Tim was trained in traditional drawing and painting at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Ca and spent the first 7 years of his career as a figurative oil painter and muralist. He discovered stained glass and specifically glass painting on a tour of The Judson Studios in Los Angeles in 2003 and was immediately hooked. Carey is now the creative director at Judson Studios, working with technology to develop efficiencies within the traditional system, as well as exploring contemporary glass techniques and methods. Tim recently completed a 3400 square foot fused glass window for the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood Kansas. After designing the piece in 2014 and realizing it couldn’t be done solely with traditional methods, Carey sought out Narcissus Quagliata and his “painting with light” fusing technique. Together they designed a custom fabrication process, and completed the piece in February of this year.
Your secret art venue when you seek peace and quiet
The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. Being just 2 miles from my house, I began the ritual of visiting the Norton Simon as a student at Art Center College of Design. I would go to draw mostly, copy the old master paintings and Rodin sculptures in the entryway.…Being so close to the museum allowed me the chance to run over there when I was stumped or feeling uninspired, and spend some time up close with my “friends” Rembrandt, Daumier, and Cezanne. Over 20 years later I still frequent the museum and marvel at how many powerhouse pieces there are in such a relatively small space.
The best food experience in an art space
The 15th Century Italian style Courtyard in the Nelson-Atkins Museum, called Rozelle Court Restaurant. The ambiance was so nice that don’t even really remember what I ate and whether or not it was good…I’ve been there a few times and it’s just a beautiful setting surrounded by skylights and potted trees.
A museum gift shop that you never leave empty handed
To answer this question honestly, I have never been interested in going into museum stores. Maybe it’s because I never could afford the things in there, or possibly because I’m so freshly inspired by the real thing that I can’t bring myself to get excited about a postcard or a printed scarf. Sorry to the museum gift shop lovers…
Your museum with a wow-factor
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. Though not a “museum” technically, this church for me is a gem in terms of the beauty and variety of the painted stained glass on display. Each generation of parishioners, since 1859 has left its mark on the building, gradually adding stained glass windows from the worlds best glass artists- Tiffany, Henry Holliday, Mayer of Munich, Luc Merson, and the English firm of Heaton, Butler and Bayne, to name just a few. It’s a stunning display of painting bravado and decorative coloration. Combine it with natural light and the surrounding furnishings and woodwork, and you get for me what is a unique art viewing experience.
Please share with us a special personal memory related to a museum experience
After falling in love with Rembrandt at Art Center as a student, I spent my first 5 years as a painter trying to emulate his work. Studying his paintings and reading about his techniques were my main focus in this period, and in 2000 I got to go to Amsterdam. I remember clearly upon my visit to the Rijksmuseum, turning the corner and seeing in the distance, 50 or so feet away, his great masterpiece “The Night Watch.” It took me a few minutes to have the courage to approach it- Like seeing a beautiful girl across the bar, the butterflies were real. I had this feeling like I wanted to extend the moment of seeing this painting for the first time after fawning over it in books for so many years.
Eventually I did get up close and personal with The Night Watch, as I did with so many other incredible Rembrandts. “The Jewish Bride” blew me away. I got my face right up next to the impasto and found myself in disbelief. “How did he get the paint to do that…”
The experience of standing in front of a unique piece of art, occupying the same physical space that Rembrandt himself once occupied sent my mind whirling and wondering, and to this day I can still recall the feeling it inspired.
