinová and Milan Zabransky.

Svatava's Perola “Advertising” Nativity Sheet numbers 2,102 Free Downloads, a lovely celebration of the Nativity — and merchandising: a camel is laden with two large crates of coffee; an elephant is dwarfed by two huge bags of flour; a turbaned woman rushes with a tray of coffee; a Magi approaches with a bag of flour; and, since advertising is all about repeating the message, even a shepherd offers a loaf of bread.


Milan Zabransky's beautifully farmed Brandyská Nativity.

Milan's first Free Download, shown at left, is the Brandyská [Brandy's] Nativity Sheet, a beautiful advertising crèche given away for free by enterprising merchants in the former Czechoslovakia. Beautiful art, with a catch: product placement. Chicory coffee? It's one of the gifts of the Magi!

Milan's beautifully framed diorama of the Brandyská sheet is topped by his hand-lettered sign of the Brandyská slogan extolling the joys of chicory coffee.

Below is the sheet itself, available as a Free Download for you to print and assemble.

Milan has also shared with us the Czech Nativity Sheet, yours free, with Milan's and our compliments! Get our chicory sheet for free — and buy a couple of real cans of coffee with your $16!

The Brandyská has proven quite popular: Kathy Hiatt writes, " I just downloaded this last night, so I'll have a few hours of cutting and putting this together. It will surely be a conversation piece on my mantel this year!"

And Hablina, from the Czech Republic says, "Thanks for a beautiful crib. I'm down with the flu, but cutting-and-pasting — my long-time hobby." To be honest, what she actually is, "Díky za krásný betlém, ležím s chřipkou a vystřihováním si krátím dlouhou chvíli."

Thank the Good Lord for Google translation!

And there's the pithy comment from Dreamer who says, "It's standing beneath our Christmas tree now; love it!"

What I've been dreaming about? What for me is the Holy Grail of paper nativities…


"We three Kings of Orient are/Bearing gifts we travel afar…" No, not gold, frankincense and myrrh, but chicory coffee and candy! — The Branyská Nativity Sheet Free Download.

But, surely, in this cr¡eche climate, if I find that beautiful crèche in the marketplace any time soon in the crèche universe, its price just might be astronomical.

"Alexis," advises from Brazil crèche enthusiast and good friend Celso Rosa. "Look at those 5,226 Free Downloads of the Arches Crèche. If you only charged just a dollar a download…"

Celso — who, with Clube Amigos do Presépio is at the center of his own crèche constellation South of the Equator — is teasing, of course. He's the one who shared the Arches Crèche with us, and neither he, nor I would ever dream of not sharing Free ones along with our Premium Downloads.

And speaking of Premium Downloads, the Gothic Arch Nativity — shown at the top of the page — is our latest offering.

AYX ]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=95 Happy Thanksgiving! — Boughs of Holly Card Free Download http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=94 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 02:14:26 GMT

It's a time to give thanks…


Shown more than twice its real size of three by five inches, the Christmas Rose Postcard is a vintage die-cut from the Crèchemnia Collection.


A decorated piece of pumpkin pie provides a welcome break from all the Thanskgiving cutting-and-pasting.

The house is filled with guests and wonderful Thanksgiving smells, and I'm sitting at the kitchen table, Turkey baster at the ready.

But also in front of me are my cutting board, X-Acto knife, and a stack of printed sheets of the brand-new Crèchemania Boughs of Holly Free Download. While attending to the turkey, I'm cutting gift cards for all my Christmas packages.

A present for you for your support and friendship, the Boughs of Holly Free Download, at a 50% reduction makes great gift cards.

Even reduced, the Boughs of Holly card looks bright, and even better at its at original 3 x 5 size. Framed by icicles, a wicker basket full of Boughs of Holly is set against powdery snow.

Golden letters — you can almost feel the embossing! — with a sprinkling of snow wish, "A Merry Christmas."

There's so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

And among my many blessings, I count you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

AYX ]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=94 Glad tidings: brand new Free and Premium Downloads and a nativity sheet! http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=93 Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:00:20 GMT A long hiatus — a 9,000 mile road trip from the Midwest to the West, then East Coast, and back — makes this enthusiast long for his X-acto knife and... A long hiatus — a 9,000 mile road trip from the Midwest to the West, then East Coast, and back — makes this enthusiast long for his X-acto knife and paper nativity sheets…


The fold-out Thurible Nativity No. 8 — now a brand-new Premium Download — is among the most beautiful in the Crèchemania collection.


"Gloria in Excelsis Deot!" banners in English, French, German, Spanish, Czech, Portuguese, and Greek are included in the Thurible Nativity No. 8 Premium Download. Don't see your language? Contact me with the text, and I'll do my best!

Last time I saw majestic Mt. Rainier, I was a young 2nd Lieutenant, based in its shadow, at Fort Lewis, Washington.

Now I had a chance to visit the Pacific Northwest again, and a business trip to Seattle turns into an adventure. I follow I-90 through South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington State, stopping along the way to meet wonderful people and photograph beautiful churches.

And monasteries: All Merciful Saviour Orthodox Monastery on Vashon Island, where Abbot Tryphon and the Fathers welcome me with Greek coffee and loukoúmia Turkish delights; and the St. John the Forerunner Greek Orthodox Monastery in Goldendale, Washington, home to an iconography studio and a bakery stuffed with delicious Greek treats.

Languid days spent in the Olympic Peninsula years ago race by as I zig-zag on Hwy 101 heading north towards Port Angeles, and Victoria, Vancouver Island, to photograph the Nativity window of St. Andrew Cathedral.

Then on to Vancouver by ferry, and a search for churches sans my trusted GPS, since my smart phone does not work in Canada. Oh, discovering the joys of map reading again, I skill I haven't really practiced since my army days when we were dropped by helicopter into the rain forest in the middle of the night!

I will save the account of my visit with Louis Dausse (pronounced "Does-see") and his wife Barbara in Portland for another time, but I must tell you how wonderful it was to meet the patron saint of U.S. paper modeling. And Barbara's apple strudel? Delicious.

And I couldn't drive through the Salt Lake City area without knocking — surprise! — on Jennifer Hooton's door.


The Thurible Nativity No. 8 features four layers: the front; the Magi; the Mother and Child, Joseph, and a shepherd boy; and the manger.

After being home for a short while, it's time to head East and a New York City photo shoot. My first overnight planned stop in South Bend turns into two days and three nights: I could have spent hours and hours in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, alone, not to mention the other beautiful churches of South Bend.

But my good friend Sam and his wife Voula were waiting for me in Detroit. I'm fond of saying that I've only had two bosses in my life: Uncle Sam — when I was in the army — and Sam, a retired restaurant entrepreneur. Sam gave me my first bus boy job when I still could not speak English, and he has been keeping a watchful eye over me ever since. Sam is also a superb chanter, and I would join him chanting at The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Sioux City, Iowa before he and Voula moved to Detroit to be near their three physician sonsb

Sam has the whole Orthodox Church liturgical library in his home, knows just about every hymn by heart, and, and we're chanting in the car as he's driving me from church to church in the Motor City. When I set up my tripod in a church and start to shoot, he starts to chant. I join in, just like the old days, chanting by heart hymns I thought I had forgotten long-ago. But with Sam next to me, Greek trips off my tongue.

Three sunny, beautiful days later, it is, sadly, time to say goodbye and head East. Voula hands me a large care package, and I'm off. But as soon as I cross into Canada, the good weather I was blessed with through 6,000 miles of my West Coast and this trip is no more. Driving rain and strong winds shake my van, and there is nothing to do but keep driving — and munching on Voula's fruit and pastries — for 642 miles to Lebanon, Connecticut, home to my good friends Al and Aliki.

It breaks my heart not stopping to photograph the beautiful churches of Toronto and Montreal, and by the time I knock on Aliki's door, it's late at night. Surely, I'll be waking them up? But Aliki is in her spacious kitchen, surrounded by sweet, honey-dipped finíkia pastries; platters-full of tasty Greek meatballs; and mounds of tyrópittes (cheese triangles).

It feels like I'm back home in my village in Greece, what with a large antique loom sep up in her living room, courtesy of Al, a math and woodworking genius. In fact, I haven't slept under a hand-woven blanket since I was a little boy — but I did; at Alikis'!

The next day Aliki and I are off shooting churches, including Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Norwich, Connecticut, and St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in New London. But all too soon it's time to head to New York and my Central Park shoot.


Read all about the new Free and Premium Downloads in Crèchemania's Paper Model Kiosk Newsletter. Better yet, become a Registered User and be the first to get all the latest news.

But first I have to pick up my photo team at La Guardia at 11:30 a.m. But the rain is back, and I know what that does to flight schedules. So I park myself at my favorite Omonia cafe in Astoria — ten minutes from La Guardia — and order a rizógalo (rice pudding).

I've asked my team to call me when they're actually coming down the luggage escalator, but noon comes, my phone is silent, and I order a spanakópitta (spinach pie). At 12:30, I order a Greek coffee, and I'm about to pick up the menu again — I don't find myself in a Greek bakery often enough! — when my phone rings.

New York is beautiful, and shooting in Central Park's Bethesda Fountain? A dream. Times Square, Broadways shows, Greek food at Uncle George's in Astoria. I hate having to leave, but I have an interview in Philadelphia. But I leave all the churches in the city of Brotherly Love behind and hurry West, just barely escaping the snowstorm that felled 1,000 trees in Central Park, alone.

After being home for a few days, I know I have to do what long days on the road — by the time I do my backups of the day's images, it might be after midnight, and 7:00 a.m. comes all too early — don't always allow: To get in touch with you.

And now, I have.

I would like to also say "Thank You!" to Scott Smith (see S. Smith Photography — spiritual images imbued with beauty, grace — and faith) for the beautiful framed Nativity stained glass window photo that was waiting on my desk when I got home.


This Christmas die-cut can be yours — as the Boughs of Holly Free Download.

My days home have flown by, working on Free and Premium Downloads for you.

They're all included in Créchemania's Paper Model Kiosk Newsletter (see image at left), which I'm sure you're receiving. If not, become a Registered User, and be the first to hear of the latest news and downloads!

Crèchemania's latest Free Download, the Boughs of Holly Christmas Die-cut or Gift Card looks as bright and fresh as the day it came off the die-cut machine.

Send the Boughs of Holly Christmas Die-cut or Gift Card as a die-cut card, or you may print at a reduced size for a perfect gift card that wishes, "A Merry Christmas."


*A brand-new Crèchemania offering — a Premium Download and* a printed Nativity Sheet of the same crèche.**

One of the new Premium Downlods, the Thurible No. 8 Nativity, is one of my favorites, and among the most beautiful of the Crèchemania Collection. And, just in case you're wondering where do I come up with these names, I'll say that there are only so many times you can call a crèche, "Seven-Pointed Star Nativity," "Angelic Host Crèche," "Palms Crib," or "Vintage Nativity." Then you have to get creative.

Thurible Nativity No. 8 was named for the censer held by the kneeling Magi at left (top of page) filling the air with a cloud of sweet incense. Thurible, from the Latin thuribulum, and the Greek thyos incense.) So "Thurible Nativity" it was, and, in particular, "No. 8." Because a look at Crèchemania's Gallery will show you at least ten similar nativities. So there's more beautiful "Thuribles" yet to come!

I should also mention that the Thurible Nativity No. 8 was the one I took apart — not a task ever done lightly, nor for just anybody! — for my good friend Celso Rosa. Celso had driven nine hours nonstop to visit me when he was in Chicago on business from Brazil, and giving him a scan for his nativity that was missing the stable was the least I could do.

Celso has also generously shared his nativities in our Free Downloads, so be sure to check Crèchemania's Downloads page.

And Celso has just provided me with, "Gloria in Excelsis Deo!" in Portuguese, and so the Thurible No. 8 banner proclaims, "Glory to God in the Highest!" in — besides Portuguese and English — Latin (printed on the front) and, in banners that you can cut out and attach, French, German, Spanish, Czech, and Greek.

You don't see your language? Please text it to me, and I'll do my best.


Bethlehem Nativity Premium Download.

The Bethlehem and Straw Roof nativities — available individually or, with the Thurible Nativity No. 8, as Crèchamania Crèche Collection at a special price.

And before closing I must tell you about a limited time only Paper Model Kiosk offering: the Egyptian Crèche Premium Download and Nativity Sheet.

The Premium Download I know you understand; but why, you may ask, a printed nativity sheet?

Because many of you tell me that you end up taking your download to a store, for a better quality print.

Ours is a professional, 8-ink print with ektachrome inks resistant to fading. And our professional-media paper not only produces an astonishing quality, but provides a heavier stock suitable for paper modeling.

Once you've assembled your large Egyptian Crèche Nativity Sheet and you might wish to print more you can do so, to your heart's content! Because bundled with the 9-inch wide Egyptian Crèche Nativity Sheet is a Premium Download, a 7-inch nativity that can be printed on standard 8.5 x 11 inch paper.

It's a win-win situation, as they say, and, by buying the nativity sheet and the Premium Download you save, so check it out.

There are only so many days until Christmas. Time to put away my mouse — and pick up my X-Acto knife!

Enjoy!

AYX ]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=93 Christmas in July: a Mistletoe Christmas Diorama for Terri — and you! http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=92 Sat, 09 Jul 2011 22:22:05 GMT A sunlit 4th of July, a beautiful view, a delicious picnic, wonderful friends — and a Mistletoe Christmas Diorama for Terri…


Terri Carlson, celebrating the Fourth in red-white-and-blue, with her Mistletoe Diorama.


Taking time out from the fireworks for Terri's mistletoe shoot — note the creative use, by Craig and David, of a kitchen towel for a scrim to soften the direct sunlight, and the colorful throw acting as a background, courtesy of Benjamin.

When friends Craig and Terri Carlson ask us to their lake house for the 4th of July, I know what I have do — besides punching in the address in my Droid GPS.

I print the Mistletoe Christmas Card Diorama on a couple of Epson Professional Media Matte Paper Heavyweight 13 x 19 inch sheets.

Terri, you see, is a scrapbook aficionado, and has been wanting to add paper crèches to her repertoire. But, before embarking on nativities and ever loving a creative challenge, Terri ever-so-carefully cut out the Columbine Rhombic Hexcontrahedron. She's in the process of assembling this marvelous sixty diamond-shaped faced mysterious shape for her husband Craig who loves columbines.

So, while Craig is attending to his pork loin on the grill on the porch — basting it at regular interals with a delicious, home-made sauce — and Terri is busy cross-stitching towels for her son Corey, I take out my favorite Helix Self-healing Cutting Mat, my X-Acto knife, and my Mistletoe Diorama printouts and go to work.

It's a beautiful day, a beautiful home, a beautiful view. Terri and Craig's lake house is mostly huge curtain-less windows that let in the bright sun — and the panorama of the surrounding woods and Lewis and Clark Lake.

Every time Craig, sauce and basting brush in hand, opens the porch door, a delicious aroma wafts in. I can't wait to taste Craig's special barbeque, but, for the moment, I make do with celery sticks, cheese, nuts, and other treats that Terri, ever the great hostess, has arranged in red-white-and-blue dishes on the kitchen island. And did I mention one of Craig's delicious specialties, citrus margaritas?


Create a Mistletoe Christmas Diorama by inserting spacers between six layers of a vintage nativity scene.

All six layers of the Mistletoe Diorama cut, and the fun of assembly begins.

I use small pieces of quarter-inch foam core, that I cut into quarter-inch squares, as spacers between the different layers to create a lovely 3-D effect.

First, a dab of glue on each of four spacers, and the dark Oval is attached to the gold rectangular Background. (See image at left.) The Mistletoe Diorama Background printout has an oval outline, and centering the Oval piece is easy.

Then the red angel is attached to the Oval with a single spacer, centering it on the Oval's Angel outline.

Before attaching the Manger piece to the Oval, I need to create two double spacers, since, as you can see from the diorama image at left, the red Angel fits between the Manger and the Oval.

By glueing two foam core pieces together one double spacer is done. I make one more double spacer, and attach the Manger piece to the Oval, making sure it is set in it proper place, checking by eye to make sure it's placed as shown in the image at left, it's bottom edge lining up with the Oval below.

For the Virgin and Child piece, I need one spacer between it and the Manger, and three spacers between it and the Oval, below. So three spacers are glued together, the Virgin and Child piece is attached, making sure — again — that it aligns with the Oval.


On the 4th, Christmas in July at Terri's lake home.

My diorama is looking good.

All that remains is to attach to the Background four columns of five spacers, between the Oval and each Background corner, and — making sure that the bottom edges of the Front and Background align and are parallel, to attach the Front.

Just see how at-home the Mistletoe Diorama looks with Terri's candle decor (image at left).

Or tucked among the geraniums of her large twig wreath that hangs above the down staircase (see image, below).

In fact, if my Godson Benjamin didn't want to see 160,000 cubic feet of water per second spilling into the Missouri from Gavins Point Dam, I would have completed another Mistletoe Diorama for Terri's wreath.

The Mistletoe Premium Download

Mistletoe and blue morning glories frame the Nativity on this glossy vintage Christmas card from the 1920s. (Dated by the one-cent George Washington stamp on the reverse.)

This delightful scene is not only filled with beauty, but tenderness: The Virgin holds her Newborn Baby Jesus close to her heart, and a young angel — half hidden behind a column — shyly reaches out to hold the Babe's hand.


Mistletoe and blue morning glories mingle with red geraniums in Terri's twigs wreath.

Three other angels surround the manger, and the rays of an unseen star illuminate the darkness.

I was so enamored by this postcard that I'm offering it to you in three variations: as a Mistletoe Christmas Diorama, Mistletoe Christmas Card, or Mistletoe Die-cut Christmas Card.

Or, save, and buy all three as the Mistletoe Christmas Card Collection!

Mistletoe Christmas Diorama

The Mistletoe Christmas Diorama — shown at left, nestled in Terri's twig wreath — is so much fun and so simple to make, you'll start on a second one just as soon as you finish your first, just as I have done.

The step-by-step instructions included in the Mistletoe Christmas Diorama Premium Download — will guide you in placing each piece of your diorama just where it belongs.

You'll be pleasantly surprised, just as I was, how a few spacers can created such a delightful 3-D effect!

Mistletoe Christmas Card


Print, trim, fold, and fold again — The Mistletoe Christmas Card.

Just fold in half and half again to create the Mistletoe Christmas Card.

Just one piece of letter-sized paper is needed. After trimming the excess white areas, score along the two dotted lines, and you've created your Mistletoe Christmas Card.

Tie a strand of gold thread, or ribbon and add a special touch to your Mistletoe Christmas Card.

Another nice touch — I have many such vintage cards in my collection — would be to print the Front/Back and Inside pages of your card on different weight paper: heavier for the front and back, finer for the inside pages.

It's all so simple, even a child could do it, but you'll want to help.

Mistletoe Christmas Die-cut Card

The Mistletoe Die-cut Christmas Card features a die-cut oval that reveals the nativity scene inside.

Creating this card is quite simple with our Mistletoe Die-cut Christmas Card PDF and included simple instructions.


An oval window reveals the Nativity inside — the Mistletoe Die-cut Christmas Card.

And if you're feeling adventurous, try our second Mistletoe Die-cut Christmas Card variation, and also trim the white areas outside of the front garland (as shown in the image at left) giving your card even more of a vintage die-cut feel.

Mistletoe Christmas Card Collection

Fellow enthusiasts love our Premium Download collections, and the Mistletoe Christmas Card Collection just might be for you.

Once you get the Mistletoe Christmas Card Collection the only problem will be deciding which one to make first.

Enjoy!

AYX ]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=92 Collin, a six-year-old crèche enthusiast, inspires an Advent Cuckoo http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=90 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 21:20:57 GMT The Schreiber Advent House Calendar paper model — available at the Paper Model Kiosk — is pretty wondeful as it is: heart-decorated windows of a colorful, chimney-topped ginger-bread-like house open to reveal 24 wonderful "hidden" pictures. But we couldn't resist the temptation of adding a dial and a quartz movement to create an Advent Cuckoo Clock for a very special six-year-old crèche enthusiast named Collin…

The colorful Schreiber paper model "Advent Calendar House" becomes a home for a cuckoo. Click the play button, making sure your speakers are on, to hear the call of the cuckoo. (Photos and Video © Crèchemania.com.)


Featuring a 19th century German Joseph Scholz proscenium, this is the Cuckoo Crèche that mesmerized six-year-old-Collin. On the hour, the curtains open to reveal an animated scene of The Nativity, and then the large, lyre-decorated, half-round doors above the proscenium open, and the cuckoo calls. (Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

It's always a pleasure seeing Michael Winkleman, my friend and former photo assistant with whom I have traveled widely.

It's always great fun reminiscing about our adventures in far-away places, like the photo paradise that is South Beach, or the whitewashed croissant of the Aegean, Santorini, or the beautiful historic English stately homes and their miles of gardens.

But, this time, our conversation takes another turn.

Mike, you see, is visiting with his lovely wife, Alecia, and their two beautiful children, Ethan, 3, and Collin, 6. And Collin has just come downstairs with an important question.

It seems like yesterday that I was at the hospital to see baby Collin when he was born, and now, here he is looking up with his bright blue eyes and asking, "Alexis, will you help me make a crèche?"

A crèche? How does this little boy even know the word?

"When we were playing hide and seek," Collin says, "I was in the attic. And those crèches are all over! Dad told me that's what they're called."

But it wasn't just any crèche that Collin is interested in, but a very particular one: the Cuckoo Crèche! (See photo, at left).

The cuckoo's call filled the countryside of my youth, and, upon arrival in America I was surprised to hear it again: at Mrs. Alexandra's Kostopoulos' home, where I first saw my first cuckoo clock. Mrs. Alexandra, God bless her soul, left me her cuckoo in her will, and it became the first of many, many, cuckoos in my collection.


Schreiber Advent Calendar House — available in the Paper Model Kiosk — paper model and a few of the surprise pictures that children can discover by opening its windows. (Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

A few years ago, when I ran across a beautiful 19th century Joseph Scholz German theater proscenium, I thought of my toy theater I had left behind. With small pieces of balsa wood, a few batteries, a quartz cuckoo clock movement, and my trusted printer, glossy paper, and Photoshop, I embarked upon creating a Cuckoo Crèche.

Inspired by a toy theater I had made as a child — and was sad to leave behind when I emigrated in the 60s — I began working on the Cuckoo Crèche a few years ago during a Christmas blizzard.

It was an ambitious project — putti flying overhead, an animated angel under an arch lifting the cross, more angels revolving around The Nativity — and it's been sitting in a corner of the attic for a few years now awaiting completion.

That's where young Collin found it, and, according to his dad, couldn't take his eyes off it.

I knew that the Cuckoo Crèche, even with his handyman dad's help, would be just a bit ambitious for Collin. But, surely, there's something the kid can make with his dad's help, so he can have his own cuckoo?

Looking through my cuckoo stash I find a quartz movement, and here I am, at McDonald's, with a cuckoo clock mechanism on the table, waiting for Mike, Collin, and Ethan.

Need I tell you that the boys are enthralled? This must have been the only time in the history of fast food that boys show no interest in their Happy Meal toys!

It doesn't take long for even Ethan to learn to push the button and activate the cuckoo: double doors (see video, above) open, the cuckoo appears, flaps its wings, and sings its song. Was a McDonald's ever before filled with the call of the cuckoo?

And not just one call, but two: because the electronic wizards that created this little cuckoo clock, also added a soft echo to its call. So, for every hour, there are two "cuckoos": a loud one, followed by its softer, distant-sounding, echo.


The colorful Schreiber Advent Calendar House becomes a home for a cuckoo. (Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

It doesn't take long for Collin to learn to discount the echo and count the hours on his little fingers, bobbing his head in time to the call. Even Ethan gets the drift, singing, "Kick-oo!" in time with the echo. Imagine how long it takes the boys to finish all those French Fries — to the accompaniment of "CUCKOO!" Cuckoo!" and "Kickoo!" — and the fact that we all don't get kicked out of Mickey D's is a testament to the kindness of strangers.

I can hear the cuckoo going off again as Mike is opening the door to his pickup, and when I get home I know I have to come up for a home for Collin's bird.

Looking for inspiration, I put on Handel's Organ Concertos Op. 7 in F, and forward to No. 13, "The Cuckoo and the Nightingale," a beautiful performance by The English Concert (Archiv). Enjoying the music — the strains of the violin mimicking the nightingale, whose song is echoed by the pipe organ's cuckoo —I browse the Paper Model Kiosk looking for something that could serve as a perch for Collin's cuckoo.

I find it in Schreiber Advent Calendar House a paper model whose windows open to reveal a surprise picture for each day of Advent (see image at left).

You can see why the Schreiber Advent Calendar House, lovingly designed by Humbert Siegmund and Angelika Schäfer-Siegmund, would be a favorite with children: bright, colorful, resembling a ginger-bread house, it features heart-decorated windows that open to reveal hidden pictures — a snowman, a rocking horse, an angel, a snowflake, an owl, a clown, a teddy bear, a peacock, a ship, an elephant, a locomotive, a toy sholdier, a tree, a Christmas sock, a candle, Santa, the Virgin and Child, even a fish and a ginger-bread house!


Collin peeking from behind Advent Cuckoo's window No. 1 — who could guess a few years ago that our young model would grow up to be — at six! — a crèche enthusiast? Mouseover the image above to see how much fun Collin and his little brother will have opening and closing windows! (Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

Personalize your Advent Calendar or Advent Cuckoo — with family photos

As beguiling as the Schreiber "hidden" pictures are, I wonder if Mike, who's a great photographer, should use for Collin's Advent Cuckoo close-ups of his boys, instead?

Or baby photos of himself, Alecia, and the boys? Photos of the grandparents? Cousins? Pets? Images that Collin and Ethan will have fun "discovering" — again and again.

One look at the stock photo I had of Collin — the little tyke made his modeling debut a few years ago — will show you how wonderfully personal your Advent Calendar or Advent Cuckoo could be (see image, below left).

Schreiber's Advent Calendar houses a cuckoo

Simple enough in its construction — all lines to cut are straight, save the curved door top — the Schreiber Advent Calendar House is a paper model children will really enjoy assembling.

But, before Collin picks up his paper scissors to begin work on his Advent Cuckoo, I have to do a bit of remodeling to the Advent Calendar House.

By comparing the original Schreiber Advent Calendar House model and Advent Cuckoo (images above, left) you can see the addition of a clock face and cuckoo doors.

You can find many clock faces on the Internet to suit just about any taste, or you can create a face in Photoshop, as I did. Any dial 3.5 inches in diameter will do. I used a playful font for the numbers, and added big, round eyes, and a smiling mouth.

I cut out this dial and positioned over the Schreiber model front, adding a yellow background to cover the existing green curlicues that would have been half-covered up with the dial. I also added four fan decorations in the corners, but this is not a necessity.

At the top of the front façade, just below the peak, I covered over the two windows in the original model with the piece shown at left, so the cuckoo's molded plastic door will look at home as well. And for that special touch, I included "Collin's Cuckoo Clock" across the center arch (see image below, left).


Personalize the Schreiber model with a child's name, as shown in this piece that will be attached to the top of the front, just below the peak. The cuckoo doors will be attached to the cuckoo housing with screws threads through the two holes. (Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

You'll also notice that the sides of this Advent Cuckoo prototype is shorter than the original, so that instead of three windows on each side now there are only two. But this was only done in thinking that I needed shorter access to the inside front of the Calendar House in positioning the clock and cuckoo mechanisms. But by leaving two-thirds of the bottom open, you can easily gain access to the batteries.and the clock movement.

Besides, using the Schreiber model as is means more windows: the more windows that little fingers can pry open, the merrier!

At the back of the Cuckoo House I moved the door to the left, directly in front of the movement's batteries, for easy access, but again, you won't have to worry about this refinement. And on a framed sign I added, "The Winklemans, Collin, Ethan, Alecia, Mike."

Installing the clock and cuckoo movements

The cuckoo quartz movement is made up of four parts: the cuckoo housing, the clock movement, the on-off-loudness switch, and the light sensor.

While not really heavy (the housing is plastic), nevertheless especially the cuckoo housing requires some extra support.

So, before attaching the cuckoo and clock mechanisms, I used the front as a template to cut a piece of heavier paper stock, which I glued to the inside to give extra strength to the front.

Or, it might be easier to attach this reinforcement after you've assembled the sides to the front. In fact, this is probably the easier way, so you won't have to worry — during assembly — about the cardboard interfering with the side tabs. On the bottom, this cardboard can align with the front tab fold.

Positioning the clock movement: the size of your dial, which should be about 3.5 inches in diameter, will determine where you will cut the hole for the clock movement shaft. After threading the shaft through the front, secure the movement in place with the provided hexagonal nut.

If the movement is higher than the "floor," place balsa wood needed thickness under the movement. The "floor" — a heavy piece of cardboard of 3/8 piece of balsa, attached on the inside to the front and side wall tabs — does not extend the full length of your Advent Clock, but about 1/3 from the front. So that you can have access.


The inside of the front before assembly shows the reinforced gray paper; the cuckoo housing in place; the clock shaft opening; the holes for the eyes cut in the outside front (white), and larger on the reinforcing paper; the balsa wood and screw eye supports on which the eyes will hang; and the right and left eyes with their top screw eyes and bottom wires resting right-side up.

Installing the cuckoo mechanism: using an awl and the cuckoo door as a guide, punch two holes in the front and secure the mechanism (on the inside) to the doors (outside) with the screws provided.

You'll also need to support the back of the cuckoo housing so it does not cause the front to bend in. This can be easily accomplished by cutting and gluing small pieces of balsa together in the shape of the Greek letter Π (pi), with the top of the pi resting under the cuckoo housing, and the legs on the floor, on either side of the clock mechanism.

The cuckoo housing is attached to the front doors with screws provided, and a Greek "Π" pi-shaped balsa wood "scaffold" resting on the floor and reaching the bottom of the cuckoo movement keeps it from sagging — and the front true and not bending inwards.

The on-off, loudness, switch, and manual cuckoo-activating button does not need to be mounted on the back, as I did, but left as it is, with access to it from the open bottom of the Advent Cuckoo.

Now, all Collin — and Ethan — need to do is push that little button — or move the large hand past 12 — and the Winkleman home will fill with the call of the cuckoo all hours of the day and night!

But if you find your child stays awake counting the cuckoo until the wee hours, you can not remove the light activating switch, as I did. But it sure is nice to know what time it is if you wake up in the middle of the night. (If you do remove the light activating switch so your cuckoo will sound in the dark, you must twist a piece of thin wire around those those two pins, otherwise your cuckoo will not sound its call.)

Movable eyes?

Since the cuckoo clock housing has an assembly on the bottom designed to operate a pendulum, I was intrigued with the idea of using it to animate the eyes of the Advent Cuckoo clock. But to accomplish this I first had to snap the housing apart, and remove the small square clock mechanism from the much larger clock housing. Because the large housing would have been flush with the inside of the front, whereas the smaller clock mechanism alone would allow just enough room for the eyes.

Not that moveable eyes are at all necessary — just having those doors open and the cuckoo calling will entrance any child, or child at heart! But if you want to add this extra-special touch, here's how to make the eyes move.

Before assembling the front to the sides — or to its heavier backing — carefully cut out the whites of the clock eyes. Align the backing heavier paper under the front, trace these holes, and cut them out larger on the backing so the backing will not be seen through the eye openings.


The right "R," and left "L" eyes suspended from screw eyes (left, above) and shown with the clock mechanism (right). The bottom wires, "r" and "l" of each eye are formed into hooks, and threaded through the end rings of the wire piece "p." The heavier wire hook (shown in the image below, left) is connected to the pendulum and, threaded through the "p" center ring, drives the eyes.

Print a second set of eyes, with an inch-wide circle of white around them. Cut out each eye and attach it to a thin piece of balsa wood of the same diameter and 3/8 thick or less, as shown in the image at far left.

Drill a tiny hole at top and bottom of each eye wood piece, attaching a wire eyelet, at the top, and a wire piece about 2 inches long at the bottom. (The two eyes and their screw eyes and bottom wires are shown, just below the cuckoo housing, in the larger image above, left.)

On inside of front, mark vertical center of each eye opening. Measure this distance, make a note of it — it will also be the distance from the center of each outer ring of wire piece "p" that you'll need to make later — mark it on a small piece of balsa wood, and attach a second set of screw eyes (see image at far left). Now slightly open the screw eyes of the each eye piece and hang each eye from a screw eye support (see image at far left.

Position the balsa wood support so that, when looking from the front, the pupils are positioned within the eye openings as you'd like. (I positioned mine slightly to the bottom.) Slightly move the balsa piece up or down, right or left, so that the eyes are just where you want them; then mark this position on the inside front with a pencil, and glue balsa support in place.


Closeup of the the wire piece "p" shown above — the outer rings thread on the hooks of the bottom eye wires, and the pendulum hook threads through the center ring, driving the eyes.

After the balsa wood support is firmly in place, you can still make fine adjustments by taking each eye off its support and either giving the support screw eye another turn — or unscrewing it a turn — so that when you rehang the eye it's right where you want it.

Bend the end of each bottom eye wire into a hook (as shown in the image at left) making sure these wires do not touch the floor and that both bottom eye wires are of the same length.

Shape a third wire, as shown in the image at left, making sure the distance between the centers of its outer rings is the same as that between the eyes centers that you measured, above. This will insure that the end rings of this wire piece "p" are centered on the two bottom eye wires. Make sure that these end rings are not formed too small, so that the bottom eye wires will have some play. The same holds true with the center ring, through which the pendulum loop will drive the eyes back-and-forth. This play will create a nice tick-tack.

Attach a piece of heavier wire to the plastic pendulum under the clock, and form a hook at the other end. This will be threaded trough the center loop of the wire joining the two bottom eye wires. The length of this pendulum wire? It depends where you'll position the clock housing. Experiment, cut the pendulum wire, form its hook, threaded through the center ring of piece "p."


Pendulum hook — this thicker wire is attached to the clock pendulum and, threaded through the middle ring of the wire piece "p" drives the eyes back-and-forth.

Making sure that the eyes and eye wires move freely between the square clock mechanism and the front, slightly move clock housing back and forth and side to side so that you can hear the clock tick nicely. Make sure the eyes move from side-to-side without scraping on the front, and secure the clock housing in place.

Seeing those eyes move back-and-forth? Magical!

Having your home fill with the sound — and echo — of the cuckoo 24/7?

Well, I'll talk to Michael in a few weeks and let you know!

A word about the camera and lens used in the video

My friend Celso Rosa, who was recently on a business trip in Chicago and took time out to shop for lenses for his Canon, was telling me how helpful lens and camera information is to a budding shutterbug.

Celso, I shot the video with my Canon D5, using my 300mm telephoto, at 100 ASA (or ISO), at f2.8.

The result, especially as evident in the closeup of the cuckoo calling? Beautiful!

Have fun with your new lens, Celso! And if you find any cuckoo's in your neck of the woods, send me a pic!

Just a soon as we find a wholesale source for the cuckoo mechanism, we'll make it available to you in the Paper Model Kiosk at a good price — so that you, too, can create an Advent Cuckoo.

AYX ]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=90 <![CDATA[An exquisite Nativity window, just one of the treasures of St. Mary's, Remsen, Iowa]]> http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=88 Fri, 27 May 2011 01:51:37 GMT It stands on the village green, a magnificent church towering above the houses that surround it, just like the cathedrals of Europe. But this isn't a quaint town in the Old World, but tiny Remsen, Iowa, where, amidst so much to be thankful for, Luxembourger, French, Alsatian, German, and Irish Catholic Pioneers built St. Mary's in the praise of God…

Embellishing our video frame are hand-carved wood images from St. Mary's Catholic Church, Remsen, Iowa — (from bottom, left) Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek; Jesus appearing to two Disciples at Emmaus; the Sacrifice of Abraham; (and top, center) an angel from the Altar of St. Joseph — and luminous stained glass: (from top, left) Joseph from the window of the Nativity; Christ in Majesty from the window of the Crowning of the Blessed Virgin; and Jesus and Mary from the window of The Holy Family; (top, bottom row) the four round transept clerestory stained glass windows. (Photos and Video © Crèchemania.com.)


St. Mary's steeple rises to the sky and is visible for miles — St. Mary's Catholic Church, Remsen, Iowa. (Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

I'm photographing in the Church of The Nativity, Sioux City, Iowa, where Pastor Gerald Feierfeil welcomes me and tells me about a large Nativity window at St. Mary's Catholic Church in nearby Remsen.

"You must include it in your Search of The Nativity," Father Jerry says. So I skip plans to bake pastries with my childhood friends Janet and Mary, and instead head North on Hwy 75.

In about 25 miles I'm driving through Le Mars, "Ice Cream Capital of the World," and then, taking a right on Hwy 3, I head East. Dark freshly-plowed fields border the road that winds through rolling hills for another five or so miles. Then I see it, a black dot against a blue sky: St. Mary's steeple.

"When I was little," says Deacon Richard J. Roder, "I felt like the steeple of St. Mary's Church was the visible part of the axis on which the world spun. Even though I have now seen a considerable part of that world, sometimes I still feel that way."

Rick, who greets me in front of St. Mary's as I'm rolling my camera case with one hand and carrying my heavy pneumatic tripod with the other, says, "Father Feirfeil sent you? Father Jerry is a good man, a good friend of mine. He's best friends with a priest whom our family considers our uncle, Fr. Paul Eisele."

Isn't it a small world.

Rick is about to give me a tour of the church — and how lucky am I, because he is the author of We Are Called: A History of St. Mary's Parish, Remsen, Iowa, a 256-page book published on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the dedication of St. Mary's Church in 2004.

Rick may be an NCAA editor (online testing for their officials, communications, payroll, game assigning), but it becomes obvious as he lovingly speaks about his church that his world still revolves around St. Mary's.

"We were very fortunate that Father Schulte, in 1902, rejected a couple of plans that he considered inferior," Rick says, as he picks up my tripod. "He hired Guido Beck of Dubuque, Iowa, one of the most sought-after architects in the Midwest, who designed a masterpiece in the Neo-Gothic style.

"When they built this church the parish consisted of about 300 families — we now have 700 — so they were anticipating growth. But all that financial weight falling on the shoulders of those 300 families was tough. Some families took out 20-year loans to help pay the 68,000 church cost (in 1904 dollars). But they knew that population increase was coming.

"St. Mary's was built when they were renovating St. Mary's Church in Sioux City into a big cathedral. The Cathedral of The Epiphany was dedicated on September 8, 1904, and St. Mary's on September 9. Most of the bishops and priests who attended the Sioux City dedication came here on the train for the dedication of St. Mary's. What a marvelous ceremony it must have been! The church was dedicated not by the Bishop of Sioux City, Philip Garrigan, but by the only Luxembourg-born priest to become a bishop in the U.S., Jacob Schwebach.

"When I was little, I remember the procession after mass, the sound of footsteps on the tile floor. We had a monsignor who was bigger-than-life, a regal, powerful figure. I remember watching him, hearing the thunder of his steps on the ground, the majesty of him and his vestments. We've always had beautiful, traditional vestments that we still use, some over one-hundred-years-old.

"I grew up taking for granted, not understanding, what we have in St. Mary's. That was part of the reason I returned. I was brought up in this church, but left for about ten years when I worked as an umpire in minor league baseball. When the church turned 100-years-old, I undertook a history of the parish — and wanted to learn everything."


Deacon Rick Roder lighting the Sanctuary Lamp — St. Mary's Catholic Church, Remsen, Iowa.

Spoken like a true student of history, in which Rick holds a Bachelor of Arts.

St. Mary's clock is striking eleven, and Rick looks up at the steeple towering high above us.

"That's a 60,000-thousand-dollar ring, by the way. We just renovated the bell and clock workings. And our locals, who had done it three times before and knew what to do, did the clock faces. One of the men was there for the original to-the-ground refurbishment."

Seeing my puzzled look, Rick explains: "They remove the faces — they're about six-and-a-half feet round — lower them down using tractors and pulleys, restore them, and place them back.

"We were afraid we would have to immobilize the bells, because their swinging normally affects the structural integrity of the steeple. But when our expert climbed to the top and saw how strongly the tower was built he said, 'Those bells are going to swing; we are not immobilizing those bells!'

"He was so excited, because so many churches have had to immobilize their bells: the weight of a swinging bell is like swinging a compact car — not good for the steeple's structural integrity. But our expert was determined not to shut these bells down, and we were able to reinforce the steeple.

"When I climbed up, I realized that those two calling angels, gifts of the original pastor, are in need of restoration. And all that copper — see how one of those large finials is bent? — needs to be refurbished.

"So we're providing for the next generation as those before us did for us. For example, all the slate has to be replaced, but we want the roof to look the same. So we're looking at modern slate, that takes in less moisture, and cracks less.

"We had a parishioner, Ted Nothem, who took care of the roof for about forty years. He used to come out — you see those triangles just below the cross? — he used to crawl out there, throw a rope around, and that was the first step of his ladder. He'd throw the rope around again, a bit higher, and that was his second rung.

"He'd climb all the way to the top with bait and tackle. He had a bosun's chair, and would lower himself and work on the roof. When he was 80-years-old and in a nursing home, they had to cut his rope to pieces so he wouldn't be tempted to go up again all by himself!

Shall we go inside?"


Pointed arches, groined vaults, and slender columns channel weight to the ground, allowing walls to be pierced by tall stained glass windows that fill the nave with light — St. Mary's Catholic Church, Remsen, iowa. (Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

We walk through the center door that's topped by a triangle of red brickwork, and find ourselves in a long, high nave. On either side slender columns — crowned by blue capitals trimmed in gold — support groin vaults and pointed arches that soar high above the floor.

With this load-bearing efficiency, walls can be pierced by large, double Gothic windows that fill the church with ethereal light filtered through marvelous stained glass (see image, above). The height and light lift the spirit, and it's not unusual for a visitor to St. Mary's to feel in touch with the transcendent.

"I was telling the kids one day," Rick says, "that all these Gothic windows and arches point up, as a prayer.

"Our south windows get a lot of light, but when the sun gets far North in the summer, then early in the morning some of these North windows really light up. Sometimes you can come in here and see colors you never noticed before from all the sun spilling through.

"Our windows were created by the R. T. Giles art glass studio in St. Paul, Minnesota. There are over 2,000 square feet of stained glass, in 77 windows. We had an expert, Fr. Brian Hughes, come through who said that the Giles studio had the best craftsmen for art glass in the United States. We're doing a restoration of our windows, piece-by-piece, and we're giving ourselves about 100 years! We're now working on all these vent windows that are leaking, at about $10,000 a piece. Then we'll start working with the bigger windows above."


The soaring window of The Nativity by the R. T. Giles art glass studio, St. Paul, Minnesota — St. Mary's Catholic Church, Remsen, Iowa. (Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

Rick stops at the North Transept, in front of the window of The Nativity (see image, at left). It's divided into two parts by wooden tracery, and has two square panels at the bottom that open for ventilation. They're embellished by gold, white, green, and blue geometric designs and the words, Geburt Jesu (German, for The Birth of Christ.)

At the top, trefoils and quatrefoils enclose crenelated designs and the initials, in red, I H S (Iesous Christos Soter), Greek, for Jesus Christ Savior.

The Nativity is depicted in six central panels, set in a wooden stable. To the right, the Blessed Virgin, clad in royal blue, kneels, arms joined in prayer in front of the Newborn Child shown on the left side of the window, lying on a white cloth just beneath the manger.

St. Joseph, shielding a candle flame from the wind, stands to the left, and to the right, under an arch, three shepherds rejoice with pipes and horn (see bottom of page for a larger, detailed, image).

"My favorite windows are The Nativity and the Garden of Gethsemane," Rick says, "and I'll tell you the relationship between the two: do you see that little branch jutting into The Nativity window at bottom right? Fr. Hughes told me that the craftsman who did this window, probably also did the Garden of Gethsemane one, which also has a similar branch. He explained that sometimes craftsmen would put their own visual signature on their work, in this case, this branch."

Speaking of visual clues, just below this branch, set on the tile floor, a cross symbolizes Christ's Passion.

"The thing I love about The Nativity," Rick says, "is that Christ does not look like a nine-year old child, but an infant, born naked into the world — just like we are. There's so much humanity as well as divinity in this picture. You have shepherds with their musical instruments barely able to contain their excitement; and on the left you have your animals, and St. Joseph, protector of Jesus and Mary, who appears as a young, plain, simple girl. What a beautiful depiction.

"Our four transept windows are dedicated to Mary: The Crowning of Mary, The Holy Family, The Nativity, and Our Lady of Lourdes."

Set between The Nativity and Our Lady of Lourdes windows is a confessional made of carved wood. "All our woodwork is hand-crafted," Rick says. "This and the confessional on the other side we believe came at different times, as you can see from the subtle differences between them. We think we had one to begin with, because there was only one pastor. When a second pastor came, there was need for another confessional."

To the right of the confessional, there's a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and higher on the wall The Infant of Prague.

Nearby, another statue is set on a wooden pedestal, a candle and a vase of flowers by its side. Carved on the base of the statue are the words, in Latin, MARIA MATER JESU (Mary, Mother of Jesus,) and CONSOLATRIX AFFLICTORUM (Comforter of the Afflicted).

"This is Our Lady of Luxembourg," Rick says. "This statue was imported from Luxembourg in 1939, when the Nazis had just taken over the Grand Duchy. The statue is about 200-250-years-old, has been at St. Mary's for 75 years, and was in a church in Luxembourg for 150 years before that."

"Our Lady of Luxembourg wears one of the eight dresses, whose colors conform to the liturgical season. The words AVE MARIS STELLA, (Hail Star of the Sea) appear in gold embroidery. For about three to four weeks every summer, we leave the dress off, so people can see the garments of the original statue. An expert told us this is a very special statue: Luxembourg complexion is dark and hair is curly, that's why he said Our Lady has wavy, black hair, with a dark complexion.

"This is a very special statue to me. I have researched all 16 in the United States, and written a book, Veneration of Our Lady of Luxembourg in the United States] that people can use as a guide in visiting all of Our Lady statues in the country."

The Veneration of Our Lady of Luxembourg, Rick writes in his foreword, "…Is perhaps the first attempt to identify all places in the United States where people seek the intercession of Our Lady of Luxembourg, as represented by statues depicting the Blessed Mother under her title, 'Comforter of the Afflicted.'

"These statues, showing the particular devotion of Luxembourgers to Our lady of Consolation, are easily identifiable by their beautiful garments — usually very ornate — and a golden heart and key hanging from Mary's arm."

The veneration of Our Lady at Notre-Dame de Luxembourg dates from 1624. A 1639 book contains miracles attributed to Our Lady of Luxembourg, who, in 1666 was chosen Patron Saint of the City of Luxembourg. Our Lady of Luxembourgh i the object of fervent prayer and veneration by Luxembourgers world-wide.


The veneration of Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted dates to 1624 — Our Lady of Luxembroug, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Remsen, Iowa. (Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

"Our ethnicity in Remsen is primarily Louxembourger," Rick says. "Every year we have groups visiting from Luxembourg, and last year I saw as man standing by Our Lady of Luxembourg, crying. I said, 'Are you O.K.?' He said that he was born in the U.S., had moved back to Luxembourg, and was awed by the faith of the people who built this church. 'I know how poor they were,' he said. 'My parents emigrated in the early 1900s, and I know what they went through. And for them, and others like them, to have built this church…'

"This is the third church on this site. They were all built on this very spot. The first was finished in late 1884. I did a history of the diocese as well, and we had never realized that there were four Catholic Churches that were destroyed in 1885, on the same night. A storm developed southwest of Le Mars, in a rural parish called Ellendale, and demolished their church. Coming to Le Mars, it demolished the first St. James Church, and at St. Joseph's Church, which was being finished, it blew out the stained glass and took out the steeple — but the church stood. Then it came to Remsen, tearing down our less-than-a-year-old wooden-frame church. It then went to Marcus, and took out a Lutheran church. Finally, the storm phased out by Cherokee. We never realized that the same storm wiped out a whole corridor of churches.

"The only thing that came out of the original church in Remsen was the bell, which is here. From the second church, we've got another bell, and the 1896 organ. It was built in Milwaukee, and it's a tubular pneumatic marvel. We did about a sixty thousand dollar renovation in 2000, and we have organists from all over coming to play it. Simon, our young organist, truly makes it sing."

Rick is now standing in front of the main altar, which is centered under the three arches of the apse. "It's all hand-carved. Just look at all the special touches: this is the fleur-de-lis, a Marian symbol; all the cherubic little angels, which some of our children have counted, and say there are at least 39, including the two angels holding up that arch.

"These four angels right above the tabernacle are not original, and Peter and Paul are on the wrong side. Father Hughes told us they should be placed as they are at the Cathedral of Peter and Paul, in Rome. We looked it up, and sure enough, Peter's on the left, Paul on the right — so they are on the wrong side. As soon as I can get enough guys, we'll switch them.

Rick approaches the altar, touches the Tabernacle crucifix, which is the original one , and, as if by a miracle, a monstrance appears (run your mouse over the image at left to see it.) "For the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, they crafted a turntable, and there's a monstrance, a beautiful piece, on the other side of the Tabernacle crucifix.

"There are 13 images of the Blessed Virgin in the church, and when the monstrance is revealed, there are 14, because Mary is found at its center top."


The Tabernacle of St. Mary's revolves to reveal the Monstrance that holds the Consecrated Eucharistic Host. (Mouseover the image above to see the monstrance, allowing a moment for the image to draw on your page. Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

Rick waits for me to take a photo of the monstrance — whose ornamental, gilded, decorative motifs support small platforms holding, besides that of the Virgin, statues of Sts. Peter and Paul and two angels — and then, with a quick turn of the invisible turntable the Crucifix set with alabaster comes back into view.

To the left of the altar table is the ambo, and I wonder: was it once elevated?

"Yes," Rick says, "originally, the ambo was on this pillar, but some of our older lectors had difficulty climbing its many steps. We thought more people will see the reader if the ambo were closer to the center of the church — about 80 more people, to be exact: we sat on all the obstructed-view seats and counted.

"We worked with very traditional restoration specialists, and the only way they talked us into lowering the ambo was using its ornate support column as the base of the statue of Our Lady of Luxembourg, which had been next to the Pietá. The new ambo base allowed us to elevate Our Lady of Luxenbourg, giving it its own special place. It worked out quite well. We modeled our efforts after the Cathedral in Sioux City, which has the ambo growing out of the sanctuary as well.

"See this ambo leaf border? It's our only computer-generated design in the church. The artist wanted to tie the ambo in with the altar, so he copied the scrollwork on the altar and created this decorative piece for the ambo.

"There's another little treat over here: we used the old communion rails to craft the new Altar Table, and we tried to save all the Gothic arches and use them for the presider's chair, and the new Baptismal Font and credence table.

"Here, by the altar of St. Joseph, is a blessing from the Holy Father, when our Parish turned 125 years old last year."

Framed in gold, in a flowing calligraphic script, "The Holy Father Benedict XVI cordially imparts... Apostolic Blessing… and invokes an abundance of heavenly favours and the continued protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary…" to the Pastor and Faithful.

Rick kneels in front of the altar of St. Joseph, unlatches two metal hook-and-eye fasteners on its side, and pulls gently. Suddenly, the bottom front panel of the altar — with its gilded columns and carved angel holding an ITE AD JOSEPH (Come to Joseph) scroll — opens with a loud creak to reveal a statue of the Entombed Jesus.

I'm stunned.


In Jesus Wird Zum tode Verurtheilt, (German for Jesus Is Condemned to Death), the First Station of The Cross, Jesus is led away as Pilate, on his throne, washes his hands — 1916 Tyrolean hand-carved and painted wood, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Remsen, Iowa. (Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

In his book We Are Called: A History of St. Mary's Parish, Remsen, Iowa, Rick relates how a couple of visitors dropped to their knees upon this sight. I remain upright, but bring my hand to my forehand and begin crossing myself, as I would do when approaching an icon in the Greek Orthodox Church.

Is it the jarring contrast of the beautiful altar above, and the dark, linen-lined "tomb" below, or the peaceful statue of the Entombed Jesus that invites contemplation?

My mouth is still open in wonder as Rick says, "This altar is only open for about 24 hours a year: we finish the Good Friday Liturgy by opening it and saying a prayer. After Father says the final prayer of the Liturgy, we exit in silence, and it stays open until noon on Holy Saturday.

"We hold morning prayer here on Holy Saturday, and for me it's an important prayer, because it helps brings the Easter Triduum to life. We can gather around the Body of Christ, Who's in the netherworld saving those who have died. We place a lot of candles here, gather around the statue and say our prayers."

It's time for me to start my work, and as I open my camera case and and take out my my telephoto Rick says, "Nice lens! Would it be possible to take photos of the Stations of the Cross?"

Normally, since I'm in search of The Nativity, I don't photograph The Stations, but am happy to do so for Rick and St. Mary's. Besides, it's fun to talk to Rick about photography, because he has an eye for it, as he demonstrates when he crouches down to suggest an angle of view for one of The Stations of The Cross. As well, it isn't every day I run into a fellow English major who seems to love his church even more than I love — if such a thing is possible! — photographing it.

"I would love some detail shots of the Stations of the Cross," Rick says. "Carving fascinates me. Isn't the detail work just unbelievable? If you get real close, you see the veins in Jesus' hand. And look at Veronica's left foot — do you see anything wrong? It has the big toe on the wrong side!"

I suggest that it could well be the artist's way of saying there's no perfection but the Lord's?

"We had the paint restored in the 90s to as close as we could come to what was there originally. So the Stations of the Cross now look as they did when they came in 1916 when they were hand-carved in Tyrolean Austria, now Ortisei, Italy. The Stations of The Cross are probably the most valuable art in the church. They are all a single piece of hand-carved wood, and labeled in German, which was a no-no in 1904 — you used Latin or nothing."

If I lived here, I tell Rick, I know I couldn't stop taking photos.


A mother's anguish is vividly portrayed in the face of The Blessed Virgin in this detail of the hand-carved-and-painted Jesus Wird In Das Grab Gelegt (Jesus Is Laid In the Tomb) Fourteenth Station of the Cross — St. Mary's Catholic Church, Remsen, Iowa. (Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

"i've taken eight million pictures," Rick says. "I'm not much of a photographer, and only have a small digital camera. One day I was here and in the King David window… See his gold crown and halo? The sun was exactly behind them, shining straight down. I don't know what to do with a camera, so I pointed it directly in line with the light, and got an incredible picture.

"Shall we visit the Grotto?"

Before stepping outside into the bright sun, Ricks pauses for a moment in the Narthex, in front of a small plaque. "This is where we'd like to place a statue of Saint Francis that we'd like to commission. We had the Sisters of St. Francis here for 112 years, and the statue of St. Francis, for me, would represent their sacrifice. We couldn't have built this place without the Sisters. We had as many as 27 Franciscan sisters here at one time, and all the education was free. All those nuns received were canned goods. Twenty-seven Sisters gave their free labor to the schools. This place was built on the backs of the Franciscan Nuns. So we need to have something more than this plaque to honor them."

As we step outside the bells are ringing the Angelus, and I hold up my digital recorder so I can capture it for my video.

"I have a recording on my cell phone," Rick says, "so I can pray the Angelus three times a day, even if I'm not here."

As we approach the Grotto, the sound of the bells mingles with that of children playing.

"The Grotto was built by a family whose little girl's eyesight was miraculously cured after she was submerged at Lourdes," Rick says. "And I try to let people know: ask for what you think can't happen; look at this Grotto, and ask. For that family's prayer was answered."

A little girl with long blond hair comes running towards us and St. Mary's Tour Guide becomes, "Daddy!" as Rick's young daughter — who attends St. Mary's School and is enjoying a sunny recess — jumps into his arms.

For the next five hours I'm alone with my camera in St. Mary's, surrounded by so much beauty — and the spirit of those who believed, had so much to be thankful for, and built this magnificent church amidst Iowa's fertile fields in the praise of God.

AYX

You'll love visiting St. Mary's in Remsen, iowa, and Deacon Rick Roder would be happy to give you a tour (rroder@midlands.net or 712.786.2015). St. Mary's Catholic Church, 121 East 4th Street, Remsen, IA 51050; Rectory/Office: 712.786.1437. I'll be going back myself: I would like to meet the Pastor, Fr. Bill McCarthy, and visit St. Mary's again. Besides, Rick tells me the best shots of the church are from the top of the grain elevator or the Remsen water tower. For a copy of We Are Called: A History of St. Mary's Parish, Remsen, Iowa contact St. Mary's or Rick Roder (rroder@midlands.net). For a copy of Veneration of Our Lady of Luxembourg In the United States contact Rick.


Detail of The Nativity window (sans central post), St. Mary's Catholic Church, Remsen, Iowa. (Photo © Crèchemania.com).

]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=88 “The Glory of Ukraine” — Icons of The Nativity from the Joslyn Art Museum Exhibition http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=87 Thu, 05 May 2011 17:15:51 GMT The Glory of Ukraine — "Sacred Images from the 11th to the 19th Centuries," from the oldest monastery in Ukraine, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Monastery (also known as The National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve), and the Andrei Sheptisky Lviv National Museum; and "Golden Treasures and Lost Civilizations," ancient artifacts from the Museum of National Cultural Heritage PlaTar — fill the galleries of the Joslyn Art Museum, in Omaha, Nebraska…

In a perfect world, everything in life should be accompanied by music — and nothing else than Dmitry Bortniansky's angelic Hymn of the Cherubim would do for our video of all five magnificent Nativity icons from The Glory of Ukraine, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska. For more information, please see Nativity Icons of The Glory of Ukraine, at the bottom of this page. (Video © Crèchemania.com.)


An inner courtyard at the Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska, features a tile fountain and arched mezzanine — a quiet, contemplative space flooded with natural light.

Just past a stunning Dale Chihuly glass sculpture reminiscent of an upside-down Christmas tree, I see The Glory of Ukraine sign. The name of one the exhibition's Major Sponsors, Mutual of Omaha, stands out.

I smile remembering all those wonderful Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom shows I loved to watch on TV as a child. But today, it's not a black-and-white show that Mutual of Omaha — and all the other generous Major, Contributing, and Supporting Sponsors —has in store for me, but a technicolor spectacular of gold and precious icons.

But the gold — beautiful Cimmerian, Scythian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Kyivan Rus' artifacts — will have to wait, because I find myself surrounded by a gallery's worth of magnificent icons.

Last time I beheld such an incredible collection of sacred images was at the Russian Museum, in Russia's cultural capital, St. Petersburg. But a world-class exhibition? Amidst the cornfields of Nebraska? How did The Glory of Ukraine come to the Joslyn Art Museum?

"I can't take credit for it," says Toby Jurovics, Chief Curator & Richard and Mary Holland Curator of American Western Art. "I've been at the Joslyn for five months, and this was an exhibition that was organized before I arrived. So the exhibition was as much as a surprise for me as it was to you.


The gleam of gold isn't limited to historic artifacts but also found on precious icons — The Mother of God Hodigitria, mid-18th century, The National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve, Ukraine — The Glory of Ukraine, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska.

"Literally, the first thing I did after arriving was to unpack this exhibition. That is unusual. Normally, a curator will work on a show for several years, and is familiar with all the objects. But The Glory of Ukraine sort of arrived out of whole cloth.

"And we're the only institution in the country where you're seeing the archeological artifacts and the icon paintings side-by-side. I think they really do work very well together, and it certainly gives you this greater sense of early Russian, Ukrainian, culture.

"We may have very set ideas about antiquity, but —particularly, with the archeological artifacts (there are objects in the exhibition that show Greek or Oriental influence) — we realize there was always this global culture through trade, or war, and social influences and factors. The world has always had this very rich fabric. And that to me is what's so fascinating about the archeological section of the exhibition."

Yes, I know what you mean, Toby: The Mother of God with the Infant Christ, the late 18th century Poltava Region icon in your exhibition shows no Byzantine, but Western art influences. In fact, it's so reminiscent of the 1600s Cuzco School Nativity I encountered at Christ the Light Cathedral, in Oakland…

"There is a Renaissance influence in Ukrainian iconography that doesn't exist in the Orthodox world. It is my understanding that is something very specific to the Ukrainian tradition, because it splits off from the Byzantine tradition.

"It's interesting to hear you say this, see how different people respond to the exhibition, see what is it that speaks to them. There are two icons of The Entry Into Jerusalem in the second gallery that to me are the ones that I was most fascinated about.

While some may look at the second half of the 16th century icon of The Entry into Jerusalem [see image below, left] and say that it was unsuccessful as a representational image, I think there is such an wonderful expression in the way the face of Christ is rendered.

"There is a kind of awkwardness, as though the iconographer couldn't figure out how to get that donkey in the scene. It's hard to put your finger on it, but you can see how Christ was sort of inserted into the scene, and that's interesting as well. Christ is almost apart from the group of people welcoming him into Jerusalem. I don't know if that was intentional or not, but certainly, looking at it now, you read it that way.

"Maybe it's the way that the people was rendered in a formal, but also, in some ways, very crude style. There's this tremendous amount of empathy in them.


"There's a tremendous amount of empahy," in this icon of The Entry Into Jerusalem, says Toby Jurovics, Chief Curator, Joslyn Art Museum. The Andrei Sheptitsky Lviv National Museum, Ukraine — The Glory of Ukraine, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska.

"No matter how you respond to these works or what position you're coming to them from, they are tremendously resonant. That's always the preferred goal of installations — to be able to make that connection, move that forward for people."

What has been the reaction to the The Glory of Ukraine?

"People have been delighted with the exhibition; it's been very popular. And that's always what you want to happen. We've really have had a great response."

The acclaim of my friends who filled a bus from Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Sioux City was certainly unanimous. In fact, I'm driving back the 220 miles to Omaha with a van full of friends, before the exhibition closes!

"I'm really pleased you enjoyed the exhibition so much, and it's very dedicated of you to make another trip back and to bring people with you. So I thank you for that, Alexis."

What will fill your galleries next?

"The golden treasures of The Glory of Ukraine will be replaced by collection Highlights, in an exhibition to be called Joslyn Treasures.

It will be a combination of paintings from our collection that has been traveling to other museums in the U.S. and Europe in the past five years, as well as a group of paintings that have been in the vault.

Collection highlights and unseen gems; really a show that emphasizes the breadth of our collections."

Before saying goodbye, Toby says, "You spend ten days straight in those galleries doing the installation, and it's funny that this icon of The Entry into Jerusalem comes back to you as the most meaningful. Things do speak differently to everybody."


The Adoration of the Shepherds, a Festive Tier icon from a Kyiv region icon screen, The Andrei Sheptitsky Lviv National Museum — The Treasures of the Ukraine, just one of the magnificent treasures filling the Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska.(For more detailed images of this icon, see the Crèchemania Icon Gallery. Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

What spoke to me the most, of course, were the icons of The Nativity.You can see them all — The early 19th century Adoration of the Magi; the late 17th early 18th century The Adoration of the Shepherds (also shown above); the early 16th century The Nativity of Christ from Vil'cha; the mid-16th century The Nativity of Christ from Lyiv; and the mid-18 century The Nativity of Christ from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Monastery — in the video on top of the page, accompanied by Dmitry Bortniansky's Hymn of the Cherubim.

I stood in front of The Adoration of the Shepherds (shown above), a small (20 wide x 26 inches high) painted panel for so long, I just might have alarmed a guard or two.


The Adoration of the Magi, an early 19th century icon, The National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve — The Glory of the Ukraine Exhibition, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska. ((For a larger and detail images of this icon, click this link or the image above. Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

This icon — simply painted — or rather, "written," as icons are referred to — could have come from the iconostasis of my village church in Greece.

The iconostasis, or icon screen (litterally "stand,") is the icon-laden partition that separates the sanctuary from the nave of an Orthodox Church.

Iconostases came into their own in the 15th century, replacing a low wall (think communion rail) with tiers of icons that reached high towards the dome.

The first, or Magnificent Tier always features the Mother of God to the left of the central Beautiful Gate (or Royal Doors), with Christ in Majesty to the right.

Just above is found the Festive Tier, featuring icons depicting the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church. Usually, at the very left is found the Birth of the Mother of God, with the Transfiguration to the extreme right.

The Adoration of the Shepherds that I could not tear myself away from, was found in such a Festive Tier, from a church in the Kyiv region, and dates from the late 17th early 18th century.

Enclosed by an octagonal, gilded and carved frame, this icon depicts the Mother of God seated on the left, her rich red cloak and halo trimmed with gold.

The hands of the Mother of God are extended as in depictions of The Deisis (Supplication), and on her shoulders and headdress golden stars symbolize her virginity before, during, and after The Nativity.

On a manger whose straw radiates like golden sun rays, the Newborn Child is swaddled tightly with red ribbons, while an angel kneels, hands together, in prayer.

Joseph, in contemplation, stands, his head leaning on his left hand, in amazement of the miracle that has unfolded in front of his eyes.

And two adoring shepherds, crooks in hand, approach, one with hands crossed, the other tipping his hat.

It's an endearing, charming scene, far removed from the powerful traditional Byzantine depiction of The Nativity. Yet, it's Western influence does not diminish one iota its power to inspire and incite the faithful to devotion: in fact, I instinctively find crossing myself in veneration, as I would have done in church.

The hours ticked by, icon after splendid icon, in the hushed, golden lit galleries of the Joslyn Art Museum.

I so look forward to going back.


The Nativity of Christ, The Andrei Sheptitsky Lviv National Museum — The Glory the Ukraine, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska. For a larger and detail images of this icon, click this link or the image above. Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

The Nativity icons of The Glory of Ukraine

In case you find the beautiful Nativity images of the video (top of page) all too fleeting, I have included all five icons of The Nativity from The Glory of Ukraine in our Nativity Guide. They are:

You may see those larger and detail images by clicking the photos at left, or their titles. They are:

The Adoration of the Magi Festive Tier early 19th century icon, The Andrei Sheptitsky Lviv National Museum, Ukraine (also shown above).

The Adoration of the Shepherds Festive Tier late 17th century icon, The National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve, Ukraine (spanning in the middle of the page, above.)

In the early 16th century The Nativity of Christ from the Festive Tier of the Church of the Assumption in Vil' cha (present-day Poland), the reclining Mother of God rests on a red cushion (see image at left). In this "narrative" icon — many scenes are depicted as if concurrent: two handmaidens prepare the Newborn's first bath; the Magi approach with gifts; the angels announce the good news to the shepherds; and Joseph is tempted by the devil.

The surreal cave — enveloping the icon in a mystical atmosphere — is pierced in two by the Light emanating from the Heavenly Sphere, above. The ray of light culminates in the Star of Bethlehem that has come to rest above the Newborn Child wrapped in his tomb-like manger, a symbol of His Passion.

On this icon's Nativity Guide page I had to include a close-up of the endearing ox: munching away, but ever mindful of his role of warming the Babe with his breath, it's portrayed casting a-corner-of-his-eye glance towards the manger!


The Nativity of Christ, The Andrei Sheptitsky Lviv National Museum — The Glory the Ukraine, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska. (For a larger and detail images of this icon, click this link or the image above. Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

In the mid-16th century The Nativity of Christ, The Andrei Sheptitsky Lviv National Museum — The Glory the Ukraine, the cave's step-like peaks become a metaphorical stairway to heaven — redemption brought about by the Incarnation taking place below (see image, below left).

The seated Mother of God is shown engaged about to unwrap the Babe's swaddling clothes in preparation for his first bath. A handmaiden is shown dipping a little finger in the basin to make sure the water's just right.

Above the manger, two angels hold crystal orbs, and a third motions to the approaching Magi holding high their gifts.

And in a most touching tableaux, the ass and the ox — heads protruding from arched windows — seem engaged in joining the angelic chorus, eyes pointed heavenward.

Raised gold filigree adds another special touch to this marvelous depiction of The Nativity.

The mid-18th century Ukrainian Baroque icon of The Nativity of Christ (shown at left, below) was "written"in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Monastery.

Showing Western influence, the familiar scene is set in darkness pierced by three bright beams emanating from heaven, at right.

Heavenly white clouds and an engel's red cloak billow, as an older Joseph beholds the angel, and the Mother of God tenderly holds her Newborn Son in presentation.

An angelic host rests on a cloud, and, in the distance, an angel from his very own cloudy perch gives the good news to the shepherds.

These beautiful Nativity icons, of course, are only a small part of The Glory of Ukraine exhibition.


The Nativity of Christ, The National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve — The Glory the Ukraine, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska. (For a larger and detail images of this icon, click this link or the image above. Photo © Crèchemania.com.)

It would take many, many pages to even touch upon all the priceless images brought so close to home by the Joslyn Art Museum and the generosity of its sponsors.

I thank them — and Curator Toby Jurovics — from the depths of my heart, on behalf of all of you, Crèchemania afficionados, and members of the Crèche Guild.

If only you could join me for the three-hour ride to Omaha to see this extraordinary exhibition — I'd even play Dmitry Bortniansky's Hymn of the Cherubim in the car for you.

Another trip to the Joslyn

When my friends Elaine, Carla, Natalie, and I walk into the Joslyn on Saturday morning, The Glory of Ukraine galleries are not just packed with people, but also filled with music.

I smile thinking what I said on this page about everything in life happening to music, and am soon lost in a student orchestra's soaring oboe — and the glorious iconography of the Omaha World-Herald and Michael and Gail Yanney Galleries.

As I guide my friends from one exquisite Nativity icon to the next, pointing out elements of the Byzantine iconographic Canon, "The tomb-like manger alludes to Christ's Passion…" — I find myself attracting a small crowd of other visitors.

And for a moment, I'm back in my home town of Sioux City, Iowa when I was young, giving tours of my beloved Holy Trinity to patrons of the church's Grecian Dinner.

Of course, I can't visit Omaha and not have lunch at Jim and Jennie's Greek Village, or leave town without a stopping at my friend Effie's house for afternoon Greek coffee, melomakárouna, and karythópitta treats.

AYX

Whether you've seen — or won't be able to see — The Glory of Ukraine, you'll love the homonymous coffe-table catalog of the exhibition. It's filled with beautiful images and explanatory texts, and it may be ordered from: Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68102-1292; 402-342-3300; call, or visit the Joslyn, on the Web, including its Hitchcock Museum Shop. ]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=87 A Free Download — Svatava Crèche No. 5, a paper nativity to print, cut out and enjoy! http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=85 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:05:06 GMT From the gifted brush of Svatava Vizinová comes a beguiling crèche, a *Free Download... From the gifted brush of Svatava Vizinová comes a beguiling crèche, a Free Download for you to print out and assemble. Folk themes, a layering of colors, artistic playfulness, and fine rendering of lines found in podmalby — reverse-glass painting are echoed in Svatava's original crèches…


Svatava's Nativity No. 5, above — a Free Download from Crèchemania.com — echoes the Podmalby tradition —painting on the reverse side of glass — one of Svatava Vizinová's specialties. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Podmalby flowered in Bavaria, Moravia, Slovakia, and Bohemia, home to Svatava's Zábrdské Betlémy Museum.


Svatava Vizinová surrounded by her prodigious Zábrdské Betlémy paper nativity collection.

I thought I was all organized last Christmas.

A stack of Greek vintage pop-up Christmas cards were printed on heavy-weight matte paper, ready to be cut out, folded, and mailed.

But then a photo assignment took me away, and my cards are still here — ready for next year!

On top of my card list is Svatava Vizinová, my good friend who lives in the Czech Republic and runs the one-of-a-kind — Zábrdské Betlémy paper crèche Museum.

Svatava, a warm redhead who speaks in poetic English, calls home the small village of Zabrdí, Bohemia, site of her Zábrdské Betlémy Museum.

Bands of light yellow provide the only touch of color to this two-story, off-white stucco building. Who could guess, without seeing the small Zabrdské Betlémy sign outside, that it houses a colorful world of hundreds —probably thousands — of paper nativities?

I entered that world even before my trip to Zabrdí, through the eloquent letters of Svatava. "I have been living here for four years," she writes in one, "from morning to night I am working cutting out cribs, little figures, cut polysterene, glue on carton boxes, scissors, pins. And I am very happy."

Have carton boxes ever been put to better use? They house Svatava's nativity dioramas that stretch — in neat rows seven-high — the length and breadth of [B]Zábrdské Betlémy's second floor.

I've been wanting to share my wonderful trip to Svatava's world and Museum with you, and have created a short video, so you can feel that you are paying Svatava a visit yourself. I watch it often myself, and it transports me to Svatava's magical world.

It's a always a great pleasure hearing from Svatava, and her latest note a few days ago was no exception.


*Svatava Vizinová with the Virgin and Child, one of her original podmalby* works on glass.**

Dear Alexis,

"I have not heard from you for a while (and the same you from me...), so I must remedy that with this letter.

"In year 2010 I worked very hard, and in my collection I have 400-450 new crèches. (Who could count them more precicely?)

"Ewerywhere are cribs...And, I remember your question when you were here: "Where will you put any new crèches?"

"And I can hear my answer: "If the God gives me a new crib, He will certainly also give me a place for it."

"Sancta simplicitas! [Holy Simplicity! (How simple is that!)]

"Well, I was mistaken.

"There are now even more drawers full of crèches, from the whole world — and no place where to put them all. I thought I have great house, I have not: it's not nearly large enough!

"Shall I start cutting them out? One has almost 1,350 figures, 10-30cm [4-11 inches] high. But where would I put them?

"So I decided to paint my own cribs. In my head are some ideas I am seeing, that I must paint.

"When you were here, you saw my first experiments. And for a long time I was thinking to give them to you to share with our nativity friends on Crèchemania.

"You know I am a beginner (as I ever will be!). But I have been painting them with love and from heart. So I am sending them to you for all theenthusiasts. Maybe somebody will like them, download them, and enjoy them.

"Of course I want to offer them as Free Downloads. (Do You remember, you tought me these words.)

"I had a great problems with my computer. On the end I must to bought a new one...I MUST to have a computer...the world is coming to Zábrdíthrough PC...

As I write, I have in my kitchen three new energetic red cats: Balthasar, Melchior, Caspar. (Better names for them might be Al Capone, Jack the Ripper, and so on — but I love them.) They are sleeping now, like little babies.

"My dogs, Max and Gaia, are old but living in full health...

"The winter was strong this year, but I had lots of wood, so it was a good time for all us in the house.

"But, visitor-wise, last year was not very good. Everywhere in museums, galleries, theaters were only few visitors. The same here in Zabrdí as well.

"An exposition in Germany included 50 of podmalby pictures on glass. But the organizers reported only few visitors there as well.


Joseph, Virgin and Child, Gloria Angel — one of three sheets from Svatava Vizinová's beguiling Nativity No. 5, available as a Free Download from Crèchemania.com.

"I hope you had a good year. And I am waiting for your news. Alexis, please send your email twice:I will send this mail two times (to be sure you receive it). Please, do the same. Some emails to me never arrive. Some where along the way there is living some monster and devouring them… Who knows?

"I wish to you only good and pleasant things coming into your days."

— Svatava

I'm delighted to share Svatava's beguiling paper nativities with you, starting with Svatava Vizinová Crèche No. 5. (Other lovely crèches from her gifted brush will follow.)

I know you'll enjoy them as much as you have the Svatava Nativity and Perola Advertising Sheet Free Downloads from her prodigious collection.

Thanks, Svatava! (Smile.)

Svatava Crèche No. 5 Free Download

You'll also enjoy browsing Svatava's Zábrdské Betlémy pages, visiting her Papírové Betlémy Web site, not love seeing her Museum: Zábrdské Betlémy, Zábrdí 1, 38421 p. Husinec, Czech Republic. ]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=85 Rose and Transept Window of The Nativity, Sacred Heart Church, Toledo, Ohio http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=84 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 21:20:07 GMT Thank you, Sister Virginia Welsh, for guiding me to the Sacred Heart Church and its magnificent window of The Nativity; Royce Wicks, for opening the... Thank you, Sister Virginia Welsh, for guiding me to the Sacred Heart Church and its magnificent window of The Nativity; Royce Wicks, for opening the doors of the church and sharing your appreciation of its sacred art; Mike Snyder, for sharing your love for your church; and Father Frank Eckart, for sharing the true meaning of The Nativity…

Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Toledo, Ohio — a magnificent Nativity unfolds in three panels, crowned by the Star of Bethlehem and a brilliant Rose window. The symbols of the Evangelists Matthew and Mark — an angel and a winged lion — are found at each bottom corner of the Rose window, and on the bottom of The Nativity Window an inscription testifying to the faith of Julius Compte and Family, who donated this glorious sacred art to the Church. A smaller inscription, at bottom right of The Annunciation window, credits the gifted artists: "Emil Frei Art Glass Co., St. Louis, Mo, Munich, Ger'y."


It's a miracle that Sacred Heart Church, Toledo, Ohio, still stands after a devastating 1975 fire.

I've just taken the Cherry/Main Street Bridge over the Maumee River and crossed into East Toledo, en route to The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church on 6th and Oswald Streets.

The Sacred Heart central bell tower is flanked by turrets, all topped by copper domes. Their rich oxidized copper green is echoed by the color of the front doors, which are framed by honey-colored columns and a semi-circular carved arch.

But I find them locked, so I walk down the center steps — the side stairs have been turned into parterres — and head for the Rectory next door.

It's getting late in the day as I knock on the door, and I'm happy to have Sacred Heart Music and Liturgy Director Royce Wicks open it.

"Hello," I say, introducing myself. "Sister Virginia Welsh, from St. Martin de Porres sents me."

I had just left St. Martin de Porres after photographing its Nativity — a small but beautiful stained glass window — and on my way out was fortunate to run into Sister Virginia, OSF/T, St. Martin de Porres Pastoral Leader.

I talked with Sister Virginia about St. Martin de Porres' ministerial outreach — her Parish is named after the 16th century Peruvian Saint who ministered to the poor — and was touched by her eloquence and commitment. And most grateful to have her tell me about the large large Sacred Heart window of The Nativity.

Sister Virginia was so right: the Sacred Heart Nativity is not only large, but magnificent, taking up the whole right-trancept of the church. The Nativity unfolds in three panels, and is topped by the Star of Bethlehem and a brilliant rose window in blues, reds, greens, and golds (see photo, top of page).

"Isn't it superb?" I say to Royce, who was kind enough to open the church for me. "Emil Frei; what a gifted artist."

"It surprises me that you are looking at the window of The Nativity and identified the maker," Royce says. "How did you know?"

I tell Royce that The Expulsion from Eden window was my clue. I knew I had seen this powerful image of the Lord God before: at The Most Holy Trinity, in St. Louis, Missouri.


And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? Genesis 3:9 — A powerful image from The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden stained glass window by Emil Frei, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Toledo, Ohio.

But Emil Frei's great artistry created in the Sacred Heart Expulsion from Eden a window that only distantly echoes, not copies, that of The Most Holy Trinity: Adam might be cowering on the ground, and Eve may be trying to cover her nakedness with a goat pelt, but the similarities end there. The Lord God is surrounded by golden rays and stars, and clad in deep blue damask, not in a halo of fire and depicted in green and gold with pomegranate motifs, as at the Most Holy Trinity.

The apparition of the Virgin at upper right shows the Mother of God with hands crossed, not holding the Christ Child. Beneath the feet of the Lord, a rocky ground has been replaced by an exotic landscape of bright flowers and birds. And even the hissing Serpent, its coils twisted around a tree, is rendered more ominous by its exposed fangs.

"You are absolutely right," Royce says, as he walks towards the left side of the church. He stands under The Annunciation window, and points at a small inscription at bottom right. "Here's Emil Frei's name."

In small capital letters is written, "EMIL FREI ART GLASS CO., ST. LOUIS, MO, MUNICH, GER'Y."

"When we renovated the church in 2003," Royce says, "we created wider side aisles by moving the pews closer together towoards the center. This allowed people to walk directly underneath the Stations of the Cross and the stained glass windows.

"Because art is as inspirational as music. Art enriches your faith; art can lead you to your faith, if you allow it — just like music, or a speaker who can move you to a faith experience."

As I start to shoot, I ask Royce what is it like creating music in this beautiful church?

"It's a privilege" Royce says. "It's a give and take between the choir, the music director, and the congregation. All of it comes into play, and it's especially wonderful if everything works together and people feel inspired.

"Music is always a challenge, because I want things to be perfect. Sometimes, I'll get that perfection very late at night, when I'm here alone and certain pieces will come together, it's nice when it all comes together."

Does Royce find inspiration in the stained glass windows?

"Yes, and I didn't realize how much so, until seven years ago, when we were installing the sound system. For half hour at a time, I had the lucky job of doing for for the sound technicians the, "Testing 1, 2, 3," at the microphone.

"It was very boring, as you can imagine, but as I was doing that, it was as though I was looking at the windows for the first time, recognizing how detailed they are: the shading, the highlights, the nuances of color. This is not just a palette of eight colors, but one of forty or more.

"Even now I see something new: watching you photograph The Annunciation and mentioning the lilies, it was the first time that I noticed that those lilies were there. Every element in those windows has been so beautifully thought through. We're so fortunate the fire didn't destroy them…"


You could not guess, seeing the renovated church, that a 1975 fire almost destroyed it — Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Toledo, Ohio, renovated with the guidance of former Pastor Frank Eckart and the volunteer work of parishioners.

A few months had gone by since my visit to the Sacred Heart of Jesus when I received a note from Mike Snyder, Volunteer Fireman, and member of the Sacred Heart Maintenance Committee.

"I heard from Royce Wicks about your visit at Sacred Heart of Jesus in Toledo, Ohio. Have you posted anything about that visit or photos? Please let me know."

Mike also sent me two booklets with historical Sacred Heart photographs and, of course, an account of the fire of 1975.

"We don't know how the fire started," Mike Snyder says from his home, a couple of miles from Sacred Heart.

"My wife Judy was baptized at Sacred Heart, and I've been a convert since 1959. Judy and I and my in-laws offered donuts and coffee that Sunday, and we got a call about six o' clock Monday morning that the church was on fire.

"We live nearby, rushed down, and just couldn't believe my eyes. I was a volunteer fireman, having joined the department in 1959, have seen first hand what destruction fire can cause. So I was so thankful to see that the church was still standing. There was a fire station on Sixth Street, a bout a quarter mile away, so the fire engines were close and were able to respond quickly.

When the firemen allowed us, and other parishioners who had gathered, to go inside, we found the main altar gone; up on the choir loft our beautiful Kilgen Organ was totally destroyed; along the side aisles we were picking up wall sconses that fell down when the solder on their bases melted; and as we walked downstairs, water was coming through the floor onto the basement ceiling.

But the fire was out, thanks to our wonderful firefighters who didn't chop a lot of holes into the church, but managed to get in and put out the fire. It was thought to have started in the altar area. Our main altar looked like marble, but was made of wood — and it went up in smoke. As the heat rose, it traveled across the curved ceiling to the choir loft — in what firemen call a roll-over — destroying the organ and scattering metal pipes all over the choir loft floor.

"Thankfully, the fire did not destroy any of the stained glass windows, except two in the apse of the altar, which had to be replaced.

"It was a miracle. Had the fire not been detected and burned into the attic, it would have been a disaster. If all those wooden beams had caught on fire, the church would have burned down. It's amazing when you see that picture of the truck with its 85-foot ladder reaching over the roof.


St. Joseph, holding the Child Jesus and a lily, signifying innocence, and the Virgin Mary — Chapel of the Holy Family, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Toledo, Ohio.

"The Parish came together, and began to rebuild. Some of us were mopping the floor, others pumping water out of the basement using portable generators. Most of the renovation work was done by volunteers, as it has always been the case over the years in the Parish.

"So it was no different during the renovation, in 2003, under the pastoral guidance of Father Frank Eckart: With his guidance, we preserved as much as possible, and build a new: a new altar, and a parish gathering space in the back of the church, underneath the choir loft. we were taking out radiators, moving pews around on skids, laying down paneling and tile, and painting.

"And it all, Thank the Lord, worked out so nice."

Mike, who retired from GM in 1993, is saddened by the economic downturn that has driven away jobs — and people.

"At our transmission plant," he says, "we used to cast and machine all our parts. We had about 4,500 people working there, and now it's down to 1,500. So that was big job cut. We do have the Jeep plant here in Toledo, and that helps. But we used to have a large Libby Owens Ford glass factory that used to make all the glass for automobiles and plate glass for windows, but that is down to very few people now as well.

"We're hoping things have bottomed out, but it all depends on the economy."

But the economic downturn hasn't stopped the good people of Sacred Heart from digging deep in their pockets.

"We did spent quite a bit of money," Mike says, "to protect the stained glass windows with exterior panels. We'd like to do more of them, but it's an expensive process. One parishioner offered $4,000 in memory of his late wife to clean,refurbish, and protect The Nativity window, and its beauty once again shines through.

"The builders of the Sacred Heart really have left us a priceless legacy: it's really amazing to start at the far right-hand side of the church and see the beginning, Adam and Eve in the Garden, and work your way around: Jesus at the Temple, Jesus in the Workshop with Joseph, the Wedding at Cana, The Resurrection window.

"They are such beautiful windows, made even more beautiful when you contemplate their meaning. I sing in the choir with Royce Wicks, and sometimes when we're practicing in the early evening, and the sun is setting on the West, it comes through The Resurrection window and it's very moving. Sunday morning, to see the sun coming through The Nativity window, it's just awesome. I'm so proud of Sacred Heart.

"By the way: when are you coming back through Toledo? Royce and I will take you to Tony Packos.

"Have you heard of the famous Tony Packos Hungarian hot dogs? Remember Mash? Corporal Klinger? He was from Toledo, and he always talked about the Toledo Mudhens, which is our baseball team, and Tony Packos hot dogs. St. Stephen's, our sister parish, and Tony Packos share a parking lot. I was just there for supper. They have a secret recipe, and, all over the walls, on mounted plaques, hot dog buns signed by different celebrities.

"And, don't forget about Father Frank Eckart, our Pastor from 1996 to 2010, when he retired. You must talk to him!"


All are welcome at the manger — Kings of the East mingle with poor shepherds in this detail of the magnificent window of The Nativity, by Emil Frei, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Toledo, Ohio.

The meaning of The Nativity

"Hello Alexis," says the Rev. Frank Eckart. "Mike Snyder mentioned you. You were photographing The Nativity window at Sacred Heart?"

I have reached Father Frank at his Toledo apartment, and am delighted to have him kindly take the time to share his thoughts about the sacred art of the church he served for fourteen years.

"There are statues of Mary and Joseph in the Holy Family Chapel, and Saints Peter and Paul in the vestibule," Father Frank says. "But The Nativity and other stained glass windows comprise the main iconography of the Sacred Heart Church.

"It's all about the life of Christ, throughout the windows, with the two main ones The Nativity and The Resurrection in the transepts."

Father Frank, I was surprised to find The Nativity in the East. I would have expected the Resurrection…

"Nothing is North, South, East, and West — everything's at an angle in Toledo!" Father Frank says with laughter.

A look at the Toledo map proves Father Frank's point. But I also offer another perspective, reciting a stanza from the Orthodox Hymn of The Nativity: I Gennisis Sou Christe o Theos, Aneteille to Kosmo to Fos to tis Gnoseos… (Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, Has illumined the world like the Light of Wisdom).


Emil Frei's artistry is on full display in this detail of the Archangel Gabriel, The Annunciation stained glass window, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Toledo, Ohio.

Then I ask Father Frank about the meaning of The Nativity.

"The Gospels," he says, "have different significance for The Nativity.

Luke emphasizes — and I like Luke's Gospel — Jesus being born among the poor and the shepherds.

Matthew emphasizes Christ's Kingship with the Three Kings.

And John emphasizes the Incarnation: the Word became flesh.

"Three different approaches — and all reveal something unique of the richness of The Nativity. You can look at it from different angles.

"Birth is always the very human symbol of new life. Jesus chose to come as an infant, and a new life — a new age — begins with The Nativity. So it's significant in that way. Luke's Gospel, I think, sets the stage with his whole prologue — which is The Nativity and The Annunciation — really giving us insight into what the mission of Jesus is, as Mary's prayer says: to bring good news to the poor, lift up the lowly, bring down the haughty.

And her response is the response of all of us: 'Your Will Be Done.'

"The Nativity is really a miniature Gospel about who God is, what His mission is, what should the response be of people to Him.

"All of these things are found in The Nativity, but, unfortunately, in our culture, we sometimes get caught up with giving presents. And the true meaning of The Nativity gets somewhat overlooked."

Maybe the Greeks have the right idea of giving presents after Christmas?

"I have always liked that idea. And Christmas is really the first day of Christmas — not the last day of Christmas. The last day of Christmas is January 6th. But in our culture, by December 26th everything's over, and the stores move on to whatever's next.

"It's unfortunate that we don't see Christmas as a season, rather than a day. And all the Christmas parties are before Christmas, when they should be after Christmas Day.

"Of course, you're not going to change all that, but I do like the Orthodox thought that Christmas just begins the Christmas Season."

Father, as you know, in Byzantine iconography, the icon of The Nativity doesn't just represent the promise of salvation that Birth of Christ represents, but it also — with its tomb-like manger — presages His Passion.

"I'm not as versed in iconography, but I do know that it's all very symbolic, and imbued in the painting is not just the picture of the scene, but the mystery behind it.

"For example, I have an icon of The Trinity, that expresses the mystery of The Trinity."

Is it the Rublev Trinity?

"Yes, three angels around a table. I went to Russia a couple of years ago. We visited a lot of churches, and I was surprised how many people — old and young people — were praying in front of the icons. Really, it was a meditation: they'd be there for half-and-hour, forty-five minutes, praying in front of an icon. Beautiful.

"I realize iconography tries not to just show an image, but also to portray something deeper — the mystery. Sometimes, Western Art doesn't do that. In Renaissance art everyone is dressed up like Renaissance princes, and everyone is wearing fancy clothes."

Not to mention the princes themselves playing a part in the scene. Father, do you remember your reaction the first time you walked into the Sacred Heart for the first time?


Detail of the glorious window of The Resurrection, left transept, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Toledo, Ohio.

"I served 14 years at Sacred Heart, and I was amazed. I had never been in The Sacred Heart until I was assigned as pastor. It was in rather poor condition when I came, and I loved putting the altar where the cruciform cross of the church meets.

"Facing out towards the people as you celebrate Mass, you see the windows, the life of Jesus: from His Birth, all the way around, reliving the life of Jesus, to The Resurrection. It's a very symbolic church that way, and perhaps one of the under-appreciated churches in Toledo."

The Centennial 1883-1983 booklet that Mike Snyder sent me states that the estimated value of the stained glass is in the millions. Even when they were ordered, in 1914, the cost was $12,000 — what must have been a princely sum then. What does that say about the faith of the immigrants who built Sacred Heart?

"You cannot build that church today. The craftsmanship, for one thing, isn't there anymore. But even if it were, the cost of building a church like Sacred Heart is not something that could be duplicated. You could, if you were building a cathedral and the whole diocese was behind it, but not with 60 to 100 families you couldn't do it.

"And you're amazed that people were able to do that in 1900, when they weren't that prosperous, were immigrants, didn't have a lot of wealth. It's so amazing, sometimes, the churches they built. I travel a lot and I always spend a lot of time visiting churches. And I'm always inspired by these buildings that — like these European churches — took 100 years to build.

"It's the kind of faith that says, 'I won't see the end of it, but maybe my great-, great-, great-grandchildren will. But I'll do whatever I can now, even though I won't see it finished.' I think that is indicative of great faith. Because, nowadays, we want something done right away."

"And I must tell you about the last renovation of the Sacred Heart, that you saw. I was so happy, because it was the people of the Parish who did most of the work. We hired someone whom we knew was a good carpenter, but a lot of the work — like refinishing the pews and painting — was done by the parishioners. It was a wonderful experience renovating the church.

"Some people think when you renovate you destroy, but that wasn't the case at Sacred Heart at all. The fire caused a lot of destruction, but people have a great appreciation for the church because they worked on it.
I'm glad to do it.

"I'm now retired, but I sometimes say Mass at different parishes, and it gives me the chance to visit a new church almost every weekend, which I find interesting. I like the chance to go out and visit different communities, different parishes.

I have just visited and blogged about the Cathedral Christ the Light, in Oakland? Light creates the principal iconography in the church.

"I'll have to check that. I am not one who wants us to keep building Romanesque churches: there's good modern art. Especially in Europe, you see some very interesting churches which are pretty modern. Sometimes the use of glass is very impressive.

"Have you seen Quigley seminary, near the Cathedral, in Chicago? They have a chapel that's an exact duplicate of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. It's amazing, unbelievable. If you get to Chicago again, you must go there."

I've just added Quigley seminary to the itinerary of my trip East later this summer. I look forward to visiting Toledo again, meeting Mike Snyder, and sharing a hot dog with him and Royce Wicks. And, who knows? Perhaps even Father Frank Eckart may be a Tony Packos fan — I would love to talk with him about the churches he has visited.

In Toledo? Visit the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, 6th and Oswald, Toledo, Ohio 43605; 419-698-1664. ]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=84 A Cuzco School Nativity — The Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland, California http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=83 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 21:03:19 GMT Concrete, metal, glass, and wood may be the building blocks of Oakland's 21st century Cathedral, but these most basic of materials are transformed by natural light into an ethereal, spiritual, space. Shepherded by then Oakland's Bishop Vigneron and designed by a gifted group of San Francisco architects headed by Craig Hartman, The Cathedral of Christ the Light stands as a testament to faith and divinely-inspired design…


Like the ribs of a biblical arc, the wood latticework of The Cathedral of Christ the Light envelops you, and ethereal light not only infuses the church with spirituality, but creates the Cathedral's primary iconography — an almost 60-foot-high apparition of Christ in Majesty from Chartres Cathedral.


The Omega Window of The Cathedral of Christ the Light, facing Okland's Harrison Street, illuminates the image of Christ in Majesty (see photo, below).

A storm that threatens to bring rain to the Bay Area is still far off at sea, and the Cathedral of Christ the Light shimmers in the morning light as if clad in a glass veil.

The round Cathedral tapers towards the top, and a slice taken out of its in its outer skin facing Harrison Street creates a recess featuring an arched window-like structure, (see photo, left). The Cathedral rises from a concrete podium, with two sets of steps circling around it. I take the one on the left, find myself on the Cathedral Plaza level, and proceed to walk around the Cathedral perimeter towards the entrance.

It is marked with the words, set in the pavement, "I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved," (John 10:9), and two cornerstones: on the left, "St. Francis de Sales, Sept. 13, 1891," (Oakland's Cathedral damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and subsequently demolished), and on the right with a dedication: "Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, [To the Greater Glory of God] The Cathedral of Christ the Light, September 25, 2008, Anno Domini."

Two large wooden doors, set apart by panels of clear glass, are incised by two intersecting circles that overlap when the doors are closed, create the outline of a fish, echoing the shape of the "window" I saw from Harrison Street, and the one just above the entrance.

Through the doors, the low ceiling of the Cathedral narthex gives way to the soaring height of the sanctuary. Like the ribs of a biblical arc, the wood latticework of The Cathedral of Christ the Light envelops you, and light — diffused, opaque, translucent, filtered — fills the Cathedral and illuminates the spirit (see photo, top of page).

Light not only infuses the Cathedral with spirituality, but creates its most visible iconography — an almost 60-foot high image of Christ in Majesty from Chartres Cathedral that seems to float like an eerie apparition above the altar. It's Christós Pantocrator (Christ the All Powerful), painted with light, not "written" (as icons are said to be) in the tempera of Byzantine iconography, or carved in stone as in European Cathedral.

In this image, the Lord holds high His right hand in blessing, and with His left, the Gospel. In front of me flash the words I have seen written on that Gospel in Byzantine icons of Christ Pantocrator: Εγώ Ειμί Το Φως Του Κόσμου· ο Ακολουθών Ειμί Ου Μη Περιπατήσει Εν Τη Σκωτία, Αλλ' Έξει το Φως Της Ζωής. "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

In awe, I'm drawn towards this image of Christ, and begin to walk down the center aisle. But a dark-suited security guard catches up with me and whispers, "We'll have a communion orientation in a moment; would you please use the side aisle?"


The powerful image of Christ in Majesty, from Chartres Cathedral — light, and 94,000 perforations of varying size, a connection between the church's Medieval past and the 21st century

Of course. My feet veer to the left, but my eyes stay focused straight ahead. An amplified voice welcomes parishioners who'll be assisting with communion during Mass, but it's falling on deaf ears, because my eyes are filled with wonder.

I'm now back at the baptismal font, and about to start walking on the curving outside aisle of the Cathedral when I notice a priest standing among a small group of people. I introduce myself to Father Raymond Sacca, the Cathedral Rector, who explains that he's about to address the orientation. Seeing my reaction to the figure of Christ floating in mid-air, he says, "It's Christ in Majesty, from Chartres Cathedral, painted by light, shining through 94,000 pixels of various sizes." What a fitting connection for a 21st century Cathedral to the Medieval tradition of the Church! (See image, below left).

Before walking towards the altar to join the orientation, Father Ray takes the time to show me the Cathedral's St. John's Bible. It's an extraordinary, large-format edition, filled with beautiful illustrations and calligraphic sacred texts issued by St. John's University, St. Joseph, Minnesota.

When I look back up, the image of Christ seems to move and change. As I walk, the light seems to slightly shift — did a wispy cloud go by overhead? — and the image of Christ becomes more visible, in subtle shades of light and shadow (see image, below left). The image of Christ seems to be in motion, looking so much like a 3-dimensional hologram, not holes of varying size through silver aluminum panels.

The background shape of this Chartres image also brings into focus other Cathdral shapes I've been noticing — the East and West "windows," the entrance door circle inscriptions, the Cathedral ceiling. I recognize them as vesica piscis, the almond shape in the middle of two overlapping circles with the outside edge of each reaching the center of the other. Take a look at the Chartres image, below left, and you'll see this shape enclosing the figure of Christ.

Vesica piscis is also known by the Italian word for almond, mandorla, and it often encloses the image of Christ in Majesty, as it does in Chartres. It's an ancient symbol, but in Christian symbolism it stands for the coming together — in Christ — of the spiritual and earthly spheres — the divine and the human.

Although the term vesica piscis literally translates from the Latin as "fish bladder," the Greek word for fish, ΙΧΘΥΣ, icthys, is the reason for vesica piscis' association with Christianity: The Greek ΙΧΘΥΣ is also an acrostic for Ιησούς Χριστός, Θεού Υιός, Σωτήρ (Iesoús Christós, Theoú Yiós, Sotér — Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.

And, although not yet evident to me amidst all of this syllogism, the very shape of The Cathedral of Christ the Light is a vesica piscis! But more about that, in a moment.


*Christ in Majesty, from the portal of Chartres Cathedral, framed by a vesica piscis, the intersection of two circles representing the spiritual sphere intersecting that of earth.*

Lost in thought, working through all of this, I realize that I've walked all around the sanctuary a couple of times, and find myself by the flowing baptismal font once again.

I take out my camera and, and standing in front of the baptismal font, I begin to shoot, not quite knowing what I'm going to do with all of these incredible images. I'm may be in search of The Nativity, after all, but feel compelled to try and capture the beauty of The Cathedral of Christ the Light.

As I walk around again, I notice the bronze relief plaques of the Stations of the Cross set low on the wall, so that they can be touched by the faithful. And above them, all around the Cathedral, silver candelabras are suspended by silver chains, the name of an Apostle engraved on their silver rectangular base. The each hold a single candle — that no doubt is never needed in daylight — visual allusions to the Light of the World.

I'm almost half-way around the Cathedral again — the side aisle gently rises past, and in the back of, the altar — when I see it: a side chapel, filled with large paintings.

This chapel is lit by a slit cut into the concrete wall on the right corner, and another, larger one, cut at its circular base. But a knee wall prevents direct light from flooding the chapel, and it seems slip over the concrete barrier, like the fog I saw the day before flowing over the Golden Gate Bridge. The chapel — and the paintings — glow with indirect light.

Set in gold-toned frames, the paintings depict, starting at the far right, Jesus at the Temple, The Return from Egypt, The Circumcision, and — could it be? Really? — The Nativity!

I can't believe my eyes or my good luck. I sit down in one of the wooden stools to admire the beautiful art: fanciful, fresh, innocent — almost naïve one might say, but in a most charming manner — but what a spectacular interpretation it is, nevertheless! The Virgin tenderly covers the slumbering Child with a lacy veil, surrounded by a carpet of flowers, shepherds, and St. Joseph, who leans over a wall, holding a lily.

I have admired such paintings before, during my trip to Peru, especially in Cuzco's Cathedral of Santo Domingo. In the ancient capital of the Incas, I even bought two Escuela Cuzqueña (Cuzco School) angels from an artist in an open air market.

The Cuzco School tradition, originating with the 1534 Conquest, brought European artistic tradition to local Quechua artists who made it their own with the use of earth colors, bright yellows and reds, a lack of perspective, and the use of exotic backgrounds. In fact, The Nativity is practically filled with flowers and colorful birds perched on lush forests.

Swirling among the clouds above, a banner exclaims, "GLORIA YNEX CEL SIS DEO." It's Latin with a Spanish flavor (see image, below).


The Adoration of the Shepherds, Chapel of the Holy Family, Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland California — "This Roman Catholic art of the Cuzco School dates from 1650," explains docent Carminda Gutierrez. "It's a combination of the art of the indigenous people of Peru, mixed with the influence of the Spanish Masters who arrived after the Conquest."


My companion in search of The Nativity in the Bay Area, friend Terri Carlson, admiring the Cuzco School paintings in the Chapel of the Holy Family, The Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland, California.

The storm that has been threatening rain has reached shore as I drive the 40 miles back to Oakland from my base in San Jose. I'm here on business, but the inclement weather has cancelled my shoot, and I'm on my way for my second Cathedral visit accompanied by my friend Terri Carlson who's as excited to see the Cathedral as I am. After all, I have been talking to her about nothing else for a couple of hours.

Terri, wanting a respite from what she calls the Midwest Tundra, joins me in my Bay Area search of The Nativity. And, given the rainy weather, she doesn't mind being confined indoors, enjoying the sacred art I'm photographing.

But the days are short, and it's great fun having Terri to talk about it all over dinner in Little Italy instead of having my usual chocolate milk and banana alone in my hotel room while backing up my images.

Terri and I park the car in the Cathedral garage on 21st Street, take the elevator upstairs to the plaza, and run for the Cathedral entrance through the pouring rain.

The Cathedral may be enveloped by dark clouds, but, inside, light fills the sanctuary: softer, muted, to be sure, but glorious, marvelous light nevertheless. The broken rays that a few days ago snuck through the Douglas fir ribs to sprinkle on the red oak pews may be absent today (see photo, top of page), but what does it matter? The Cathedral still feels ethereal, the image of Christ even more pronounced and no less inspiring.

Terri and I linger for a while in the Holy Family Chapel. She loves the Cuzco School paintings, and has her photo taken with The Nativity. The only reason we leave the chapel as the clock nears five, is because I don't want to find the Cathedral bookstore closed as I did before.

The bookstore is well stocked (I'm delighted to find Art of the Creche: Nativities from Around the World by James L. Govan) and my selections — books, a rosary, a Greek icon — are on the glass case in front of the checkout when I notice a painting hanging on the wall.


Cathedral of Christ the Light Docent Carminda Gutierrez stopped by to pray — and ended up giving a private tour.

"Excuse me; do you know the name of this style of painting from Peru?"

The sales clerk thinks for a moment, but, like me, she cannot come up with the name.

That's when a woman with short brown hair, brown eyes, in a brown coat approaches us, saying, "It's from the School of Cuzco," spelling the word, "C, u, z, c, o.

"Actually, it's a combination of the art of the indigenous people of Peru, mixed with the influence of the Spanish Masters who came to Peru and mixed with the Dutch Masters, who influenced the Spanish Masters who taught the people of Cuzco how to do this particular kind of painting.

"The way you an tell that this is a Cuzco School painting is by the flora, the fauna, the colorfully lush birds in the background, the very delicate lace at the edge of the painting."

We have the great good fortune to run into Carminda Gutierrez, a Cathedral Docent who stopped by to pray on her way home from work and doesn't know that, at this late hour, she's just might be asked for a private tour.

My digital tape recorder at the ready, I ask if we may move to a corner of the store? I don't want people's voices to obscure our docent's impromptu exegesis.

"Of course," says Carminda, and I explain my devotion to The Nativity. Can she tell me anything at all about the Cathedral's Cuzco School paintings?

"There are four paintings in the Chapel of the Holy family," Carminda says, "from about 1650. Would you like to walk there while we talk about them?"

Would I? You can hear our dash acrross the wet plaza in the sound of wind and rain in my recording. But soon we're in the empty Cathedral, save for the security guard at the front entrance.

"So this is the Chapel of the Holy Family," Carminda says. "These four paintings date from the 1650s. The Cathedral obtained them from an art dealer in New Mexico, but they originated in Peru. This style of painting is called the School of Cuzco, and the master of this school of painting was Diego Quispe Tito.

"This style of painting is indigenous to the people of Peru, influenced by the Spanish masters who came over from Europe, and those Spanish masters were influenced by the Dutch masters. So there really are three kinds of styles in these paintings.


The Adoration of the Shepherds — Detail showing the earth colors and rich embroidery, hallmarks of the Cuzco School. (The Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland, California.)

"The first painting is The Adoration of the Shepherds, but we know it as The Nativity. You can tell it's a Peruvian painting from the shepherd's Peruvian hat. And you can tell that it's the style of the School of Cuzco, from the flowers that you find all over, and the colorful birds you see perched on the roof and the woods.

"The second painting is The Circumcision, the third, The Return from Egypt, and the fourth, Jesus at the Temple. In every single one of these paintings you have Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. And apart from the flowers and birds you see in the paintings, you'll also see the very delicate embroidery lace that is painted at the ends of the robes.

"You also see St. Joseph holding a bouquet of lilies, which is the symbol for innocence.

"These paintings are old, but behind you, these two statues are new, commissioned for the Cathedral and created by Luis Mora, a Guadalupe artist. The first is the Immaculata, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and, to go with the theme of the Holy Family, we have St. Joseph holding the Baby Jesus. They are cedar wood, primed with gesso, so that painting and gold guilding can be applied. Aren't they beautiful?"

Would Carminda care to share a bit about herself?

"Me? I'm Portuguese, made in Hong Kong, from a place called Macao, a Portuguese colony," she offers with a smile.

How did she become a docent?

"When the Cathedral first opened, there was an announcement in my parish church that they were looking for docents. EVer since I first came, I have absolutely loved the Cathedral."

What did it feel like walking in for the first time?


On the lower, street level, in the Mausoleum of The Cathedral of Christ the Light, stained glass windows from the earthquake-damaged Oakland Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales are set in alabaster-like walls.

"When I first saw it being built, in the middle of a parking lot, I thought why here? No one is going to come to Mass. Then, as it rose, I thought it too modern. But then I saw the light — when I trained to become a docent, and learned about all the theological symbolism, I truly understood it to be such a beautiful, sacred place.

"Some people say, 'There are no statues around the Cathedral, it looks so bare.' But the architect, Craig Hartman of the San Francisco firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill — he won the American Institute of Architects Design Award for his Cathedral plan, and has also designed the International Terminal of the San Francisco Airport, and the U.S. Embassy in Beijing — wanted our focus to be on the altar. You've noticed that even the pews curve around the altar?

"But the beauty of this place is the shape of the Cathedral. When you first enter, it looks like Noah's Arc, because of all the wood louvers. But it may not be evident that the architect designed it in the shape of a fish, because a fish stand for…"

ICTHYS: Iesoús Christós Theoú Iós Sotér…

"Yes; you know! "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior." We have a picture to show people that the acronym for the Greek word for fish says that. But also, the shape of the Cathedral comes from sacred geometry, and it means that you're in a holy place. When you intersect two circles, what's in the center is the vesica piscis, and that's the shape of the fish. It's a shape found in the natural world.

"Over the baptismal font, you have the shape of the vesica piscis; over the congregation, the ceiling is the shape of the vesica piscis; and behind the altar, the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, is in the shape of the vesica piscis."

We are in the center aisle of the Cathedral now and Carminda looks up at the image of Christ. "This image was taken from Chartres Cathedral, in France," she says. "They laser-cut 94,000 holes into those aluminum panels, one- to an eighth-of an inch wide, angled in different directions to allow natural light to paint that image — the first time this technology has been used in this manner. We need to credit the designer, Lonny Insrael, of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. On an overcast day, like today, the image of Christ is sharpest. When it's sunny, you can still see it, but it's much brighter."

Carminda turns around and looks above the Cathedral entrance. "That window faces the East," she says. "It's called the Alpha Window, and stands for the beginning of time. That's why some of those petal-like panels are open, signifying dawn. The sun rises and travels to the Omega Window — the end of time. The Day of Judgement — Christ in Majesty. Isn't wonderful how Bishop Vigneron and the architects thought everything out?"

We're almost out the door when Carminda says, "You have to come back for Mass. It's so beautiful. You have to hear the organ. It has 5,298 pipes, and it was donated to the Cathedral by a single family. It's glorious. They hand-carried each pipe in, let it get used to the environment after the organ was assembled — and they cancelled all the tours, so it could be very quiet when they tuned it."

Terri! She's waiting for us just inside the entrance, and hands me a shopping bag with all my purchases that she bought for me before the bookstore closed. What a wonderful friend! I'll have to come up with an extra-special place for dinner tonight. Maybe the Spinnaker, in Sausalito, overlooking the Bay?

But right now it's time to say goodbye, and "Thank You!" to Carminda. As she walks away to take the BART she asks, "Have you seen the Mausoleum, downstairs? It's so beautiful, peaceful. I don't know where I'm going to be — another state? Another country? — when I die. But when I saw this Mausoleum I said, 'This is my future home.' I have a spot there.

"And you have to see the stained glass windows! They're from the original church of St. Francis de Sales."


The Mausoleum of The Cathedral of Christ the Light is infused with golden light that seems to penetrate through the alabaster-like walls.

As Terri and I walk downstairs, to the street level, the timelessness of running water echoes in the Mausoleum. Past the marvelous bronze Pietá, a long corridor leads straight ahead, terminating in a semi-circular, contemplative chapel with an altar and a Crucifix.

The altar is from the St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, lit by natural light emanating from a circular opening above. The Crucifix is outlined against golden alabaster-like marble that seems to be lit from within (see image, left).

The alabaster-like walls follow the cyclical contour of the Cathedral, and are filled on one side with Mausoleum niches. On the outside perimeter, luminous panels of stained glass from St. Francis de Sales Cathedral are set in the wall.

Downstairs, surrounded by all the stained glass, I feel light years away from the 21st century Cathedral upstairs. But I realize that light — that gives stained glass its beauty and power — also transforms concrete, wood, glass, and metal into the ethereal, spiritual, Cathedral of Christ the Light.

If you're in the Bay Area you'll want to spend a few hours in The Cathedral of Christ the Light, 2121 Harrison Street, Oakland, California 94612; (510) 832 - 5057. Park in the enclosed garage (entrance on Grand Ave.), and don't be surprised if you find yourself driving back again, and again — just as I did. ]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=83 A voice from the past — Forrest Womack, a soldier at Iraq war, inspired by a crèche http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=76 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:21:23 GMT "I am astonished and awestruck at just how lovely and lovingly detailed this crèche is," wrote United States Military Academy at West Point Graduate Forrest Womack from Iraq, "and I am impatient to see how it will look when I assemble it, having no doubt about its power to inspire…"


A Corinthian column, a straw roof, a flower trellis, a camel, an attendant in Egyptian headdress, and another holding a peacock fan are just a few of the colorful details of the Egyptian Crèche that Forrest received while in the war in Iraq.


West Point Graduate Forrest Womack is framed by a golden horseshoe and four-leaf clovers — symbols of good luck — in this vintage Greek Christmas card that I sent him him to cut-out and mail to his family from Iraq. (Mouseover the image, above, to see the front of Forrest's card.)

Dear Alexis,

Judy Davis gave me your address as I wanted to thank you for the publicity given to the International Convention we are hosting and organizing for the Friends of the Crèche.

I have been reading your Web site with much interest, and particularly so regarding Forrest Womack.

Our Friends Of The Crèche Convention is falling over Remembrance Day, and as a result we have been doing intensive research over the importance of the crèche in times of war, and how it has sustained so many.

We are not only making a presentation on the discoveries we have made regarding the connections between war and the crèche, but are preparing a special exhibit on the subject. I am wondering if you could put me in touch with Forrest, so that he might share how important the crèche was for him while serving overseas, and so that we could include his thoughts in our exhibition.

Looking forward to hearing from you in this regard,

Sincerely,

Nancy Mallett
Archivist & Museum Curator, The Cathedral Church of St. James Church, Toronto

Nancy's note takes me back six years, when, just before Thanksgiving in 2006, I received a message from Crèche Guild member Syler Womack:

Helo Alexis,

I discovered the Crèchemania site earlier this year, and it has become a heartstring family link for all of us with each other and with my son, who is serving in the army.

Forrest called this morning from Kuwait. He is deploying with the American army to Iraq tomorrow, and will not be home for a year. When he served in Afghanistan, I gave him Baby Jesus from my childhood crèche to take with him, but there was no time to do the same before he went to Iraq...

Then I remembered the wonderful pop-up paper crèches we used to see long ago. I wondered if it were still possible to find them — and found your site!

My son has had a fascination for crèches, and for assembling miniatures, all his life. As a sophomore at West Point, he actually constructed a model of the battle of Zama, complete with little paper elephants, and a little paper Hannibal and Scipio.

Finding Crechemania was literally the answer to a prayer. Iwill be able to include one of your wonderful downloadable crèches in his letters during Advent. Forrest's faith is everything to him, and a crèche would be a continual source of comfort. And who can be homesick during Christmas, when the most important part of Christmas is right there with him?

With best wishes, Syler

I wrote to Syler that anyone who has constructed Hannibal and his elephants — not to mention Scipio Africanus! — deserves the finest crèche printout, from my original files. And so, the Egyptian Nativity, printed in glorious color, on a heavy, matte, 11 x 17 inch sheet, was on its way to Iraq (see photo, below, left).

"As Christmas approaches," I wrote in my Crèchemania Christmas letter that year, "somewhere in what I first knew as the Fertile Crescent — the land of once-mythical kingdoms bordered by the storied Tigris and Euphrates — a young soldier will take out a sheet of paper and create a nativity. May it touch his heart, as his letter has touched mine."


A nativity sheet crosses half the world to reach Forrest Womack in Iraq.

Dear Sir,

I could never express adequate gratitude for the beautiful paper crèche you have graciously sent me. Nevertheless, thank you a thousand times.

Its beauty is twofold: the intrinsic beauty overshadowed only by its sacramental beauty. I'm sure you can grasp the significance and immensity of such a gift to one who is isolated, and in this place seemingly alienated, from a true and proper celebration of the Nativity.

I have not yet assembled the crèche, as I am waiting from Advent, but I look forward in anticipation to the joy and reflection it will bring me as I prepare my soul and heart for Christmas.

I am astonished and awestruck at just how lovely and lovingly detailed this crèche is, and I am impatient to see how it will look when I assemble it, having no doubt about its power to inspire, as you said.

I am furthermore humbled by your generosity, sir, and can find nothing else to say but thank you, and once more, thank you. I am forever indebted to you, and I promise to write again at Christmas time once I have enjoyed the full blessings of this precious Egyptian Crèche.

Dominus Vobiscum, [God Be With You,]

Forrest Womack

Many times since then I have wondered about Forrest, praying that he got home safely. And, over the years, many of you have also written to ask about him as well.

But I had lost touch with his mom, and could not find Forrest.

Until today, when Nancy's request prompted me to search for him again.

Hello, Forrest? This is Alexis, from Crèchemania…

"Hello, Alexis! What a pleasant surprise."

[I]How are you? So good to hear your voice. I'm so glad I found you, safe and sound. I started searching for you today, because The Friends Of The Crèche would like to contact you about their 'The Crèche in Time of War' presentation at their convention, in Toronto. When did you get back from Iraq?

"At the end of 2007. I got home to Texas in July, left for Portugal and Spain, and got back home in late December, 2008. I had some money set aside from my deployment, and I decided to go on a pilgrimage to Fatima, in Portugal, and other shrines in Spain."

It's a small world; I just posted a photo of The Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima, by Scott Smith who accompanied a pilgrimage there as a photographer.

"I've got tons of pictures from my trip as well, that I'm still compiling."

I was touched by your letter, and have always wondered what happened to you. Do you still have the Egyptian Nativity that I sent you?

"Oh, yes; I just put it up this Christmas."

What was it like to get the Egyptian Nativity in the mail?

"It was wonderful. Being over there, separated from your normal Christmas celebrations, not having access to anything that would remind you of Christmas, really…


Paper nativities remind a soldier of the true meaning of Christmas — Forrest Womack in Iraq.

"It was so very touching to have a nativity. And mom send me some more crèches that she downloaded from your site. So I spent a whole week in my spare time putting them all together. I had them over my desk. I was the logistics officers for a infantry-cavalry battalion."

What did your fellow soldier think of your crèches?

"Some thought it a little crazy to be cutting and pasting at my desk! But most of the reaction was positive. They liked having some reminder of Christmas. We had a few decorations throughout the base, but they were secular ones. So my nativities were very inspiring for people to see — to have a reminder what Christmas is all about.

"I had done some paper modeling before, and I always enjoyed recreating military history battles. My mom got me into crèches through your site. I had never seen paper nativities before — what a wonderful idea. The Egyptian Nativity you sent me is just beautiful."

Is there a photograph of you in Iraq with all your nativities? I'd love to see it — and so would all our Crèche Guild friends who ask me about you.

"I do, actually. I'll have to dig it up. There's a picture of me, sitting at my desk, with all the different nativities. Definitely, I'll look for it and send it to you."

And I've got to tell you in person: that was a beautiful letter.

"Writing has been a passion of mine. I enjoy writing in my spare time, writing down my thoughts. I've been working on a religious fiction book for a long time, but there has been a hiatus in the writing this past year-and-a-half."

Are you surprised to be hearing from me after all these years?

"I am! It's a great surprise. It's good to hear from you. I was wondering how you're doing as well."

"I've been traveling quite a lot, for business, and in search of The Nativity. One of these days I know I'll be going through Texas...

"Stop by. I would love to meet you. I changed my mind about a career in the army. I'm a systems engineer, doing a lot of radar and airborne sensor design. And I just got married to my sweetheart, Jenny, this past October."

Give your mom my best, and keep in touch. I know Nancy Mallett and the Friends Of The Crèche will love to hear that I found you!

"A pleasure to hear from you, Alexis." ]]> Alexis http://www.papermodelkiosk.com/php/forum/blog.php?b=76