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 Lighting fine art is not as easy as attaching a picture light on the frame or putting a light in the ceiling. It involves careful consideration of the type and style of art, temperature and humidity as well as how the light will affect the piece over the long run. All light bulbs emit ultraviolet and infrared radiation that can cause the temperatures on the surface of a painting to rise when the light is on and back to normal when the light is off. Over time, this can result in fading, cracking, and derogation of materials such as textiles. This is particularly true when using over the picture lights. So let's take a look at various light sources, light fixtures and learn how they might affect your art:
Infrared Heat & Ultraviolet Radiation
IR or infrared heat is an electromagnetic field capable of transferring energy from a source, such as a light fixture or fireplace, to a destination, such as the surfaces within a room like a painting. Radiation does not require an intervening medium; it can occur through a vacuum. It is responsible for the warming of the Earth by the sun. The sensitivity of paintings to ultraviolet and visible radiation varies, but illumination should not be excessive, nor should paintings be hung in direct, unfiltered sunlight. All light, particularly that in the ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) regions of the spectrum, induces chemical changes which age materials by degrading them. The most pernicious photochemical damage is caused by UV rays. IR radiation will cause chemical changes, and it accelerates the destructive effect of both UV light and visible radiation. Although not as profound in its destructive capacity as IR or UV, visible light can cause fading or darkening of some pigments. Photochemical deterioration, which occurs in organic objects such as works on paper and textiles, is cumulative and cannot be reversed. Extremes of temperature and humidity are also bad for paintings and they should be stored at temperatures within the range of 68-72 degrees F. The overall wattage of a light source is the main determinate of how much infrared and ultraviolet radiation is emitted. Remember, using low wattage lamps, the better off you are in protecting your art.
Types of Light Sources
Incandescent Lights
Standard incandescent light bulbs create a warm color that brings out the yellows and reds in art while flattering the blues and greens. They do generate some heat, however, and must be placed far enough away that the heat doesn't affect the artwork.
Halogen Lights
Halogens cast the purest white light, making them ideal for illuminating most art. They do generate a lot of heat, however, and must be placed far enough away that the heat doesn't affect the artwork. The halogen light source produces a pure white color of light which enhances all colors acrosss the spectrum.
Fluorescent Lights
Fluorescent lighting distorts the color of artwork, and the high level of ultraviolet rays emitted by fluorescent lights damage works of art by causing accelerated fading. Fluorescent light sources are not recommended for lighting artwork.
Fixture Styles
Picture lights
Surface mounted picture lights hang directly over a painting or are attached to the frame. These lights, due to their close proximity to the art, are the most likely to affect the art. Works of art on paper, which include prints, drawings in all media, pastels, photographs and works on related materials, are among the most vulnerable to excessive light and fluctuations of temperatures and humidity. They should not be exposed to direct light, unfiltered fluorescent lamps, or the heat of incandescent bulbs. The ultraviolet rays from fluorescent tubes will cause structural damage and oxidative reactions. Limiting light exposure protects paper and pigments from chemical and physical deterioration.
Adjustable Accent Lights
Recessed adjustable accent lights are available in primarily incandescent and halogen sources. In today's lighting fixtures, the MR16 halogen accent light is the preferred fixture for lighting art over traditional incandescent sources. The small size, high output and dichroic characteristics of the light bulb emit a cool beam of light that is art friendly. In case you are wondering, dichroic is a lighting term for a type of reflector that allows the infrared heat and ultraviolet radiation to exit the back of the lamp. Used in conjunction with a UV filter, the MR16 light adjustable accent produces hardly any damaging light and can be used on even the most sensitive and priceless works.
Framing Projectors
Recessed optical framing projectors are available in primarily incandescent and halogen sources. One again, the MR16 halogen accent light is the preferred light source for lighting art over traditional incandescent sources. The Phantom Contour Projector, for example, produces no harmful light rays or heat that will damage art. For this reason, many museums, private collectors and art galleries use projectors to enhance their art. Another advantage to using a Phantom optical framing projector is the unique ability to shape the light to the exact contour of the object without unsightly shadows created on the wall by the frame. The result is a magical "lighted from within look" that can only be appreciated when seen in person or by photography.
Position and Intensity of the Light
Reduce Glare
Place the light at a 30-degree angle to the work of art to minimize glare. Add 5 degrees to the angle for a larger frame, to avoid casting a shadow. Subtract 5 degrees from the position to accent the texture of a painting. You can offset the light in the ceiling to counteract glare from the normal viewing angle.
Avoid Heat Damage
Place lights far enough away from a painting to avoid possible heat damage. Heat can crack oil paintings. Take special care when using hot halogen lights. To test the heat from your lights, put your hand between the art and the light source. If you can feel heat from the light, it could potentially damage an oil painting.
Intensity
A general rule of thumb for accenting a piece of art is to light it three times brighter than the rest of the room. So if you have other lighting in the room it is best to install dimmer controls.
Summary
The professional lighting consultants at Illuminations Lighting Design are well versed in all forms of art, accent and display lighting for museums, private collectors and commercial applications. Illuminations' understands how color, texture, form and shadow can be molded creatively to produce the effect required. This can only be accomplished with the correct equipment and a complete knowledge of lamp types and lamp performance.
Illuminations is a full service design build firm specializing in residential and commercial indoor lighting and outdoor lighting installation, service and maintenance as well as home automation, home theaters and lighting control systems. For more information, please call 800-863-1184.Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Cove Lighting Specialists, Fine art lighting, Picture Lighting Solutions
 Ever found yourself in a retail store with rows and rows of televisions, showing the same video and each looks better than the other? Well you are not alone. With the mix of new technologies and standard technologies, today's television market is rapidly changing, and can get confusing. It's important, as a consumer purchasing a new television, to understand the differences, pros and cons in the varied offerings.
Basically, there are 4 types of televisions in the market, not to be confused with type of signal (SDTV, EDTV or HDTV).
Tube TV
Tube televisions are the old stand-bys. Also known as direct view, these are the bulky, big, heavy television with the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) technology, which is a specialized vacuum tube. Newer models can display HDTV video signal. These televisions are less expensive compared to their counterparts and have a very long lifespan.
DLP TV
DLP televisions are based on a technology invented by Texas Instruments back in 1987 called Digital Light Processing. The technology is based on an optical semiconductor called DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) chip. The chip consists of over one million mirrors to process light. They come in either single chip or 3 chip configurations. One-chip DLP systems use a projection lamp to pass white light through a color wheel that sends red-green-blue colors to the DMD chip in a sequential order to create an image on-screen. Only one DMD chip is used to process the primary RGB colors. Three-chip DLP systems use a projection lamp to send white light through a prism, which creates separate red, green, and blue light beams. Each beam is sent to their respective red, green, and blue DMD chip to process the image for display on-screen. One-chip models are said to produce a display of over 16-million colors. Three-chip models can produce a display of over 35-trillion colors.They are not susceptible to burn-ins however; they do require a lamp replacement every 1000 hours to 2000 hours, depending on the manufacturer. DLP do not come in flat panel configuration. The advantages of DLP are cost and picture quality. To see a demo of DLP technology visit the DLP technology website.
LCD TV
LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. The Display comes either in flat panel or rear projection configuration. These panels are popular due to their light weight, thin construction, vivid colors and ability to be used as computer monitors. LCD tends to show a ghosting effect if the refresh rate is too slow while others tend to show a screen door effect, which nothing more than a pixilation effect or in other words gaps between mirrors. The best criteria to select and LCD is actually to view it, checking for those to effects before buying. LCD panels are not susceptible to burn-ins.
Plasma TV
PlasmaTV'ss or PDP (Plasma Display Panel) are considered to be top of the line in picture quality and because of this are also considered to be the first choice for high end home electronics. All plasmas come in flat panel configurations, which make them ideal when space is limited or where the aesthetics of the TV body are important. The panels consist of gases which emit colors under different temperatures. It is a common misconception that Plasmas leak gases and can be refilled. Plasmas cannot be refilled. Plasma panels are susceptible to burn-ins.Ann average life span of 6 to 8 years is typical for these panels.
As with any home theater decisions, the best choice is to have a professional guide you through the many options out there. The professional home automation specialists at Illuminations can guide you through the process to ensure that you select the right products for your space, needs, wants, and budget.
For more information about televisions and the Home Theater and HOME AUTOMATION SERVICES at Illuminations call 800-863-1184. One of our CEDIA CERTIFIED DESIGNERS will be glad to answer any questions you have or schedule a time to meet and discuss your home automation and lighting control needs.
Illuminations Lighting Design is a full service design build firm specializing in residential and commercial indoor lighting and outdoor lighting installation, service and maintenance as well as home automation, home theaters and lighting control systems.Labels: Home Theater Design, Home Theater Experience, Home Theater Lighting, Sony Home Theaters
 It can be difficult in today's construction environment to find a qualified electrician who specializes in high end residential homes. That's because most electricians jump between companies and never really find a home or build a loyal following of clients that they serve. At Illuminations Lighting Design we consider our electrical staff to be like family and work with them to develop long term careers here at Illuminations. We have electricians you can depend on, not only for their expertise, but also for their utmost professionalism and respect for your home. We welcome the opportunity to serve you.
Today's custom homes can take many, many months, often even years, to complete construction. When you've invested that much time, effort, and money in your home, you need to be assured that your construction team is there for the duration. The last thing you want to be worrying about is finding a replacement electrician because the other guy didn't show up, went out of business - you name it! After all, this guy knows where the wires are run, how to get from point A to point B and how to quickly fix a problem when it occurs.
Having been in business for over 25 years, one of the hallmarks of Illuminations Lighting Design is the ability to find and keep quality residential electricians who are familiar with the latest equipment, light fixtures, building techniques and electrical codes. Our electricians will be there to serve you from day one through the life of your home. Our workers are polite, courteous and will respect your privacy and belongings. They are even available for special events such as parties, where it would be a disaster if something went wrong, or the power went out. What's a party without the Margarita machine!
Our electricians are trained to work on any project from a simple faulty switch to the city's most high-end lighting, control systems and electrical systems. And the job need not be new construction, or whole house. Much of our work involves enhancing existing homes. They are skilled at adding lighting fixtures in finished rooms, often without having to cut the ceiling. Read what people have to say about us!
Sometimes you may not even be having an electrical issue - often a fine tuning of your existing lighting can bring your space to life in a way you'd never imagined. Our service teams are available to aim adjustable accent lights, accounting for beam spread, lensing, and aiming angle so that your home, artwork, and furnishings are perfectly illuminated.
All our electricians are licensed in the State of Texas, Houston, surrounding communities and the villages around the city of Houston, under the supervision of Louis Torregrossa, Master Electrician. Our crews, consisting of a Journeyman and helper, have the support and depth to handle just about any situation or electrical emergency that you might have.Illuminations Lighting Design is a full service design build firm specializing in residential and commercial indoor lighting and outdoor lighting installation, service and maintenance as well as home automation, home theaters and lighting control systems. For more information we can be reached locally at 713-863-1133 or toll free at 800-863-1184.Labels: Architectural Lighting Houston Texas, Electrical contractor Houston Texas, Home and Garden Landscape Lighting, Independant Residential Electrical Contractor
 Ever notice that when you look out your windows at night you see...yourself? When the inside of your house is lit and the outside is dark, your windows become like mirrors. Many people will spend much time, effort, and yes, money to construct their yards and their landscaping, but then lose the views and the functionality of the space as soon as the sun goes down. This scenario is all too often the case for most homeowners, but it doesn't have to be. By bringing lighting into the garden, you can not only make it functional at night, you can maintain your view from the house year round.
Lanterns, porch lights and exterior floodlights can create glare and do not, on their own, constitute well designed landscape lighting. These lights serve a distinct purpose and should not be the only light source in the garden. They should be kept at a very dim level so as to not create overwhelming glare. Proper landscape lighting, used in conjunction with other light sources can transform your garden into a nighttime extension of your home and enhance your outdoor investment.
One popular way to add a soft blanket of light to a property is through a technique called "Moonlighting." Like a full moon, lights mounted high in the trees and aimed back through the branches will create a dappled display of light and shadows across your property. This effective landscape lighting technique is perfect for soft, even illumination of the property from the aesthetic view and well as providing a security function. One of the main benefits of mercury vapor tree lighting (the type of lamp used most often in moonlighting) is that the fixtures are out of your normal field of view and the color of the light is very close to natural moon light. This type of equipment has a tremendous lamp life and requires very little maintenance.
Moonlighting should be done by lighting professionals who are trained in fixture selection, fixture placement, wattage requirements and tree preservation, since controlling glare, light level, aiming, and understanding the needs of the tree are very important to a successful installation.
To compliment the tree lights, professional lighting designers typically illuminate small ornamental trees, sculptures, fountains, pathways or structures with a contrasting color of light. Lighting architectural elements of the home, such as columns or entry ways, or even washing the facade, can also add huge amounts of beauty, function, and security to your valuable investment. This layering effect of different light sources, intensities, and textures produces a very dramatic effect.
Finding a company you trust to do the installation should not be taken lightly. Besides the inherent design pitfalls of glare and intensity that can be challenges for outdoor lighting, there are the issues of safety and respect for your existing landscape. Installing electrical fixtures and wiring outside where it will be exposed to the elements for years to come is serious business and should only be handled by experienced professionals. It may be tempting to try to save money by staking some solar lights (that, by the way, don't put out ANY usable light) along a pathway or hire a landscaper to put in some low voltage lights, but the lack of appropriate fixture and/or the lack of true electrical and lighting design expertise will most likely leave you sorely disappointed and spending more money in the long run.
So how should you evaluate the different companies in your area? Do you homework and ask questions. Request to see a company's credentials, insurance, press releases and portfolio. Ask for references, pictures or testimonials. This highly specialized art has been mastered by Rick Luberger, landscape lighting designer, and the trained staff at Illuminations Lighting Design. For over 25 years, Illuminations Lighting Design has worked on both residential and commercial projects to create some of the most elegant and tasteful creations in the industry.
Join us in celebrating our 25th Year of business by viewing our Client Testimonials to see what people are saying about our services. Like music, lighting sets the mood! For more information regarding professional landscape lighting services contact Rick Luberger by email at or by phone at 800-863-1184 X 1133.
Labels: Commercial Landscape Lighting, houston landscape lighting, Outdoor Architectural Lighting, Outdoor Restaurant Lighting, Texas Lighting Design
Illuminations Lighting Design
607 Durham Drive
Houston, Texas 77007-5316
(713) 863-1133 Main Line
(800) 863-1184 Toll Free
(713) 863-0044 Fax
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