Two Small Lamps

This past week we completed and shipped two commissioned 10" shades. Both shades are shown on the Ruffle base.

The 10" Acorn has a dramatic color shift from white to cherry red. This piece was shipped to an overseas client.

The 10" Turtleback shade went to the West Coast to be used on an antique floor base. The deep amber/orange tones compliment the amber turtleback tiles.

Window of the Week - Iris Sunset

Commissioned in 1997, the Iris Sunset window shows a peaceful scene as the sky begins to turn orange with the approaching evening.

16" Banded Daffodil

Commissioned by an out of state client, this 16" Banded Daffodil lamp features warm tones of amber, green and yellow. The background glass was cut from an unusual piece of fracture glass and the flowers have a dappled sunlight effect. The blended color scheme is accentuated by the deep amber borders. The shade is shown on the highly detailed Cereus base.

18" Grape Lamp

We have completed the 18" Grape lamp shown in production in an earlier post. This shade is one of four 18" tree-style shades by Tiffany Studios which were designed to mate with the large Tree Trunk base. These tree style shades have a large cast bronze crown of openwork branches at the top. The 18" Tree style lamps with integrated shades and bases represent some of the earlier, more elaborate lamps designed by Tiffany Studios.

Only a few lamp patterns using the Grape motif were designed by Tiffany Studios, and most were cone shaped, intended for use as large chandelier fixtures. With its lush foliage and fully ripened grapes hanging realistically along the lower edge of the shade, the Grape is one of Tiffany's most successful shade designs.

Inspired by the ability to create a dramatic showpiece using some of our finest glasses, we decided to create this piece as a two sided lamp. This unusual technique of blending the colors to shift from one side of the shade to the other takes a lot of planning and careful glass selection. The Grape shifts color from lush jewel tones of purple and blue on one side to brighter, vibrant greens and ambers on the opposite side. Many of the glasses used to create this shade were made over 20 years ago by makers such as Schlitz and Lins.

Carefully selecting from our extensive glass library, the colors shift when the shade is spun in either direction. The deep velvet tones of night gradually lighten to reveal our grapes in full sun, illumated by an Autumnal light and ready for harvest.

As can be seen in the photo below, both sides blend seamlessly into each other. The most challenging areas of glass selection were the blended portions which had to use elements of both color schemes without creating an abrupt line of color where the tones shift.

Lamp of the Week: 20" Azalea

Created in 2001 as a studio showroom piece and acquired by a local client, this 20" Azalea shade is a rarely seen Tiffany Studios lamp design. The shade is generously covered in blossoms which feature decorative solder "knobs" to represent the flower centers, which gives the shade a three dimensional look in person. The shade is shown on the telescoping Root base.

18" Grape Lamp

We have been working on an 18" Grape shade. This shade is one of the four 18" tree-style lamps designed by Tiffany Studios which have a large cast bronze crown at the top.  We decided to create this shade as a two sided lamp - one side features deep blue and purple tones, while the opposite side is lighter, with greens, reds and oranges. The technique of shifting the color of a lamp from one side to the other allows the viewer to have two lamps in one. Tiffany Studios would occasionally create dramatic "night and day" shifts in color on a single lamp.

The areas between the two color schemes are delicately blended so the coloration flows naturally from one side to the other. In the photo at the top, the lamp is completely cut and shown laid out flat on our light table so we can make final adjustments to the colors. Irwin has been busy soldering the shade together and we will show the completed lamp in a future post.

Ephraim Faience Pottery Dragonfly Vase

CENTURY STUDIOS

LIMITED EDITION DRAGONFLY VASE #16

by Ephraim Faience Pottery
PRE-ORDER PRICE $188.00

There are only three days remaining

to pre-order this piece for your collection, contact us by
FRIDAY MARCH 7, 2014

Century Studios
651-699-4838
centurystudios@visi.com

Two Recent Lamp Projects

Here are two small lamps we recently completed for out of town clients. The 10" Turtleback shade was created for a Washington state client.

The 12" Dogwood was commissioned as a wedding gift for a San Francisco couple. The couple stopped into the studio while visiting family and picked glass for this lamp. One third of the lamp is shown in the photo to the left, and the completed lamp is shown on the Mushroom base.