July  2014
Greetings!
I am excited to see the momentum we have in the studio as we head into July! We enjoy sharing news about our latest installations, our connection with the City of Dallas projects and ways that you, our community, can get involved through classes and various events that we will continue to share. This issue also brings to light a fascinating piece of history as one of our installations, a chandelier, hangs in the Bowen House--one of Dallas' oldest homes originally owned by a pioneer who helped settle Dallas following the Civil War!
                                                Enjoy,
                                                      The CRD Team
 

 

In the Dallas Community

 

 

       

 

Carlyn Ray Selected as

One of 10 Artists to Participate in the

2014 Artists vs Architects

Event to Benefit children's art education non-profit

 

Inspired by the ingenuity of today's artistic and design professionals, Artist v Architect (AvA) is a one-of-a-kind collaborative event experience. In its third year, AvA serves as a platform to celebrate the creativity of the modern world of art and architecture.

 

Featuring local Dallas artists and architects who are chosen by a panel of experts, they creatively and collaboratively "duel" it out with their industry peers. This year, the beneficiary is Big Thought, an area non-profit dedicated to bringing creative programming opportunities to youth in the Dallas area.

 

Carlyn is teamed up with Architect Emily Yan who works with the firm OMNIPLAN and, once the sparks start flying, our newsletters will keep you up to date on the creative progress through the November auction at One Arts Square.

 

Carlyn's hope is be able to bring ARO (Art Reaching Out) to life by working with Big Thought to help create Carlyn and Emily's design. Carlyn is waiting for her meeting with Big Thought and we will keep you posted!

 

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If you would like to learn more about Artists v Architects, visit the AvA Website. GO Now
  
 SATURDAY'S
 Create Your Own Piece Workshop
 
Learn more about classes by visiting our website  GO Now
 
Or register now by emailing classes@carlynraydesigns.com
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This little girl stayed for awhile and loved making big sweeping movements with her arms to see how the reflections would change 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A big THANK YOU to all who came out to the Trinity River Revelry grand opening - what a blast!
It was great to see some of our clients and students checking out the new bridge and all the
improvements to our
neighborhood.

Recent Installations
 
The DeMesy Girls Help Create Beautiful
Table Top Birch Opal Weave

  

Mrs. DeMesey found me through Carlyn Galerie and I heard she desired a white table top piece... I was excited!  She saw the shape of an existing table piece I have and it fit perfectly... but it wasn't white!

 

So, the next step was me bending the metal to replicate that frame and then came the fun part!... The DeMesey girls came to the studio and pulled out some I used in their piece! 

 

We go through a step by step process of how to pull it back, feeling the tension of the glass as it cools, and then when to lay it down.  Then they cut the glass into the perfect size to fit their piece!  

 

They were both really enjoyable to work with and very interested in the process. It's so much fun for us to involve others when they are equally enthralled with material, experience, and process! 

 

                   

                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a joy to share both the process and the product. This event made this piece extra special.

                                               
 

 Bowen House   

Our Chandelier Hangs in One of the

Original Pioneer Homes of Dallas!

 

One of the things we most enjoy about working with various clients are the incredibly interesting stories that often accompany projects. Bowen House is one of those projects, steeped in a history that goes back to the pioneers who settled Dallas back in the 1800's.

 

The chandelier in the photo was developed by CRD to compliment the sense of history you feel when you walk into Bowen House. The house was named after the  patriarch who was one of the few original families who settled Dallas in 1865 just after the Civil War ended, Ahab Bowen.

 

He and his wife drove an ox-drawn carriage from Tennessee pulling all of their belongings while their daughter rode alongside most of the way on her horse.

 

 

 

Ahab Bowen bought the house and the first 6.5 acres for under $400. Eventually he would buy close to 3000 acres

 

  

The family's expansive vineyard was reported to grow more grapes in that era than California vineyards did at the time. And the best apples in Dallas were said to come from the Bowen orchard.  

 

Carlyn has been in touch with his great great grand-niece, Elizabeth, who resides in Dallas and she said that many of Ahab's descendants lived in the Oaklawn area until the death of her great great grandmother in 1933. According to the Dallas  historical society, there are descendants still living in Dallas and the last known large family reunion  took place here in Dallas in the 1940's.

 

 

 

 

 

There are so many choices we bring to the table when it comes to styles and colors of glass. For Bowen House, we recommended these long slender glass canes with metallic flecks that come alive when the lights from the ceiling frame shine down through the chandelier. Stop in for a drink and check it out!

 

 

 

 

 

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