|
The Seekers® Collection &
Gallery presents fine hardwood lamps by Clark Renfort, a northern California
artist whose original designs combine Art Nouveau and other classic influences
with contemporary elements in a manner that blends with virtually any style of
decor.
Renfort’s unique Tendril
Lamps are designed as floor lamps, in a Torcheire version, which is 69
inches tall, as well as a Reading Lamp, which measures 54 inches in height.
He designs and makes each lamp
himself, working in walnut, cherry and maple. He accepts custom commissions and
will create lamps in other woods and dimensions.
A skilled woodworker, Renfort
creates each lamp by turning the main body of each piece on a lathe. He creates
the distinguishing tendrils by steam-bending carved lengths of wood into
sculptural forms that wind around the base. Sometimes a circle of wood appears
to hold the tendrils in place.
He makes the shades by slumping
glass in a kiln at 1150 degrees F, then sandblasting and enameling the surface
to create either a smooth or textured appearance.
The one inch brass inlay at the
top of the lamp serves as the touch switch, dividing the wattage into thirds and
providing versatility similar to a 3-way bulb. The lamps use any normal
incandescent light bulb up to 300 watts (i.e. two 150 watt bulbs are suggested
for the reading lamp). Each lamp is signed and dated.
"The most interesting part
of creating is the space between what you imagine and what you end up
with," he explains. "You go where the piece takes you without
compromising your original intent. The result is a cross between your original
idea and the serendipity inherent in creating."
Renfort studied general
education at Mendocino College and music at Cabrillo College prior to beginning
to work in wood 1979. He established his own wood studio in 1984 and continues
to live and work in a rural section of northern California.
Seekers takes pride in
presenting Renfort's lamps, which are included in numerous collections, among
them those of singer David Crosby, of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and the
Smuckers Family (jams and jellies), Carmel.
His work has been shown at numerous galleries
and museums throughout the world, including The Grace Hudson Museum, Ukiah, CA;
The California Craft Museum, San Francisco; and The Woodworking Museum of Seoul,
South Korea.
|
