An artist that sees nature in a different way

Jean-Luc Godard is a self-taught artist whose focus is on sculptural lighting, and who has a passion for wood and metal. Originally born and raised in France, he moved to the United States in 1989. His sculptural lighting pieces focus on organic designs and minimalist concepts. His creations directly respond to the surrounding environment and his everyday experiences serve as a starting point for those works.

THE STUDIO
The Art of Lamp studio is located at the edge of a nature preserve in the rolling foothills of the Berkshires in Northwestern Connecticut. The meadow just outside the studio is filled with wildflowers which attract a variety of species providing limitless inspiration for our work.

THE PATH
I design and hand craft all of the pieces produced at the Art of Lamp studio. Since my teens, I’ve been designing and making custom furniture. I have also been a professional custom sign maker for the past decade, however my true passion, sculptural lighting, is what drives me to spend countless hours bringing my ideas to life. I pride myself on having a keen eye for choosing the perfect materials, those with beautiful natural curves and unique grain to the wood, which make my pieces unique and which define my work as that of a naturalist.

WHAT ART IS TO ME
As is evidenced through the website, my work is not confined to one specific style or theme. While others may develop one style and reproduce countless versions of it, for me, the creative process is a journey that takes you to places limited only by your imagination.

CREATIVE PROCESS
Many have asked me, “What is your creative process ?” An excellent question that all artists should ask themselves. After much thought, I can confidently reply: Association, Transformation & Expression/Execution.

ABOUT MY WORK

My work can be described as sculptural lighting. The majority of the designs embody the warmth of natural materials, the sensuality of curves accented with metal details. The role of light is not necessarily utilitarian, but rather to provide a splash of brightness to the composition of the piece or dimension-enhancing shadows. A strong emphasis is put on simplicity and naturalness of the piece. I started my artistic journey 5 years ago and am honored to have had my work juried in many art shows and galleries.

HOW IT STARTED

It all started with a failed pail…
A picture of a late 19th century wooden pail inspired me to painstakingly recreate it. In making the walls of the pail with tapered wooden slats, the resulting form was not what I was going for, it was simply too “funnel-like.” Consequently, they were tossed into the wood pile for the woodstove in our shop. Months later, while cleaning up, I came upon some of my “failed pails” haphazardly stacked on top of an old lamp base whose glass shade was damaged. Stepping back, I realized that the combination of the "pail" and lamp base created a rather pleasing ensemble. But a little tweaking was needed. A little color applied to the wooden funnel made the overall lamp quite lovely, yet there was still something missing. The "funnel" was missing a certain something. That something was a little highlight which came in the form of metal edges that run along each segment junction. The jazzed up funnel/pail had become a cool lamp shade. The moral of the story: don’t assume that “junk pile” doesn’t serve a purpose, you never know what new discovery awaits.

THE COLLECTIONS

My pieces are grouped in collections. Each collection represents distinctive moments of inspiration. The Sea Grass Collection mimics the soothing sway of underwater vegetation and its gentle, slow-motion dance it performs in the current. The Champignon Collection was inspired by the beauty of mushrooms, whose colors, shapes and textures are simply fascinating . The Journey Collection represents spur-of-the-moment ideas, the urge to turn a vision into a physical object, they become the seeds of future collections.

MY TAKE ON ART

I refuse to be pigeon-holed into any particular style or design. When a piece pleases a buyer, it’s great, but stifling one’s own creative spirit at the expense of selling does not interest me. As an artist, the freedom to create without boundaries, the challenge of pushing the creative envelop to evolve into a "complete" artist, this is what drives me. Art for me will always be exploration, always a quest for new creative adventures.

Art Of Lamp
46 Simsbury rd.
West Granby, CT 06090
www.artoflamp.com
sales@artoflamp.com

Jean-Luc Godard

This release was published on openPR.