Art Lighting for Taxidermy Mounts

Nothing brings out the lifelike actions and beauty of your taxidermy mounts like professional art lighting services by Illuminations Lighting Design.  Much like sculptures, preserved wildlife requires a blend of light and shadow to look realistic.  This is because in the wild all animals live in a world where light is often partially blocked by cloud cover, the tree canopy, and rock formations.  Even on open savannas and plains, shadows are cast by the bodies of the animals themselves.  Nowhere is there total light on any creature and its immediate surroundings.

However, in a trophy room, the many natural forms that cast shadows are not present.  Custom home lighting that humans need to perform daily tasks will work against the artistic display of taxidermy mounts because it will illuminate the forms of the animals too much from all directions.  This will make them look artificial, and it will work against the purpose of mounting them in the first place.

In order to respect the animal’s beauty, art lighting fixtures must be carefully chosen and placed in just the right positions to create a scene that looks like a natural wilderness.  Light and shadow must accentuate the form of the animal’s body so things like muscle tone, fur color, teeth, and claws look lifelike and vibrant.  Light and shadow must also convey a sense of action.  Taxidermy mounts are often placed in relationships to one another.  Predators are shown pursuing prey.  Herd animals are shown grouping together.  Some animals are even posed in such a way that represents them playing, eating together, and grooming one another.

It takes a professional art lighting company like Illuminations and Design to recognize the complexity of these many relationships and design creative ways of supporting them with light.  Finding ways to conceal lighting fixtures is one of the most important aspects of our job.  Visible equipment will detract from the illusion of natural sunlight, so special mounting techniques have to be diligently pursued to minimize the obtrusiveness of technology.

Also, we often have to use sculpture lighting techniques when illuminating taxidermy mounts.  Very small, hidden fixtures are used in some displays to highlight specific anatomical features.  A good example is the mouth of a predator such as a lion.  If the lion is positioned in a regal pose that shows it roaring, it may be necessary to conceal a small light in the throat area to convey the power of its jaws and the formidable display of its teeth.

Backlighting will also be necessary to make the scene around the taxidermy mounts look true to the wilderness from which they were taken.  In a large room, representations of lakes, rivers, forests, and mountains are place around the animals.  Sometimes these areas consist of artificial lighted trees or grasses to create a three dimensional, nature-like environment.  Many times too, murals are used to create a background for the supporting displays of flora.

Backlighting with concealed fixtures is needed to illuminate these depictions of vegetation and rock formations.  Again, very systematic and very often highly creative methods of art lighting have to be employed to accomplish this task.  Interior lighting designers not only have to make the display look lifelike and realistic, but they also have to install the fixtures they use in such a manner that leaves room for new taxidermy mounts to be added as the collection grows.

As you continue to enjoy your adventures in the wild and add to the beauty of your wildlife displays, remember that Illuminations Lighting and Design will be there as well to help you maintain your collection of memories in the best possible light.

We are located in Houston Texas but provide electrical system installations, professional landscape lighting and house lighting plans in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond.

We invite you to learn more about ILD by contacting us at 713-863-1133 or request a design consultation online,

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