“As a child, I was a compulsive drawer… the many abstract doodles and drawings in my sketchbook became the inspiration for my stained glass"
Ars Lumina
As a child, I was a compulsive drawer (mostly drawing imaginary people), and took many art classes in a variety of mediums. It was only natural that I would go to an art college following high school, and so I attended School of Visual Arts in NY in 2004, and graduated with a BFA in illustration. About a year after graduation, I ended up with a job working for an art restoration and conservation company in Manhattan, mainly working on sculpture and other art objects of the 3-dimensional variety. Through this experience, my interest in a variety of art mediums grew, and so I began experimenting more with different materials and techniques in my personal work. It wasn't long before a colleague of mine turned me on to stained glass, and I instantly fell in love with the radiant quality of it, as well as the sculptural and decorative possibilities of solder. As soon as I felt more comfortable with my technique, the many abstract drawings and doodles in my sketchbook became the inspiration for my stained glass designs, and in 2011 I named this body of work “Ars Lumina”, meaning "Art Light" in Latin. Ars Lumina comprises all of my work in this particular medium.
My artistic process often goes like this: I typically start with a sketch of what I want the final piece to look like. After deciding the color palette, a template is created and used as a guide when cutting the glass. After copper foiling each piece, I then employ various soldering techniques, not only to build the overall structure, but also to bring another layer of artistry into the design. Aside from stained glass, other elements, such as agates and/or gemstones, are carefully chosen and placed to add an organic quality, as well as to create accents of texture and color. Overall, I aim to create pieces which somewhat resemble glass “fabric” which is then “stitched” together with solder. The work is non-representational, so that the viewer can solely focus on the intrinsic beauty of the glass, and the cooled molten state of the solder which sumptuously binds all the elements together.
For the lamps, once the final design touches are complete and the bases attached, cords of approximately 6 ft. length (usually white or clear) with in-line switches are wired in, and 20-40 watt bulbs installed, usually through the bottom. I often like to install aura-descent candelabra bulbs, as this can create a spectacular, splashy light effect. Each piece is also signed and dated on the base or in the bottom corner edge of the shade. Scraps left over from previous lamp projects are used to create votive candle holders, and the scraps leftover from that are used to make jewelry pieces. Recently, I’ve embarked on creating panel reliefs which are placed in holder stands, and would also like to make framed lightboxes. Commissions are always welcome; it brings me joy to bring someone’s concept to life, and in turn make their lives (or at least their living spaces) a little brighter!
View more of Renata’s work:
https://renatapugh.myportfolio.com/ars-lumina