28" Magnolia, Part 3

Work continued steadily on the 28" Magnolia this past week. Soldering the exterior of the shade takes time and patience. Our custom made shade holder was designed specifically to accommodate shades ranging in size from 10" to 28". Hot solder runs downhill, so it is important to be able to position and reposition the shade continuously so that the area being soldered is as level as possible with a three dimensional shade.

Beginning at the top and steadily working around and down the sides of the shade, each line between the pieces of glass is carefully filled in and the solder line is beaded.

Once the exterior is completely soldered, the form is heated to melt the wax used to hold the pieces in place. The form is then carefully removed from the inside of the shade. Using a heat gun, the excess wax is melted and blotted from the interior of the shade. Here is a short video showing the soldering, heating the form, and mold removal.

Lamp of the Week:

We created this 12" Apple Blossom shade in the mid-1990's as a showroom piece. Set against a fracture/streamer blue sky that is sprinkled with purple and green, the pink and off white flowers commingle with delicately colored leaves in various shades of green. Supporting the shade is the Torpedo base, a stylized design that combines organic and industrial sensibilities. This lamp is in a private collection.

28" Magnolia, Part 2

Work continued quite steadily on the 28" Magnolia shade this week. After completing the glass selection and fitting the pieces to the pattern, both Bill and Irwin spent most of the week foiling the pieces. This is a time consuming step in the process where the outside edge of each piece of glass is wrapped in a thin piece of copper tape. This is a repetitive process that requires visual concentration, so we usually listen to books on CD while we foil.

To prepare the large Fiberglas lamp form, our special Century Studios tacky beeswax mixture is heated and brushed onto the surface. The form has the lamp pattern incised onto its surface to guide the piece placement. When we first use the form the fine incised lines are grouted and appear black. This form has been used many times and you can see that the grout has come away to be replaced by the darkening where repeated soldering has burnt the pattern into the surface of the form.

Once foiled, all the pieces are transferred and positioned onto the waxed form. At this point, Irwin will work on the shade while Bill will begin the next project. Once all the pieces have been placed on the form and held in place by the wax, the soldering can begin.

Here is a short video showing how we foil each piece of glass.

Lamp of the Week: 12" Dogwood

This 12" Dogwood shade was commissioned by a client in Texas in 2015. The white flowers are tinged with amber, yellow and pink, while the leaves are a fresh spring green. A fracture/streamer glass background keeps the shade light and airy. The shade is shown on the beautifully detailed Chinese base (16" tall).

28" Magnolia, Part 1

Alongside the Wisteria and Dragonfly lamps, the 28" Magnolia is a Tiffany Studios signature lamp. Tiffany designed the shade for use with a Sr. Floor base and it also makes an impressive chandelier fixture. The shade depicts a large Saucer Magnolia tree in full bloom, and is covered in a fretwork of intersecting branches heavily laden with flowers.

Choosing the glass for a large floral shade takes many hours of supreme concentration and inspiration. Bill Campbell has been immersed in the composition of this shade for the past two weeks. After finding just the right mix of blues for the background/sky glass, Bill began laying in each flower, blending and contrasting them with one another.

The color and texture of each flower petal was carefully considered as the sections filled in. Individual flowers and pieces of glass were moved from one section to another, and some pieces were replaced to suit the overall color composition of the shade.

The three sections of the shade have been completed and the construction of the shade will begin this coming week.

Group of 14" Lamps

Back in the early 1990's, not long after we moved our studio to downtown Minneapolis' North Loop Warehouse District, we decided to have a showroom event which would include all the smaller shade styles we offered at that time.  We titled the display Tiffany In Bloom and included the six 14" shades pictured. We also created larger lamps for the display, but the showcase was on small accent lamps in a variety of colors and styles. Century Studios now offers more than 40 lamp designs that are smaller than 16" shades.

Back Row, Left to Right: 14" Crocus, 14" Geranium, 14" Dragonfly
Center: 14" Daffodil
Front Row, Left to Right: 14" Acorn, 14" Tulip

10" Turtleback

Small shades can have a big impact in a room, and this 10" Turtleback shade on the Ruffle base (17" overall lamp height) is a perfect example. Commissioned by a local client, the glass in the brickwork is a heavily mottled jewel toned green. The band of hand cut turtleback tiles was chosen to blend with the color of the glass, giving the shade the overall look of a glowing emerald.

Lamp of the Week: 25" Rose Bush Chandelier

Covered in mature blooms, the 25" Rose Bush shade is a generously proportioned Tiffany lamp that has an unusual flaring helmet shape. A subtle selection of lush greens and fresh pinks were chosen for this commissioned shade which was installed as a chandelier fixture by a Boston client in 2009.