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CLAYTON NEWS/ DAILY,
SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 1996
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By Jeff Whitfield Clayton News/ Daily FOREST PARK - Patricia Vloeberghs does windows. Boy does she ever do windows! Not cleaning them, but creating them, in stained glass. Carrying on a tradition in church architecture that goes back at least a millennium, Vloeberghs has completed a commission requested by St. Timothy's Evangelical Lutheran Church on Ash Street for 10 stained glass windows. By all accounts, the original stained windows in the church - described as looking like Pepto Bismol - were, well, serviceable. They did what windows are supposed to do: keep out the cold of the winter, the heat of the summer, and the wind and rain no matter what the season. These new windows go way beyond the functional and into the spiritual: they teach, uplift, edify, calm, excite. According to the church's pastor, the Rev. Raymond C. Porter, anticipation grew at the church as each window was set into place one by one after they were finished. "They've changed the atmosphere of worship," he said. "You look at these windows, and you feel surrounded by the presence of God." For many in the congregation, especially the more senior members who grew up in larger Lutheran churches elsewhere in the country, the windows are an emotional reminder of those works of beauty that adorned their sanctuaries, Porter said. Combining the old and the new in design This is not the first work of art Vloeberghs has created for the church; around three years ago she did an acid etching on the window of a main door at the church. These were also stained glass in the sanctuary prior to these new windows. A "rose" window mixing traditional and contemporary elements in this design was crafted by church members Bill Strauss and Harry Collins and installed a number of years ago. That motif was continued in Vloeberghs' designs. "When members of the congregation came to me, they said they wanted to keep the contemporary feel of the church but also include traditional symbols," Vloeberghs said. Using the Bible and the Lutheran vestry book as her resources, the Buckhead artist, who describes herself as "very reli- |
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gious" set to work with the pastor and other church members drawing designs. What resulted were beautiful, richly symbolic and spiritual works of art that seamlessly combine contemporary lines and colors with traditional symbols and symbolism. They also seamlessly flow in design and color scheme from one to another, moving in the observer's gaze in a continued flow. "Every window touches another window in design and spirit," said Vloeberghs. In addition to the obvious liturgical symbols (the chalice and grapes for communion, the dove for the Holy Spirit and the seashell and three drops of water for baptism, for example), the background patterns and colors are symbolic as well, said Vloeberghs. While doing research during the design phase, she learned that the original Christians often met for worship in groves of trees; the graceful lines and the golden colored glass reflect those trees, while the different hues of blue represent the open sky. Each window is also adorned with the golden "jewel" of the stained glass, symbolic of God's sovereignty as King. |
Windows
a gift from estate of siblings
Six of the 10 windows tell the story of Jesus Christ from His birth to His Resurrection. The remaining windows reflect theological ideas such as the Bible, the Holy Spirit and prayer. The Holy Spirit window was the toughest to do because of the intricacy of the flames, Vloeberghs said - she wanted to get the feel of movement, the effect of the flames jumping and darting. The windows are a gift, a bequest to the church from a brother and sister, both now deceased. Frances Samson and Webb Wheeler were long-time members of the church and upon their deaths the funds for the windows were made available to the congregation. Webb Wheeler's favorite quote from Scripture, the famous benediction found in Numbers 6:24-26 , is incorporated into the Bible window. Church member Muriel Pate, who was close to the siblings, was an important force behind the windows project. "We just feel very fortunate to have Pat to do this, and the pastor and others to help design them," |
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Pate said.
Vloeberghs has worked professionally in stained glass for 20 years and has work "in just about every house in Buckhead," she quipped. Among her customers is chairman of Home Depot and the Atlanta Historical Society, and she was tapped by the restorers of the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta to recreate the stained glass windows that will go inside the house. She has been written up in such magazines as Better Homes and Gardens, Veranda and Atlanta Lifestyles. Whether she does a simple leaded clear glass door or an intricate skylight window containing thousands of pieces and numerous colors, Vloeberghs said there is "a lot of love" in each piece. It took about a year from design to creation to installation for the |
windows and as - coincidence? Providential design? - would have it, most of the windows were installed at the very appropriate moments with out the prior planning. For example, the Nativity window went in just before Christmas last year, said the pastor. In an age where "image is everything," where the ubiquitous television is flashy and fast-paced and is being challenged by computer screens, where the sense of the visual is overpowering, would something as "low tech" as a stained glass window have relevance? "I think human beings are very visual and these symbols bring the presence of God alive to people," said the pastor. It just shows that what worked for people a thousand years ago is still as effective today. Now that's power. |
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Patricia Vloeberghs poses at three of the
four windows depicting elements of the Lutheran faith. The other six of the 10 win-
dows she created tell the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.