One Hundred Long Lives

Last March, we decided to collaborate on a birthday project for Vivian's husband, Gary, for her front entrance sidelights and transom windows.  Gary was born in China and she knew that she wanted to incorporate symbols for longevity, bamboo and lotus flowers.  After a lot of research, we found out that it is a Chinese tradition to give an elder a piece of artwork that incorporates the 100 symbols of longevity for their birthday to wish them "100 long lives."  We chose phyllostachys decora, or "beautiful bamboo," that is native to the Yangtze valley, because of it's color and size would fit the windows to scale.  The lotus flowers are also full scale size. 

 

The windows are 22 square feet.  The detail pictures show the centers of the lotus flowers and the ligules of the bamboo blades are made of brass embossed with the longevity symbols.  We cut the brass to fit,  embossed the symbol, then soldered the piece on top of the panel at each location.  The bottom of the sidelights are copper foiled.  The tops of the sidelights and the transom window are made with 1/4" high heart lead came.  The larger came was required because the background glass is the thicker clear bamboo architectural glass.  We reinforced the panels with copper restrip at various places.  We also used Kokomo, Spectrum, Wissmach and Youghiogheny glass.  Barbara's husband, Jim, framed the panels with clear maple to match the living room windows.

 

This was our first major project.  We are currently working on the design for the door window.  We want to replace the window with a design that will be compatible with the sidelights and transom windows.

 

Barbara Norman & Vivian Toy, Forest Ranch, CA