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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Winter in New England can often be a dreary season. Arctic temperatures trap us indoors, the sky is black with night before we even sit down for dinner, and oftentimes, we look up at a sky full of bleak gray clouds during the daytime.
Which is precisely why local artist and photographer Kira Seamon displays her “Stained Glass Sky” prints at the Walpole Public Library - to bring pops of color to the winter months and to remind us that there is still beauty in the chilliest season.
Using an iPhone and a special lens to create a kaleidoscope effect, Kira spends hours outside snapping photos of the foliage and sky. Later, she reviews all of the photos, selecting the most unique shots to turn into prints.
In the library’s Community Room, visitors were stunned by the beautifully bright and intricately patterned prints that hung on the walls.
“I sought to change the pace up and have the room explode with vibrant upbeat colors,” Kira said.
Although the kaleidoscope effect makes the locations of Kira’s photos unrecognizable, several in the collection were taken in the fall at Walpole’s Town Forest, which she finds to be a “magical place - totally unspoiled nature.”
“The vibrancy is an antidote to the sometimes bleak winter landscapes we have… It seeks to remind visitors of the Crayola colors of the fall and presages the burst of colors from spring flowers. It's a refresher course for the spirit, which may become a little depressed with the frigid temperatures and barren landscape.”
However, Kira’s eye for photography found that winter kaleidoscope photos yielded gorgeous results, as proved by her snow and ice collection, which is on display in the library’s lobby.
“I am so thrilled to debut my snow and ice kaleidoscopes here in Walpole! They were difficult to take,” Kira admitted, elaborating on her efforts to take the photos after one of December’s snowstorms.
With chunks of ice and heaps of snow aiming for Kira as they fell off of branches, the photographer’s endeavor proved to be dangerous, but thoroughly worthwhile.
“The snow created such perfect examples of the kaleidoscope ‘stained glass’ effects I look for, that the trouble was all worth it! The snow also highlights the ‘stained glass shapes’ so perfectly and, I think, takes my kaleidoscope art to another level.”
It’s nearly impossible for library-goers to pass by the prints, which will be on display throughout the month of January, without stopping to admire the wondrous geometric shapes and spread of colors.
“[I’m] so extremely honored and grateful to the Walpole Library for this magnificent opportunity to exhibit my art,” she said. “I loved transforming their spaces with my kaleidoscope shapes and colors and textures, and I sincerely hope it brought joy to all who visit it.”
Editor’s note: Kira Seamon’s artwork will remain in the Walpole Public Library through February.
