While browsing the gallery of my handcrafted lamps you can easily see that every lamp is unique. That are not models of the lamps available but just one of a kind lamps that will never be copied.
The reason is simple: for me, working on every new lamp is like a journey into the unknown. Every time, I want to explore the new area and not revisit the same place. Why?
There is simply too much to discover!
WHY THE PRICE RANGE
Is So Wide?
That attitude is also appreciated by the owners of my lamps. You can be sure that your lamp is absolutely one of a kind and no one else will have the same model.
However, the question arises: why the price range of Calabarte lamps is so wide?
Has it anything to do with the quality? Is the difference between the particular lamps so big?
I will answer this on the example of two table lamps – Escher’s Leaves and Cantamena.
THE GEOMETRY OF
The Design
The Escher’s Leaves pattern was inspired by one of the M.C. Escher’s design – “Leaves” created in 1944.
The geometry of the Escher’s Leaves is based on the spiral grid. What’s more, the pattern of the leaves creates two symmetrical, continuous forms being in perfect equilibrium. That makes the construction of the design much more advanced and time-consuming.
The Cantamena design is based on a simpler grid – meridians, and lines of latitude on which the big, main circles are placed. However, this less complicated grid doesn’t impair the final effect in any way.
THE TECHNIQUE
Carvings
In case of the “Escher’s Leaves” the whole gourd is carved. Actually, there is no original outer layer of wood left at all. The brown leaves are carved on three levels: dark contours, leaf veins, and the deeper surface that becomes red when the lamp sheens. At some places, they are less than 1 mm thick.
The leaf’s veins are smooth but those deeper surfaces have the texture to give them even more organic look. They are also painted with very thin layers of natural brown oil. The texture of the dark contours was made with a very precise wood burner and it’s been the first lamp where I applied this technique
Cantamena has much more simple carvings. However, regular shapes like circles are very difficult to carve because there is absolutely no tolerance for a mistake. They just have to be round.
Circles smaller than 6mm were first drilled but not through. It has to be done very carefully to left just the thin surface inside. Later the surfaces were sanded and unlike the Escher’s Leaves, they are smooth.
Put together, Cantamena features 1.120 carved circles. It was labor-intensive but still not as much as in case of the “Escher’s Leaves”
Perforation
The perforation of the Escher’s Leaves is carved as well. The structure of the openwork leaves is based upon the Voronoi diagram. The thin stems are at some places just 1 mm wide, which in the case of a thicker gourd makes it very difficult to carve.
All mentioned above make the “Escher’s Leaves” probably the most labor-intensive of all Calabarte lamps so far.
More details about creating this lamp can be found in the article MAKING OF THE ESCHER’S LEAVES.
Cantamena, on the other hand, although not so intricately carved, is probably the most advanced lamp in terms of the drilled pattern. It is covered by exactly 20.042 holes in 18 different diameters. In fact, there are 321 circles of 43 different types (depending on the size and type of the symmetry).
PERFECT IN DETAIL
The Base
Both lamps have elements extremely characteristic for the Calabarte handcrafted table lamps: the spiral base (finished with black jeweler waxed cord) and carved wooden end.
However, the Escher’s Leaves has intricate, openwork carved wooden end with the burned texture.
The Cantamena’s end is simpler, but the drilled motif is related to the main pattern too.There is also Calabarte logo burned while in case of the Escher’s Leaves it can be found at the bottom of the head.
OVERALL LOOK &
The Light Effects
Escher’s Leaves is definitely much more like a luxury sculpture, alluding to work of a genius M.C. Escher. It is the biggest Calabarte table lamp which I created so far. Its organic elegance and harmonic, exceptional design enrapture both during the day and night.
Cantamena is simpler in details but imparadises during the night by its intricate perforation, symmetrical and fractal-like pattern. Thanks to the LED light, the light patterns are sharper than ever before while they cover every surface within the range of the light.
As you can see, the final price is a total of the time devoted, the complexity of the perforation and/or the carvings and the pattern itself.
Two things remain constant in the case of any of my lamps: the highest quality and uniqueness. Whether the lamp is more expensive or cheaper, the owners can be sure that they will not come across a similar one.