This spring I was fortunate to attend the Van Gogh Alive exhibition at the Arizona Science Center.
Van Gogh is one of my favorite artists because I love the colors in his paintings. I have a thick album with photos of his works in my home library. I have been to a couple of exhibitions of his works before, including one in Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, but Van Gogh Alive show swept me off my feet.
Synchronized to music, the exhibit featured images of Van Gogh paintings projected onto the walls of a large hall. Images flowed and told a story of painter's life. They were accompanied with quotes from his letters and diaries. I was not just looking at his paintings one at a time, I was being surrounded by each painting, being immersed in it. The experience was unbelievable and even now, almost 6 months later, I can still close my eyes and see it: his vibrant paintings everywhere around me, breathing.
I have been thinking about this exhibit, wanting to somehow try and replicate this experience with my works. Sound and projecting onto the walls did not agree with glass as a medium, but color and light very much did.
So I decided to create a piece reminescent of the colors of Van Gogh's autumnal landscapes and his chunky sunflower paintings…
And here it is, my lamp. The design flows like Van Gogh's golden hills of rye. I used cameos of richly-colored textured stained glass and three gorgeous agate geodes to bring in the feeling of opulence and jewel-studded autumn.
The lamp looks stunning both lit and not lit. During the day beautiful streaks in the glass are more visible and in the evening, when it is lit, the colors are more intense. This is a wonderful wall accent that will add a pop of color to any decor, and, of course, a great conversation piece.
Note: Images of the exhibition are from Google search.