Loudon House

The here and now section of the exhibit was my favorite of all. What I most enjoyed was that these pieces of art are unlike anything I have seen before. My most favorite piece in the display is Daniel Graham's "The Inaugural Meeting of Strangers in a Foreign Land." It tells the story of two complete strangers meeting for the first time and they realize that they share similar qualities. "For it is only through the act of traveling with no sails or oars that we see our inheritance reflect into our actions and in turn see the work of God in what we do." As the light shines upon the boats it draws an emphasis on the dark maple wood pieces on the inside. I believe the artist wanted the light to reflect this way because it is what is on the inside of us that counts. As you can see the light is meant to illuminate this artwork so one can see it for how it is.

My mind was free flowing while I was walking around the Loudon House. It is a Gothic-styled home with wooden floors. There were eight rooms that I explored, each having its own unique vibe. The house itself has many windows with glass pane that allowed light to shed into the rooms. The light passed through, beaming onto the floors and walls. It looked like a movie set. The natural light lit up the room very well and the artificial light that was added to the rooms illuminated the pieces on the walls and really emphasized "hey look at this artwork over here." The photo below illustrates what I mean in the previous statement.

This Castle type home is in a vey unique location. As the sun rises it hits the building directly with nothing in the way. The light glistens across the building as you can see in the panorama below. When the sun hits it the widows cast shadows across the building. The light brings out the white in the building m making it look much more elegant than before. It also brings out the character and detail on the exterior. Emphasis is placed on the entire building because of the way it glows.

 





















The visit to Castlewood park was interesting to say the least. It was surrounded by poverty stricken neighborhoods but the area of Castlewood seemed to have a happy spirit. There was a nice park and playground that had children playing on it as I visited. The Loudoun House was different because it was a self guided tour. I found out that each person has their own personal experience as they travel throughout the home. Where in other homes we have toured have had a tour guide that guided our thoughts and feelings. Lexington is an extremely important city in terms of design and the United States history. The designers that have created buildings, only miles away, that are so significant to design show us how important Lexington really is. I believe that Ashland was the best house I have visited so far. It is an extremely personal home to the Clay family. Each home tells us a story of what the designer was thinking as they went to work on the home. It can give us insight on the families that live inside them. The light can help us understand the "feel" of the building.