365 11/9

Human beings can be beautiful.

If they are not beautiful it is entirely their own fault.

It is what they do to themselves that make them ugly.

365 5/18

Never change your point of view

When I run dry

I stop awhile and think of you

Glass House Self Portrait

More From New Canaan....

He who lives in a glass house.......

A few weeks ago, a friend and I finally went to visit Philip Johnson's glass house in New Canaan, CT. We were originally supposed to go in August, but hurricane Irene forced us to reschedule, for the best, I believe.

The weather was a beautiful early October day, slightly overcast, but a wonderful time to explore the grounds.



I was never the biggest Philip Johnson fan. To me, he appeared to be more a rich patron cheerleader than innovator, or great artist. He had amazing connections and forged a fantastic career of finding the next great architect while actively borrowing their style. He claimed he was inspired but at times, the appearance can be seen as copying.
Yet, after walking around his New Canaan estate, I was left with his sense of how much fun art and architecture can be. I loved how he had smaller buildings built on the grounds by different architects for different purposes. The art gallery and sculpture building were two of my favorites.


I saw a documentary on Johnson on Ovation (yes, there's that oddball channel again), that was filming him in his later years as he was working with Frank Gehry on a new building on the grounds. An aging Johnson was visibly perplexed with the structure and what ultimately the purpose was going to be. Yet, the camera captured how much joy, love and enthusiasm he still had for the process of creating and building. The structure ended up becoming a meditation/class room sort of thing, although probably by default. A funny thing is, some of the best pics came from either inside or outside the building.


Walking the grounds allows for a bit of fantasy projection. The main houses sit surprisingly close to the main road, which makes the grounds seem even more accessible to the rest of society.

The mind wanders to how wonderful life could be when you can buy a large chunk of land in Connecticut and place structures by famous architects which includes galleries that can house your extensive art collection by giants of the twentieth century. Plus, you can have many of your friends like Jacqueline Kennedy and Andy Warhol visit from the city. A very similar sensation to watching screwball comedies from the 30's is created. Wouldn't we all love to be as smooth as Cary Grant, drive around in a roadster, drinking without being drunk, a beautiful bombshell in the passenger seat, driving from one glorious party, where all the guests are witty without a thought for money?

Yet, that's unfair to Johnson's legacy. Yes, he grew up in a life of extreme of privilege which prepared him lead to an absolutely remarkable life. However, he did take that wealth, time and privilege to promote great ideas and people.

I do really love the PPG building in Pittsburgh and the effect it has on the skyline. I love the top of the AT&T building in midtown Manhattan. And yes, I loved my trip to the Glass House. I'm grateful for the opportunity to dream of what might have been and what, yet could always be.

The Fool on the Hill

Before my parents and I visited Falling Water, we spent the morning visiting Kentuck Knob, another Frank Lloyd House in the area.

Kentuck Knob was built almost 20 years after Falling Water and is still in private hands. The house is subtle and magnificent. Yet, the owner wanted no pictures of the inside of the house. Mostly, I think it's because the house is cluttered with his collections, and the opposite of what Wright intended.

Unlike Falling Water, which is fit into the side of a hill next to a brook, Kentuck Knob sits on top of a hill, with view of the valley. As you circle down the hill, the owner has created an incredible sculpture garden.

So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright

Last April, I went to a family wedding near Uniontown, PA in Fayette County.

As a kid, I used to go to Ohiopyle in Fayette County with my cousin and her family where they had a cottage along the Youghiogheny River. We'd swim, water ski and go tubing during summer vacations. Now, my younger cousin was getting married just miles away from that summer cottage.

I had been trying to get back to that area for years to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright houses' Falling Water and Kentuck Nob. My family is from Western PA. However their hometown is not close to where the houses are located, and during our numerous visits, we were never able to arrange a side trip.

My parents and I thought that where the wedding was and the Wright houses were would be on opposite ends of the county. And, we tried to plan accordingly. As it turns out, they were only about 15 miles away.