Fine Galleries do it…so should You!
If there is one consistent thing about art galleries, they know how to illuminate fine art. Our founders, Jim Stephens and Tom Kretzschmar, began their lighting careers through a chance meeting at a small firm specializing in fine art lighting. The two men possessed contrasting, yet complementary skills in lighting design and electrical engineering—a synergy which evolved into Illuminations Lighting Design.
Contrast
One of the essential elements in art is contrast. Colors are chosen based on the need in each particular moment, but as the famed photographer, Ansel Adams would undoubtedly tell you, light values are of ultimate importance in an image.
Adams confined most of his work to black & white photography (with occasional excursions into the world of color), but in every image, he always made sure to cover the entire contrast spectrum from zero value to 100 percent. Examine his work, and you will always find all values from pure white to complete black, and that is what set Adams apart from others. He understood lighting and contrast completely.
Shadows and Angles
Why do we regard light from beneath as horrifying, and why does it work so well to make everything look wrong enough to jangle our senses? Every person sitting around a campfire telling ghost stories has a flashlight under their chin, pointing up because of the strange, inappropriate shadows. It prepares us to be frightened…
It is true for human faces because generally light comes from above or simply parallel, but rarely from below. We can light trees, or fountains, or swimming pools from below, and it looks lush and appealing. Just don’t try it with statuary or paintings with images of people. Look at almost any Vincent Price horror movie to see how well it works to twist our perceptions and upset our sensibilities.
Light As Art
Even light itself can be the art. In one installation we hung chandeliers of acrobats, frozen in the middle of their performance. Each character was about half the size of a real human.
In another, light is carried by long, clear, curving acrylic rods, each held by dozens of wires, suspended from the ceiling. Think of it as fiber optics on a grand scale. The subtle glow emitted by the rods provides an ambient light that is unobtrusive, but completely effective. It is an amazing spectacle that your guests will never forget!
Have a look at our gallery of fine art lighting to see many examples of our award-winning work. If you need our skills for your trees, fountains, pools, architecture, or statuary, then our gallery of outdoor lighting can certainly provide some amazing ideas to inspire you. See what is possible!
The Takeaway
As homes grow larger, lighting and electrical needs become more complex. Automation of almost everything has started to become common. We’re entering a period where a generation of children will never remember a time when you didn’t simply “speak to the house” to accomplish a task.
Home automation makes life more convenient; it saves money by only powering something when it is needed; it offers security by having lights operate is a pseudo-random pattern that imitates inhabitants, even when you are in the Caribbean for holidays.
Having a single resource for all electrical contracting needs, who also happen to be artistic designers and engineers, provides homeowners with reliability and peace of mind. If you want a consistent, smoother, faster process, reduced costs, and a better end product, Illuminations Lighting Design should be your first choice.
While we are based in Houston, Texas, our art-lighting consultants travel nationwide to design lighting for some of the most prestigious art collections in the world. ILD is the only “one-stop” destination for lighting design services, engineering, landscape lighting services, and installation in the whole state of Texas. We are unrivaled by any lighting firm in the United States for lighting that is art.
We would love to hear from you, so pick up the phone and give us a call at 713-863-1133 or toll-free at 800-863-1184, so you can learn more about our fine art lighting company before we begin your journey towards perfect art lighting.
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