This church is the burial place of St. Francis (of Assisi) begun in 1228, just two years after the saint’s death. The soaring Gothic lines of the 13th century structure symbolize the heavenly glory of St. Francis and the style became influential for many of the Franciscan churches that came later. It was a joy and a challenge to devise a way to make the two rose windows and I worked to allow the pieces to show the age, and feelings of the spirit of the times. There are approximately 400 separately cut and carved pieces and it took about a month (90+ working hours) to design and make.

The Western or Wailing Wall (Kotel in Hebrew) is located in the Old City of Jerusalem at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount.  It is possibly a remnant of the massive lime stone foundations of the original temple of Solomon.  It has been and is an important site of Jewish prayer and pilgrimage.  I made tiny copies of Hebrew prayers and stuffed them in the cracks between the wall pieces.

This church was pictured in an exhibition catalog on Macedonia Brides from the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, NM in a 1926 photogravure. I was fascinated by the elongated linear quality of the design and especially the cupola. This piece was inspired by the unique architecture.

One of the most beautiful missions in all of California, it is named after an Italian Cardinal of the 16th century known for his strict efforts in reforming the church.  It was the burial place of the mission’s founder, Fr. Juniper Serra.  Dedicated in 1797, it has rough sandstone walls, one Moorish tower, another unfinished tower and a unique star or quatrefoil window.  It has a squat power and design solidity that make it a gem in the string of California missions.

The assemblage/collage inside the tall doors is by PJ Cardinale and contains scapulars (small square cloth pieces) worn to ward off evil, a fragment of a rosary, the beads used for repetitive prayers, a set of eyes to watch over the faithful, an old picture of small church sculpture made years ago by Roberto, and a large medallion of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

This church in Lamy, about 17 miles from Santa Fe has been abandoned by the Catholic Diocese but not by the people of Lamy who have fierce affection for the structure as it is a landmark of their community.  It was built around 1900 and is an adobe structure with sensitive architectural form and detail.  It is currently under restoration with the help of the Cornerstones Foundation and of the Lamy Community Association.

This tower was inspired by the massive adobe structure located in the village of Las Trampas about 22 miles south of Taos, NM. The construction of the church was done entirely and paid for by the villagers and completed in 1760. It is striking because of its thick walls and elegant and yet powerful twin towers. The towers themselves were capped by belfries designed by the noted Southwestern architect, John Gaw Meen. I have elongated the towers and taken the liberty to put in small windows and an entry door to give the tower an artistic identity of its own.

This powerful church is a wonderful example of 7th century Visigothic architecture. It is in the Provence of Ourense in northwestern Spain in the province of Galicia near Portugal. I was fascinated by the accretion of forms that have evolved over the centuries to form such a beautiful and unlikely unity.

This shrine was inspired by a wonderful little devotional area in the courtyard of the Cathedral of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe in Parral, MX.