Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Several Projects at Once

After a short stint away from the studio two weeks ago, we hit the ground running when we got back to work. Irwin worked on completing two different lamp projects while Bill continued to make progress on our next large window commission.

Bill has been hand painting faces and laying out portions for our next large window which is inspired by Renoir's painting entitled "Madame Charpentier". This will be a multi-layered widow and is quite large. The color palette for the original painting is not what jumps to mind when one thinks of an Impressionist painting. For this image, muted ochers, ambers and reds are accented with blue and play against a large amount of black. To translate this image into glass, much time is being spent carefully choosing the glass that will give the image life.

Bill usually starts these projects by getting the basic painting done for the faces and hands of the figures. Once we have more glass in place, additional painted layers will be added to blend the color of the facial features in with the rest of the window.

While Bill was busy painting and firing the window pieces, Irwin was working on a 14" Tulip shade that was commissioned by a client in Australia. By the end of the week, Irwin had the shade completed. A detail of the completed shade is pictured to the right.

Honing his multi-tasking skills, Irwin was also busy laying out an 18" Peony shade while there was still some room on the light tables. In the photo to the left, Irwin has completed the layout and is foiling the pieces. The Peony is being created as a showroom lamp.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Lily Ceiling Fixtures

Century Studios is pleased to announce the inclusion of two new ceiling fixtures to our line of unique Lily Lights. Inspired by an original Tiffany Studios fixture, we are now offering a 31 Light Lily Ceiling Fixture (shown in the photos above and below) and a 49 Light Lily Ceiling Fixture.

The 31 Light Lily is approximately 42" wide and 20" deep. The 49 Light Lily measures approximately 48" wide and 22" deep. Each gold lustre blown glass lily shade cascades down from the cast bronze bell which is held to the ceiling by cast bronze lily pads. These impressive fixtures will impart a golden glow to any room.

We are now also creating a 5 Light Lily Ceiling Fixture. This petite chandelier is approximately 11" wide and drops 20" from the ceiling. It is perfect for a hallway or small entryway. The simple lines of this fixture make it perfect for any style interior. The length of the fixture is adaptable. 10, 15, or 25 watt candelabra bulbs can be used in each light.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Closed this Weekend

Century Studios will be closed Saturday July 11th through Tuesday July 14th. We will resume regular business hours on Wednesday July 15th.

Monday, July 6, 2009

22" Dragonfly

We have recently completed two different 22" Dragonfly shades. Commissioned by two separate clients, these shades were as different as night and day.

Our first client requested a rich, deeply colored shade to be used as a floor lamp on the Twisted Vine Floor base (photo to right). The background glass in the shade started at the top with rich red/orange/deep amber tones and shifted color into beautiful deep blues with hints of purple and green. The multi-colored jewels adorning the shade give the piece sparkle.

The second rendition of this popular Tiffany Studios' pattern was created in a lighter color pallet. The lush greens at the bottom of the background moved up into reds and were snow capped with whites at the top of the shade. Red and orange were colors that were requested by our client, so we encrusted the shade with vivid red jewels and rendered the dragonflies in oranges and reds. This shade was ordered on the Junior Floor base, a 5' tall version of the classic Senior Floor base.

Dragonfly shades can be created in a multitude of color ranges and can be used as chandelier fixtures, table lamps and floor lamps. The wine-colored example pictured to the right was made for a local client in 2007. The three 22" Dragonfly shades pictured below are just a few of the many examples of this design that we have created over the years.