Midnight
I often get asked to take images of the Cross House at night so people can enjoy seeing the beauty of the stained-glass from a nocturnal perspective.
But, no matter how much I try, my camera has never been able to capture the beauty of the backlighted stained glass at night. The camera distorts, and the glass, while stunning in person, washes out in images.
Sigh.
A professional photographer could figure all this out. But…but…begging your indulgence, I offer the following not-really-right images.
The parlor is not normally lighted at night. The entry and octagon bedroom are.
The dining room is not normally lighted. The long bedroom (upper left) and stairhall (upper right) are.
While the entry is lighted nightly, the solid outer doors are not normally open.
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*Jawdrop*
Lovely structure, Ross. It is getting ready for its After-Thanksgiving party.
The long bedroom transoms are by far my favorite, from an exterior, lighted perspective. The other thing that I’m appreciative of is how well these images capture the newly added accent colors. The sunlight washes them out. They’re much more easily discernible in low light conditions like this. I’m sure they’re very evident in person, but in images, it can be hard to see them in photos taken mid day.
So beautiful….
Wow…really wow. Zooming in on the windows really shows the details. I’m not often at a loss for words, but…even better than expected! Thank you for sharing!
Beautiful! I love the composition of the first picture, too. The 5 stone plinths anchor the bottom of the frame, and the low camera angle helps the vertical lines lean to a vanishing point (this house is so tall!), which sends my eye zooming up to the top of the house to enjoy how each roof finial brings the lines of its tower to a satisfying conclusion.
OH, my Ross. These pictures are terrific. Being a stained glass enthusiast and hobbyist for over 30 years, I really appreciate the quality and brilliant colors of your windows. They are a treasure and to think you have 42 of them!! They are stunning from the inside during the daytime with the sun back-lighting them and just as stunning at night with the back-lighting inside.
I am insanely jealous………………
I love all the pictures!!!!
The entry & the stairwell & dining room are so beautiful!!! I agree with all the offers that the stained glass lit at night is so stunning!!! Close ups are gorgeous; exquisite!!!
All your pictures are lovely!!!
Hi Ross, I can finally comment now because for the past few days I’ve reading the blog from the beginning!!! Yes! You read right! Ok, that was two full non-sleeping night and I have the headaches to prove it! LOL. But I’m fine now.
I’ve followed more recently a few of those restauration blogs that you yourself follow. Like Danville, Amy (and her crazy halloween, christmas porch decorations), and the young guy Manhattan…
So anyway…your passion and dedication is really out of this world but it’s so right!!! I’ve been a salesmen in a paint department in different stores. It took 20 years of my life and I learned so much! I’m more a interior painter than a construction guy…but I can change electrical suff and put a new bathroom vanity/sink in! Thank God at that time there was professionnal co-workers to tell me how to do it. Since I’ve always lived in a humble appartment (always totally repaired and repainted), I’m always excited by great adventures in house restorations.
My father build his own duplex in 1970 when I was born and still lives there, and he also built two country houses; one in 1962 when he got married and one in the 80’s for rental but with the same floor plan. And talking about floor plans? I Love floor plans. So I’m always excited when you show some…or drawings.
I have an art background in college and later I went back to Theater Desing…so I know how to read plans and draw some. I’ve always love Victorian houses, and now I’m able to nuance with Queen Ann and some the subtilities. I myself more than 10 years ago built a puppet house inspired from a famous Kid TV show. Mine is huge, doesn’t fit through the door!! LOL
Anyway, now that I’m up to date with your adventures, I’ll be commenting more on the matter at end. So keep up the good work and can’t wait to see the Debut of the Travaux on the South and East facades.
I apologize for my weird english…I’m a French Canadian from Montréal. Read ya tomorrow! Éric
It’s very nice to meet you, Éric!
I enjoyed your stories! Thanks so much for sharing!
Much love, R
Now that I have had the weekend to admire the pics that I have pestered you about for so long, I have to say thanks again for posting them. I think that these pictures exemplify, for me, the charm of living in one of these big old houses; coming home at dusk in the winter time, and being able to see the warmth inside before you can feel it. These houses just seem to glow from within…I don’t mean to sound cheesy, but it’s almost a spiritual thing, at least for me. Walking up to the house with the snow crunching underfoot, the crisp cold air trying to get one last stab at you before you are safe at home, embraced by the stained glass and those wonderful old radiators, LOL. Ross, my holiday wish for you is that within the next year, things work out so that you can come home to your Cross house on a cold evening, and experience the warm welcome for yourself 🙂
Wow!
Lovely! How do you keep all those stained glass windows clean? I use windex and a rag and it takes me FOREVER to clean my ONE stained glass window. Any pro tips you care to share?
Hi Christy,
I am replying because I have been doing stained glass work as a hobbyist for 35 years. I would strongly urge you NOT to use any kind of commercial glass cleaner (Windex, GlassPlus, etc.) on your stained glass window. The reason is that the commercial cleaning products contain chemicals that will discolor the lead and over time, weaken it. This will result in sagging if your window is hung in front of a clear window or if it is installed in a sash, it will eventually start to bow. As I’m quite sure Ross can confirm, finding someone to dis-assemble and repair a window is very expensive and depending on where you live, may require travel to find a qualified person to perform the surgery.
The safest way to clean your stained glass is to wash it with a dish cloth dipped in warm water with a gentle dish soap (I use Dawn). Then simply wipe it dry with an old soft dish towel or hand towel. If you are super duper particular, wear a pair of cheap latex gloves (like doctors use) which can easily be purchased at Walmart, Lowes or Home Depot in the paint department. This will prevent finger prints on your newly cleaned glass!!
Best of luck and enjoy your stained glass window.
Randy C
Wow! Great information, Randy. Thank you!
Thanks for the tip Randy! It’ll be water + dish soap from now on.
I would love to see your window. If you are comfortable sharing, send me a pic to rrc215201@gmail.com. I am always interested in seeing new patterns and color/texture combinations. Ross was kind enough to allow me to take lots of pictures of his when I went for a tour. They are truly a sight to behold.