Paul Sawyier Public Library - Frankfort, KY

Trees of Kentucky    6' x 12' each

The public library in Kentucky’s capital takes it’s name from the 19th century landscape painter Paul Sawyier.  Inspired by the great beauty of the central Kentucky landscape, especially the Kentucky River as it flows through the region, he devoted himself to painting it over much of his life.

When I heard that the new library building would  carry this artist’s name forward, I was moved to create windows which reflect my own response to the exquisite natural beauty of this region.

According to some scientists, Kentucky is the second most botanically diverse place on earth, and the array of trees and birds native to this region is vast. To give an intimate view of this richness,  life-sized leaves, fruits, flowers, nuts and seeds of native trees are arranged into dense kaleidoscopes – one Spring and the other Fall. A border of the tree names forms each window perimeter.

Above this pair of windows on the Children’s second floor, a Palladian window is filled with the branches of the state tree, the Tulip, in which a spectrum of native birds are perched, with their names listed in the border..