Wednesday, March 21, 2018

JOSIAH Chapter Twelve, A Floral Legacy, Calling

JOSIAH004
Volume XIV, Issue XII

Josiah
By Bob Kirchman
Copyright © 2018, The Kirchman Studio, all rights reserved

Chapter 12: Build a Bridge!

Hannah brought out the coffee for the young man who had just arrived at the Zimmerman Organization Headquarters in Wales. In true form to the local traditions, Josiah poured her a cup, then one for himself. It honored Zimmerman’s Mother who was an engineer in that formerly male dominated profession decades ago. Rupert Zimmerman had insisted the practice continue as a memorial to her. In fact, the culture of the bridge now contained many such nods to those who had paved the way. Josiah had laughed at them in his youth, but now he had come to learn that they were rooted most of all in a sense of reverence for the Divine, who made families and gave wisdom to be passed from generation to generation.

Soon they were joined by Alan West, Flight Director for Cape Lisbon, Rupert’s Granddaughter, Chief Engineer of the Zimmerman Organization, Elizabeth Zimmerman O’Malley, CEO, Abiyah Ben-Gurion and Jon Greene, Professors of the College on Big Diomede.

Mrs. O’Malley began, “My Father devoted his life to making a way for mankind to go where we’d never been before. He considered himself most blessed that he lived to see the things he did. But he always felt a responsibility to those he felt he’d recklessly lead there. It is in that spirit that I have called us together. That drive led us to go to another world and now there are people living there in some confusion. We do not want to send ‘Great Northern’ back there – we don’t even think it is wise, but we’d like to reach out to the colonists and try to help them.”

West offered, “We could continue to supply them remotely with unmanned landers. Eventually they’d have enough landers that some of them could return to Earth, if they so desired. But it is painfully obvious that they feel alienated from us – and our traditions. We feel a human touch would do much to ‘build a bridge,’ if you get my drift.”

Greene observed, “Ray Bradbury once wrote about a similar scenario. Earth is destroyed in a nuclear war but a family takes a rocket on a "fishing trip" to Mars and they escape destruction. They destroy all artifacts of their old ‘misguided’ life. Later, the father offers his sons a gift in the form of their new world. He introduces them to Martians—their own reflections in a canal. That is what we have here. You once said you wished for an unreached world to reach. May I introduce to you the Martians?”

West interjected “It would mean nine months in a fairly cramped environment. There is some risk in any spaceflight and we plan to send a crew of three. There would be no guarantee as to how the colonists would respond when you landed. It seems there are several factions and they disagree on things sharply.”

Josiah’s mind wandered to the story of Nathanael "Nate" Saint, who along with four other men, Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderian, sought to establish communication with the warlike Huaorani of Ecuador. They set out in a little yellow Piper PA-14 and landed on a beach of the Curaray River. Though the Huaorani had enthusiastically received gifts lowered in a bucket from the plane earlier, they murdered the five men with spears on January 8, 1958.

Though the men were armed, they did not want to kill any Huaorani and they did not use their weapons. West said “I think it prudent to give you some means of protecting yourselves, but I cannot guarantee anyone’s safety at this point. We could continue to send supplies by unmanned craft, but I think they need to see us as more than that, if you know what I mean.”
(to be continued) [read more]

A Floral Legacy
The Springhill Hollyhocks

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White Hollyhock, Springhill Road. Photo by Bob Kirchman

Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there. It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime." – Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Passing something along to the generations to follow... a worthy ambition, indeed the great feast of Passover and the celebration of Purim involve the passing down of the great stories of Redemption! "And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped." -- Exodus 12:24-27

The coming celebration of Passover is a way of keeping the story alive. For generations this story told as a meal has given new generations the cherished history of their redemption. Indeed it should serve as a  model for us as we pass down a Legacy of faith to our children. Historically we have passed along so much more to our children as we would teach them how to work, how to build a life and so much more. Of late our society has built a reliance on 'experts' to prepare our young people for the future. While I would readily agree that a young person becoming a doctor needs to be trained by other doctors, there is much to be learned outside of the academy from the proceeding generations of one's own family. Most of our work ethic and our character is formed in the home. There is much wisdom of a deeper sort to be found there.

Indeed, modern generations seem to have diminished the importance of this tradition, as referenced here in some of my writing: "Haroset, bitter herbs and young lamb mingled together to add illustration to an old story. In ancient times a covenant was often made within the context of a meal. Rupert's own redemptive story was now unmistakably flavored by sweet tea and macaroni and cheese. In the 1950's the American company Swanson created an invention known as the "TV Dinner." Families no longer conversed around the table, often "watching the news" instead of passing truth from generation to generation. Food was placed into individual compartments in a small aluminum tray, individualized for each diner. There were no more passed dishes. The family ate in silence as the television did all the talking."[1.]

That is why I love Mrs. Landes' Hollyhocks. They represent the passing down of a gift to bless many generations to come. The house is gone now, replaced by a gas station, but the Great-great grandchildren of Mrs. Landes still enjoy the fact that they still bloom every year where her house once stood and that is a wonderful thing!

I first noticed the wonderful hollyhocks as I would drive over to my weekend job with organ builder Xaver Wilhelmy. There they were growing in the highway right of way. I started photographing them, marveling at their tenacity in growing where they did. One day I mentioned them to my assistant Kristina, who surprised me by telling me that her Great-great Grandmother had first planted them. They too would find their way into story: "The hollyhocks were in bloom now, and their offspring, lovingly sown from Kris' pods, blessed many a neighboring garden in the biosphere which protected the little town from the ravages of the severe climate. Today, the little gardens seemed especially alive as hummingbirds and butterflies seemed to abound. "Why does this day seem so different from any other?" mused Kris. Surely it had to be the special visit from Kate and Elizabeth. No, the light seemed more brilliant. The flowers seemed more defined. An artist noticed things like this, and each of these women was an artist in her own right." [2.]

The statement: "Why does this day seem so different from any other?" alludes to the Seder by design, referring to the child's question which prefaces the great retelling of the great story of redemption. Projecting the great story into the future is a direct reference to the hope we have in our own promised redemption! Indeed that hope is at the heart of the celebration of Redemption and resurrection!

Florals
White Hollyhock, Springhill Road. Photo by Bob Kirchman

WONDER
The Great-great Grandchildren of Mrs. Landes and the story of her legacy of hollyhocks. Her hollyhocks still bloom every Summer on Springhill Road in Staunton, Virginia. Her house is long gone, replaced by a gas station but the flowers continue to bless those who pass that way. They were the inspiration for the mural: Heavenly Hollyhocks that Mr. Kirchman painted in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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Hollyhocks

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Every Summer they appear!, remnants of a garden planted long ago that continue to brighten the drive into Staunton along Churchville Avenue. What a great living legacy for a gardener!Photos by Bob Kirchman

09/04/2015
Mural inspired by the Springhill Hollyhocks.

Joseph Bryan Park Azaleas
Richmond, Virginia

Red Azalea

Red Azaleas

Red Azaleas

Pink Azalea

Pink Azalea

Pink Azalea

White Azelea
Photos by Bob Kirchman.

The Azalea Garden
[click to read]

The Azalea Garden was started in 1952 by Mr. Robert E. Harvey, a former Richmond Recreation and Parks Superintendent of Grounds and Structures. Over an almost fifteen-year span, Mr. Harvey, helpers from the City, Garden Clubs and volunteers planted 450,000 azaleas (50 different varieties) in approximately 76 separate beds. They also built a small pond with a stone fountain, and planted a large red and white cross made of azaleas, framed by boxwoods started from slips from boxwoods at Dogwood Dell. Eventually, these 17 acres of Bryan Park would be recognized as a major tourist attraction (and money generator), bringing 450,000 visitors per year to Bryan Park.

Unfortunately as Richmond, like many cities across the United States, came under financial strain, the Azalea Garden fell into disrepair. Efforts are slowly being made to bring it back to its former glory. (read more)

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The Bryan Park Azalea Garden at the height of its glory. 
Friends of Bryan Park.

Azalea Dew
Photo by Bob Kirchman

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Drops on an azalea blossom create a vision of a magical world. 
Photo by Bob Kirchman.

Public Service as a Holy Calling
The Life of William Wilberforce

Is it not the great end of religion, and, in particular, the glory of Christianity, to extinguish the malignant passions; to curb the violence, to control the appetites, and to smooth the asperities of man; to make us compassionate and kind, and forgiving one to another; to make us good husbands, good fathers, good friends; and to render us active and useful in the discharge of the relative social and civil duties?” – William Wilberforce

Men of authority and influence may promote good morals. Let them in their several stations encourage virtue . . . let them favor and take part in any plans which may be formed for the advancement of morality.” – William Wilberforce

It is indeed a most lamentable consequence of the practice of regarding religion as a compilation of statutes, and not as an internal principle, that it soon comes to be considered as being conversant about external actions rather than about habits of mind. This sentiment sometimes has even the hardiness to insinuate and maintain itself under the guise of extraordinary concern for practical religion; but it soon discovers the falsehood of this pretension, and betrays its real nature. The expedient, indeed, of attaining to superiority in practice by not wasting any of the attention on the internal principles from which alone practice can flow, is about as reasonable, and will answer about as well, as the economy of an architect who should account it mere prodigality to expend any of his materials in laying foundation, from an idea that they might be more usefully applied to the raising of the superstructure. We know what would be the fate of such an edifice.” – William Wilberforce

One often hears a nostalgic reference to “the Good Old Days” referring to times when culture seemed more civil, art was more uplifting and the times themselves had a more positive spirit. We do well to remember that these times of refreshment in a national culture are indeed the work of people like Wilberforce, who acted out of what had happened in their own spirit. They are often countered by an argument from those who desire a secular morality that “the good old days were not so good.” Indeed they can point to the fact that people would ostensibly be churchgoing but would still support slavery and such. Indeed one needs to look deeper to see that a Christianity that had a deeper hold on her practitioners was what eventually toppled slavery. In his book Under the Influence, [2.] Alvin Schmidt presents solid evidence of “How Christianity Changed the World.” One might be tempted to dismiss this work, in spite of all the evidence, as merely a tract to promote Faith, but consider the arguments of Dr. Theodore Dalrymple, an avowed atheist, who wrote the book Our Culture, What’s Left of It. [3.] Dalrymple, seeking reasons for the decline of Britain’s culture, finds like Schmidt that “Religion can be a force for good.” As Christianity has declined in Britain, so has the morality and overall state of the nation. Here Wilberforce’s thoughts on foundations apply. It is not enough to reinstate a ‘civil morality’ through preaching the law without its underlying spirit. The message of Jesus Christ cuts to the heart of man, addressing the sin itself, that’s effects are degradation and destruction.

Lovely flowers are the smiles of God's goodness.” -- William Wilberforce

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Jonquil. Photos by Bob Kirchman

The Two Voices
Reflections on Faith
[click to read]

In the movie: “The Longest Day,” which tells the story of Operation Overlord, the D-Day invasion of Normandy, John Wayne plays Lt. Col. Benjamin Vandervoort, commander of the 89th Division. There is a moment when he comes upon a road sign pointing out the direction to St. Mere Eglise, their objective. His men have already dutifully began to march in that direction.

Suddenly the General calls out: “Am I the only one in this unit that uses a compass?”

It turns out that the enemy has turned the sign around to lead them the wrong way! Vandervoort orders his men to turn around. He glances toward the sign: “Knock it Down!” he orders. And so we consider the voices that speak to us… offering to direct us, in our own day and time. How do we know which signs are right? What ‘compass’ is there to guide us? Are there signs around us that we should knock down? (read more)

Mountain Maple Blossoms

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Maple Blossoms in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Photo by Bob Kirchman.

Monet Moments
Photographs by Bob Kirchman

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Mary Gray Mountain, Staunton, Virginia. Photo by Bob Kirchman.

Sherando Lake
Sherando Lake, Augusta County, Virginia. Photo by Bob Kirchman.

Joseph Bryan Park
Joseph Bryan Park, Richmond, Virginia. Photo by Bob Kirchman.

A Capital Vision II
Harry Weese's Metro Design

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Harry Weese's 1967 Model of a Typical Station.

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WMATA General Manager Jackson Graham long resisted adding elevators to Metro stations, arguing that the small numbers of wheelchair users projected to use the system could not justify the expense. When a lawsuit finally forced WMATA to make stations wheelchair-accessable, elevators had to be shoehorned into existing station designs. 1972 Drawing by Harry Weese Associates.
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The Bus Bay: A 1970's Utilidor.

The space was a challenging one. While Harry Weese’s urban Metro stations transition smoothly, the Bethesda station awkwardly connects to a private development area through an underground bus bay. While the space is efficient, it is not very welcoming. A fountain cascading into the subterranean realm attempts to bring light and movement with it.

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1966 Sketch by Harry Weese.

In the 1966 sketch by Weese (above) it is clear that the architect desired your journey into and out of the crypt to flow directly into and out of a park-like setting. His notes on the escalator read: “Rise Directly to Surface.” “Open Directly to the Sky.” “Emerge in a Park.” Though the exigencies of fare-paying and deep tunnels would eventually require dark passageways and mezzanines, Weese’s original vision was different. Likewise the elevators seem to surrender to the darkness.

The Bethesda Bus Bay Fountain is a serious nod to Weese's desire to connect the Metro to the surface. That is where the mural competition specifications dictated that the new mural be placed, on a pillar and balustrade that basically framed the fountain. No plans were put forth to improve the space from the fountain escalator to the very long Metro descent escalator. Thirty mural firms competed for the project. Proposals were due mid-Summer with a mid-October completion date specified in the invitation. Clearly, if I won it I would be working some days under tarps on lifts in the unpredictable mid-Atlantic late Summer. Also, there was the requirement that the mural also be painted on a ‘bench’ along the base of the fountain. The sheer amount of painting required in that time-frame was daunting. It is a project I would have loved to have done, especially in the days when I had an assistant. In the end, however, I did breathe a sigh of relief when the call did not come.

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Harry Weese's Rendering shows Metro above ground in a park-like setting near Reagan National Airport.

Artist Juan Pineda was chosen to paint Beth-Stela, a colorful geometric design in the station. The vibrant mural presents a contemporary version of Mayan hyroglyphics applied to the bench, columns and balustrade. It is a great mural. There is a bit of controversy over it though as it seems to some observers to be out of character with the Weese Modernist-classicism of Metro itself. This is a worthwhile discussion. Weese’s work is iconic and should be the starting point for any improvements. I do not think, however, that the iconic nature of the stations themselves precludes color and localism – particularly in the suburban stations.

I would love to see Elysian Lilies considered for a future project of this type, but hopefully in a place where residents had a fair amount of input and some design oversight was applied to ensure community satisfaction and consonance with the Weese vision. Perhaps smaller mosaic installations would add color without changing the character of the spaces too much. One needs to remember that today’s wonderful mural can become twenty years from now’s maintenance headache. Paint being fragile, could more permanent art be added that was smaller? Perhaps a good power washing first would be a good idea. Four decades, after all, have left their ‘patina’ on the venerable design. In any case, it was a really great exercise to study the original designs of Weese and attempt to honor them. Harry Weese, I feel, set out to create a Modernist vocabulary that honored the great historic city above it. That is something to celebrate.

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Juan Pineda's Mural, Beth-Stela.

Mohomony, Light and Snow
Painting by Bob Kirchman

Light and Snow

Passing the Torch
The Legacy of Frank Summers

The community of Staunton, Virginia said goodbye to a man who touched many lives this past week. He was a true Virginia Gentleman and a respected professional. He was a scratch golfer, having learned the game while stationed in Hawaii during his Navy days. Most of all, he should be remembered for leaving his community a better place. When the Staunton YMCA experienced financial hard times, he gave them a loan. When better times came and the organization came to him to repay it, he refused, saying it was a donation.

A man who loved the outdoors, his farm and his family, Frank Summers is most remembered by those whose young lives he invested in. They learned to drive in his old Jeep Cherokee and found the richness of farm life in his mentorship. I first met Mr. Summers when my elderly parents-in-law were befriended by him. Discovering a mutual love of golf he reached out to them. His life was truly a “Wonderful Life,” touching so many in our little community. His example is one to cherish and try to emulate.

Evening Light on Elliott Knob
Photo by Bob Kirchman

Elliottsknob

Around the World in 80 Days



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Wednesday, March 14, 2018

JOSIAH Chapter Eleven, The Art of Restoration

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Volume XIV, Issue XI

Josiah
By Bob Kirchman
Copyright © 2018, The Kirchman Studio, all rights reserved

Chapter 11: Taking in Confidence

Ben-Gurion was wrestling. In the end he decided to take young Zimmerman into his confidence. Though the events on Mars were at the moment shrouded in secrecy, it would soon enough be time to let relatives of those who had survived know the fate of their loved ones.

He began, “Do you remember the Mars Mission before you were born? I was the pilot.”

Yes, a sad one, to be sure. No one survived on the planet’s surface. It must be painful for you to remember.”

Abiyah leaned closer, “We just sent an unmanned ship to the colony. There were survivors and we’ve been in conversation with them!”

The young man gasped.

Survivors – but HOW?!”

Ben-Gurion related the events that had transpired over the last year. He described the condition of the colony and the quandary it presented. “You see,” the professor concluded, “they see themselves, wretched as their lives are, as quite severed from Earth.”

So, am I to understand,” said Josiah, “that they have just enough technology to consider themselves self-sustaining, though they lack for so much we would consider basic essentials?”

Exactly, and MY quandary is what do we do next. They’re always on the verge of killing each other yet they fear us back on Earth more. APOLLONIUS taught them well, but he left out the most important lessons. They could stand to read Moses! Even though he killed the Egyptian, he thought better of it.”

Abiyah continued, “I am wrestling, my young friend – wrestling with making of you a most unusual request. Jon Greene and I are aware of your unique – gift, and your quandary as to how to use it. Obviously it would make more sense for ME to go to Mars, but I am a man of family. The other astronauts are largely technicians. They love their job. They man the defense platforms and in practice they get to blow stuff up, but they communicate in monotonous bursts. I am thinking we need someone gifted to ‘build the bridge,’ as it were.”

In Shalom, the Biosphere community on Big Diomede, as in the whole Zimmerman Organization, ‘Building the Bridge’ carried great meaning. It was a term not spoken lightly.
(to be continued)

The Art of Restoration
The Tabernacle Presbyterian Church Art Show

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Bob Kirchman and Savhanna Herndon at the Second Annual Tabernacle Presbyterian Church Art Show. The theme was Restoration.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;” – Exodus 31:1-6

Could there be anything to indicate more exquisitely God’s love of the beautiful than His instructions to crown the capitals of the temple pillars with “lily-work”? We can imagine Him adding in His directions, “Now David, don’t forget the lily-work decorations to be carved at the top of those pillars. And be sure to get them large enough to show up well.” Does it not suggest the artistic delight God must have experienced when with His own fingers he shaped man and woman into forms replete with comeliness?” – Clyde S. Kilby, The Arts and the Christian Imagination, p154.

In 2010, with the construction industry in the doldrums of recession, I teamed up with artist Kristina Elaine Greer to paint a mural of the New Heaven and the New Earth. The mural, titled ‘Journey to Jesus’ [1.] was indeed a statement of ultimate restoration. It referenced Isaiah 60, Revelation 21 and 22. Through this project I found a renewed joy in art as an expression of Divine purpose – especially in restoration. After we finished ‘Journey to Jesus’ I spoke with an Egyptian woman named Zipporah (same as Moses’s wife’s name) and she described Heaven in this way, “Jesus is in Heaven surrounded by children!” I was thrilled. We had just painted that. I begged her to tell me more: “The flowers there are ENORMOUS!” “Like sunflowers?” I asked – “No, more like TREES!”

That became the inspiration for the “Heaven’s Hollyhocks” paintings. Hollyhocks already represented a legacy in my way of thinking so now they became a Spiritual legacy. The Fifeville mural and a proposal for Bethesda’s Metro Station sprang from that vision. That vision is why participation in a show who’s theme was “The Restoration of All Things” meant so much to me. Hopefully that theme will find new and exciting expression in the future. Finding Redemption and Restoration in the midst of Recession is certainly a good thing!

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Team Savhanna!

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“Heaven’s Hollyhocks,” Painted by Bob Kirchman, inspired by the Springhill Hollyhocks planted by Kristina Elaine Greer’s Great-Great Grandmother, brightens an alleyway in front of a beauty shop in Charlottesville, Virginia’s Fifeville Community.

Restoration and Basketball
Tony Bennett’s Teaching Moment

The question seemed at first like one of those uncomfortable ones by a sports writer attempting to interject ‘greater significance’ into his reporting. “What does your victory mean to Charlottesville in light of all the recent news surrounding her?” UVA Coach Tony Bennett’s answer was a good one though. He said that the victory did indeed mean a lot to Charlottesville in that the team truly was a great example of “Unity in Diversity.” The team’s unselfish play and acknowledgement of the less-celebrated defense (controlling turnovers was key to their victory) made for a great lesson.

We still have our issues.” Bennett continued. But the example of these young men working it out and working together is indeed right up there with the message of “Remember the Titans.” If you remember, that story is about how the T. C. Williams football team brought a community together in the turbulent days of court-ordered integration. The Titans came together and showed their town just what they could accomplish by working together.

In the post-game interview you saw true humility and Bennett acknowledged his Faith. They took their teaching moment seriously. They played a beautiful unselfish game and showed us something we can carry into our own lives.

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A March snow creates a Winter Wonderland. Photo by Bob Kirchman.

A Capital Vision
Harry Weese's Metro Design

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Harry Weese

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Harry Weese

Harry Weese’s original design for Washington’s Metro system did indeed create a ‘crypt’ for the Federal City. It was meant to be somewhat devoid of ornamentation, depending on allusion to Classical vaults to tie it to the design of the city above. But there has always been some argument about the other spaces – the above-ground portions, for example. Did Weese intend them to be some stark brutalist viaduct? I found the above rendering by Weese’s office that shows a raised portion of the Metro at Reagan International Airport.

The Trains float on raised tracks supported by the ubiquitous round columns, but note that in the rendering the columns are integrated with the vegetation of the site – in this case the artist has placed them among the hydrangeas (going by scale and color), admitting that natural colors and forms of landscaping were to have softened the brutalism – especially in the vicinity of the airport and Arlington’s Cemetery.

Below are my concepts for a mural that would have been painted in the bus bay of the Bethesda Metro Station. I like to think that Weese himself would be OK with the design.

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Concept by Bob Kirchman.

Elysian Lilies, it is a variation on the theme of Heaven’s Hollyhocks seen in last week’s issue. Passing through the asphalt and concrete bus bay descending to the Metro, the large lilies would have perhaps added a ‘touch of Heaven’ to Bethesda’s workaday world.

Mountain Roads



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Bejeweled Clover. Photo by Bob Kirchman.

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Wednesday, March 7, 2018

JOSIAH Chapter Ten, Fresh Visions of Heaven

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Volume XIV, Issue X

Josiah
By Bob Kirchman
Copyright © 2018, The Kirchman Studio, all rights reserved

Chapter 10: Quandry

Young Josiah Zimmerman knocked on the office door of Abiyah Ben-Gurion. “Come in.” Professor Ben-Gurion said. “I am deep in a quandary.” The young man said.

Ben-Gurion loved young Zimmerman. The young man had originally arrived at the school to study Aerospace Engineering but after a stirring talk by Dr. Greene in chapel, he experienced what the old-timers call the ‘Burning Bosom.’ Persuasive and articulate, the young man saw his gifts most applicable to some sort of evangelism, but he still loved the sciences. As with many young people who are so blessed, young Zimmerman struggled with his calling and his passion, and that is why he sought out Ben-Gurion. Abiyah was a deeply rational man, but he seemed to understand that man was more than a rational machine. The professor’s walls were filled with amazing floral photography that he had taken. He was quiet about his faith, but it was well known that he always left his office on Fridays long before Sundown. He often slipped over to Wales in time to be there when it was Saturday so he could worship in the manner of his Fathers. His voice reading the Holy scrolls was known only to a few people, but they knew it was beautiful.

What his students saw was the strength of his character. He was tough, but fair. He met you at eye level and would listen. He was downright reluctant to give up on a student. He had helped Josiah Zimmerman understand that his heartfelt need to study Spiritual matters was a good thing. “The Divine will see to it that you have opportunity. You, my friend, must keep your eyes open and learn to recognize it.”

Ben-Gurion, at the moment, was wrestling too. He had just received the latest transcript of West and Josiah’s conversation on Mars. “Those Martians are like sheep without a shepherd,” he thought to himself. Peering at the young man seated across the desk from him he wondered, “Could this man be the answer.”

The reassimilation proposal had been floated with Josiah of Mars. He in turn had visited the Council with it. Not surprisingly, the APOLLONIUS faction was against it. Those closer to Josiah and Allison were cautiously interested in hearing more. As a group, they met the repatriation proposal with a resounding sentiment of “Not so fast.”

Ten spaces sat waiting in the lander. No one would step up to be first to go. Josiah might have been tempted but there were a few things that stopped him cold. First of all, he sensed that the volatile colony might indeed disintegrate upon his departure. More than once, he and Allison had defused some tense situations in the new colony with some old fashioned thinking. Josiah shuddered as he thought of how close the colony had come to chaos. He didn’t love his job, but he feared the vacuum.

He and Allison had children. If everyone dear to Josiah returned with him there would be room for only a couple of other colonists. Josiah would not leave his family, especially to an uncertain future. Their children knew nothing else than the red world they inhabited now with its green biospheres. If more landers were available in the future it would be fine but that would require some negotiations and some guarantees.
(to be continued)

Visions of Heaven
The Restoration of All Things

Paintings by Bob Kirchman

Renewal
Heaven's Hollyhocks I.

God is making good on His promise to restore all things. Despite the brokenness around us and in us, we put our hope in God. Please help us visualize this promise through your artwork.” That was the call for works to be included in Tabernacle Presbyterian Church’s second annual art show. It is a great event which brings together the Christian creative community and the theme of restoration is hard to resist. The images are taken from hand painted cards that expressed the theme as promised by the New Heaven and New Earth.

Heaven’s Hollyhocks I presents a visualization of a legacy of restoration. Every year the hollyhocks bloom along Springhill Road in Staunton, Virginia. They are the Legacy of a gardener who long ago planted them in her front yard. The house is long gone, but the hollyhocks return, promising another season of restoration. That gardener ‘just happened’ to be the great-great grandmother of my assistant Kristina, who shared the story with me. We were painting the mural ‘Journey to Jesus’ [1.] at the time and that too was a visualization of the vision of restoration in Isaiah 60 and Revelation 21,22.

Last year a reproduction of ‘Journey to Jesus’ was shown at the Tabernacle annual art show. It features children around the world coming to Jesus. This year the ‘Heaven’s Hollyhocks’ paintings expound on the vision of a lady named Zipporah, an Egyptian, who had lived through a time of terrible persecution for the Christian Church there. She said she had had dreams of Heaven. I asked her to describe it: “Jesus is in Heaven surrounded by children!” she said. “Tell me more!” I said. She continued: “The flowers there are enormous… like trees!” That became the inspiration for this series.

The boy and girl in the painting below – they are Indian, but they are meant to represent the hope of restoration for all of us. Surrounded by colossal hollyhocks, holding hands, they make their way to Jesus. My thought was that we all become as little children in the presence of the Master, losing nothing in the way of wisdom. Thus the couple could indeed represent the reuniting of a husband and wife who had been separated by death – or a brother and a sister. Let it represent both!, for Heaven is indeed a place of joyous reuniting and restoration!

I plan to explore the subject further. The initial images are white – inspired by a beautiful white hollyhock on Springhill Road, but Heaven is full of color – possibly far more color than we can perceive now. My plan is to introduce that in subsequent paintings. We sort of expect white images of Heaven – heavy on clouds and gold harps, but I believe that has diminished the true promise of the place. Humanity itself presents itself in a beautiful range of colors. Free from prejudice, we see our brothers and sisters like many varieties of fine woods in their coloration and characteristics. All tell us something of IMAGO DEI!

The show will be open March 9, from 7:00-9:00pm in the fellowship hall at Tabernacle Presbyterian Church, 1301 Red Top Orchard Road in Waynesboro, Virginia.

Renewal 2
Heaven's Hollyhocks II.

Portrait of Restortation
Painting and Description by Savhanna Herndon

The Bible speaks of restoration in the sense of our heart’s reaction to Christ. To restore something is to return it to its former owner, place, or condition. I believe color is the language of emotion and art is to reflect its maker’s heart. Therefore, art should reflect the light of the maker’s maker and restore something broken in it is beholder. As for the artist, he is restored to heavenly glory when using his God given talent, stroke by stroke.

Psalm 23:3: “He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

Herndon
Savhanna Herndon.

Restoring Their Lost Voices
A Proposal for the World Trade Center Memorial Site

wtc
Xaver Wilhelmy's Design for a memorial at the World Trade Center site in New York. The memorial features a 3000 pipe organ to give a voice to everyone who's voice was lost on that terrible day. Rendering by Bob Kirchman

The History of New York's Bridges



A Tribute to Billy Graham
I Can Only Imagine



Emerging Crocus
Springtime Promise of Restoration

Crocus
Photo by Bob Kirchman.

I Can Only Imagine
Bart Millard's True Story of Restoration



It’s the song that brings ultimate hope to so many … often in the midst of life’s most challenging moments. Amazingly, the song was written in mere minutes by MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard. In reality, those lyrics took a lifetime to craft.

Although he found faith at a young age, life wasn’t easy for Bart. He leaned into an active imagination and his love of music as escapes from a troubled home life. As he grew older, Bart turned to football in hopes of somehow connecting with his abusive father. But a career-ending injury—combined with the vision of a teacher who saw unlimited potential—set Bart on a musical pathway.

Chasing a dream while running from broken relationships with his father and Shannon, his childhood sweetheart, Bart hits the road in an old, decrepit tour bus with his new band MercyMe—named for his grandmother’s favorite expression. With the guidance of a grizzled music-industry insider, the band begins a journey none of them could ever have imagined.

Directed by the Erwin Brothers (October Baby, Moms' Night Out, and Woodlawn), I CAN ONLY IMAGINE stars J. Michael Finley, Madeline Carroll, Trace Adkins, Priscilla Shirer, with Cloris Leachman and Dennis Quaid.

A gripping reminder of the power of forgiveness, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE beautifully illustrates that no one is ever too far from God’s love—or from an eternal home in Heaven.

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