Dennis Crews Stained Glass

Photos copyright by Dennis Crews.

When Dennis Crews was commissioned to design and install new stained glass windows, the artist told the pastor and his committee that if the windows made their children look forward to going to church every week, he would feel he had done his job well.


The new windows for Southern Asian Seventh-day Adventist Church in Silver Spring, Maryland were installed in February. Seven sanctuary windows commemorate Creation. Two additional windows were also included for the foyer, with plans for more to follow.

The windows were built by Salem Stained Glass Studio in East Bend, North Carolina, “a great bunch of folks, a real pleasure to work with,” the artist says. “Back in the seventies I built all my own windows, but nowadays it's nice to have a crew of great craftsmen I can trust with the detail work and installation.”


“Two years ago I was approached through an intermediary to do windows for this church…. I said "no thanks" - not once, but three times. Seven months later I learned they were still waiting for me, so thought maybe I should meet with them. I decided that if I could find a studio I had confidence in, I would design the windows and oversee their production,” Mr. Crews explains. “Salem Stained Glass in East Bend, NC, has proven to be a wonderful working partner, and we have done several jobs together already. They built and installed these windows and did a superlative job - I cannot say enough for them.”

“The dynamic qualities of the glass and the flow from one window to the next can't really be captured adequately in photos,” according to Mr. Crews. “If you're in the area try to visit the church and see them with your own eyes.“ The suburban Washington, D.C., location is 2001 E. Randolph Rd, very close to Rt. 29. The church is usually staffed weekdays during normal business hours.

A complete selection of photos are available on the artist’s Facebook Album at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=12843&id=1539188074&l=c9a0e.


The installation team from Salem Stained Glass on location in Silver Spring, Md., Dennis Crews on the left; Al Priest, owner and founder of Salem Stained Glass, second from the right.

As a young child, Mr. Crews lived in India and Pakistan, where his family were missionaries. He has written extensively about the role of religion in government. "I've written more commentary critical of Bush administration policies than anything else over the last six or seven years," he notes, but "now finally feel I can give that a rest, and devote my attention to being an artist again."

Mr. Crews, who calls Frederick, Md., his home town, also designed windows for the renovation of Annie's Paramount Steak House, near DuPont Circle in Washington, D.C., another collaboration with Salem Stained Glass.

Copyright 2009 by William C. Cotter

Art Buddy

My art buddy Richard did the heavy lifting to bring his two latest paintings, already framed, over to our house for a private showing before dinner. “Will Paint For Food,” he jokes.


Richard Cecil, neo-classical painter and sculptor, is a neighbor of mine in Pine Lake, Ga. I call him my art buddy, because he’s not my baseball buddy or my drinking buddy, since those are not the things we do together. Instead, we go to art museums and galleries, and he takes us on field trips, like the time he brought my wife and me along to The Inferno Art Foundry in Union City, where he was casting his Centaur in bronze.

Our favorite local museum is The Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, to which we are multiple return visitors. We love the cowboys and Indians, the deserts and mountains. Sometimes before our excursions, my art buddy likes to take us to brunch at the Golden Corral on U.S. 78 in Snellville. If we arrive at just the right hour, we can begin with pancakes and eggs as appetizers, followed by a main course of fried chicken, collard greens, and cornbread.

Richard Cecil is a widely known and extremely versatile artist. He received his early training at the Mona Lisa School of Art, and he had his first work published at age twelve. Richard also studied at the Chicago Art Institute and the Milwaukee Museum of Natural History. Along with his academic background, Richard has traveled extensively, studying and developing his knowledge of form and color principles that result in his current unique style. Richard is especially recognized for his mastery of anatomical compositions and his ability to capture the physical movements and reactions.

Richard says, “Visions of fine art have been flowing through my soul since I was a young boy. It is a wonderful gift to be born with and to this day I remain in humble awe of the creative process. I don’t want people to simply walk by one of my paintings or sculptures but stop and spend time with it as you would an old friend and enjoy the moment.”

Richard is equally comfortable with painting and sculpting. “Sometimes I feel that the proper expression should be shown in a painting while others become sculptures. It is never a conscious choice but rather an inner feeling about what is to be expressed and shown to the world,” he explains.

Richard has a wonderful website The Cecil Gallery, Investment Quality Paintings and Sculpture, and arranges private showing, a great treat as he describes his artwork and gives mini-seminars in the processes of their creation. His Pine Lake house itself is a delight to view, designed by Richard, a cottage imagined in Nordic children’s fables.

Copyright 2009 by William C. Cotter

Images of original artwork copyright by Richard Cecil

Art Up Front

Images Copyright 2008 by David Battle

The Springfield (Ohio) Museum of Art presents David Battle’s original drawings and paintings created specifically for covers of the Antioch Review. "Art Up Front… and What’s Behind It” shows the evolution of the artist’s creative process, from rough sketches to finished magazine covers. The exhibit continues through Nov. 15.

According to Robert Fogarty, Antioch Review Editor, the cover art is as much a part of the creative heritage of the Antioch Review as the notable literary works they have published over their 67 year history. “We wanted to call attention to the magnificent work David had done on behalf of the Antioch Review over the past several decades. This is our way of honoring him and his wonderful contribution,” says Fogarty. Mr. Battle has been Design Editor for the Antioch Review since 1978. He also designed the Peace Corp poster and commemorative stamp. A graduate of the Central London School of Art, he has won five Graphis Annual awards, received three Ohio Arts Council project grants, and has seen his work exhibited in England, Ireland and Israel. He has won thirty art director awards and was a winner in an international ICOGRDA competition.

Fogarty and Battle will team up to provide a Guided Gallery Tour of the exhibition October 23 at 6:00 p.m. The event is open to the public and free of charge. Visitors can view the David Battle exhibit free at The Springfield Museum of Art, located at 107 Cliff Park Road, Springfield, OH, one block north of West North Street (state route 40), between North Fountain Blvd and Plum Street. It is easily accessible from Interstate 70 and routes 68 and 72. Springfield is convenient to Dayton and Columbus. Museum hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. The museum is open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays and closed on Mondays. Call 937-325-4673 for more information.

The Antioch Review, founded in 1941, is one of the oldest, continuously publishing literary magazines in America. Ranked among the elite literary journals, it publishes fiction, essays, and poetry from both emerging as well as established authors. Mr. Fogarty, editor since 1977, hopes to see the David Battle exhibition travel. Inquiries can be directed to the Antioch Review at P.O. Box 148, Yellow Springs, OH, 45387, (937) 769-1365. www.review.antioch.edu.

Cowbows and Artists

The Booth Museum of Western Art, located in Cartersville, will celebrate its 5th birthday Saturday, Aug. 23, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Maybe you are like the skeptical visitor who said, “SURELY YOU JEST? I am from the REAL AMERICAN SOUTHWEST - cowboys & Indians, cactus & diamondbacks, mesas & O'Keeffe, mountains & green chile . . . . what in heavens name would make you think I would enjoy a visit to a two-bit-beside-the-road-tin-horn-pretend western museum?” But after seeing the Booth, she took it all back, “I was totally blown away by the quality, quantity and western beauty…. You could plop this place down in Santa Fe or Albuquerque or Phoenix and you would be none the wiser.” Via I-75, exit for Main Street, Cartersville. Signs downtown point the way. I promise; this is the real deal. Beautiful bronze sculptures. Powerful paintings of Indians and horses, buffalo and buffalo soldiers, cowboys and cowgirls. My favorite is “Her Father’s Daughter,” painted by her mother.

I can not draw a recognizable stick figure, and of my many hours in classrooms, none has been to study art, art history, or art appreciation. I am like the avid sports fan who lives for the Olympics, Word Series, and Superbowl but who personally never competed on the field or in the gym. I love art museums and have been fortunate enough to have visited some of the best, in Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, London, New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., as well as the special treasures like the Picassos in Barcelona, the Dalis in St. Petersburg, Fla., the Remingtons at the Richardson Collection on Sundance Square in Ft. Worth, Tx., and the Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, Ga.

Regular hours for the Booth are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., Sunday 1 - 5 p.m., and closed Monday. Admission is FREE on the first Thursday of each month 4 - 7 p.m. and always free for children 12 and under, active duty military personnel, and museum members. Otherwise, $8 is the adult admission charge, $6 for seniors, $5 for students and groups of 15 or more. There is no bigger bang for your entertainment buck. A guided tour of the permanent collection is offered daily at 1:30 p.m.

The Store in the Museum offers books and prints. Sandwiches, salads, and deserts are available in The Café.

Copyright 2008 by William C. Cotter