I recently interviewed Tom Kretzschmar with Illuminations Lighting Design to discuss the importance of working with art consultants. I wanted to learn more about Tom’s perception of art consultants in general, and the exact role that ILD plays as a resource in this very unique and eclectic field.
What is the role of an art consultant?
Art consultants provide a valuable service to individuals or corporations who are building or maintaining fine art collections. They work closely with architects, builders and/or
interior designers to integrate art and other design elements tailored to the project. Additionally, they may commission site-specific artwork, provide custom framing, ship and deliver artwork, as well as supervise the installation and lighting.
Does ILD have special knowledge of fine art that other lighting companies may not have?Yes. With a vast knowledge of both commercial and residential applications, we bring to the table a wealth of
lighting design and
electrical contracting experience. Our practical, yet sophisticated art lighting installations are tailored to the application and desires of the client. Whether you are looking for a simple recessed accent light or a high performance optical framing projector, the knowledgeable licensed electricians from ILD are up for the challenge. As a specialty
art lighting company since 1980, we have illuminated some of the world’s most popular artists such as Chagall, Picasso, Matisse, Renoir, Rockwell, Salvador Dali and Rembrandt.
As the owner and founder of ILD, what do you consider your greatest achievement?
There have been many over the years that we feel really good about. The one that stands out the most in recent memory is a project we did at Jones Hall.
Illuminations Lighting Design, a Houston Texas based fine art lighting company was contacted by the City of Houston Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department through its contract with the Houston Arts Alliance and following the recommendation of the Richard Lippold Foundation, commissioned ILD to engineer and install a new high performance lighting system for the
Gemini II sculpture in Jones Hall. Gemini II is the work of Milwaukee-born artist Richard Lippold and was commissioned by the Houston Endowment in 1966. It has been hanging in Downtown Houston’s Jones Hall for the past 42 years now.
Whomever the artist and wherever the artwork is located, you can trust the
fine art lighting services at Illuminations Lighting Design to design and implement a fine art lighting theme that will showcase your collection in the best possible light on a budget you can afford. Let trained
corporate art lighting consultants help you with your art collection.
Labels: Art Consultant, Art Lighting Consultants, Fine Art Lighting Company Texas, Houston Lighting Designers, Houston Sculpture Lighting, Lighting Consultants, Low Voltage Display Lighting Experts
ILD art consultants provide art lighting advisory services to private and professional art collectors on a nationwide basis. Our clients range from private collectors and commercial organizations in a variety of high-end markets and eclectic industries. Art collections themselves often contain everything from high-end photography and statues to abstract art, prints, and fine paintings. Most collections contain more than one type of art and require complex lighting designs and a combination of sophisticated lighting fixtures, to properly illuminate. This is where ILD art consultants step in to advise and recommend artwork lighting options. In most instances, clients call us because they are having difficulty on one or more of three major problem areas: glare, spill light, and shadows.
Minimizing and Redirecting Glare
Art consultants work to light art from the best “angle of incidence.” This term describes the angle at which light strikes the surface of an object. In art lighting, this is very important to minimizing glare. It is impossible to eliminate all glare, but it is possible to direct it enough of it away from the eye of the viewer so it remains undetected. Art consultants are trained in these modern art lighting techniques, having worked extensively in for 27 years now with interior designers and museum curators. By adjusting where the light strikes the artwork, art consulting teams also change where the reflection of that light travels. This keeps the light it from striking another large object, a nearby wall, or the eye of a viewer looking at the piece.
Eliminating Spill Light
Spill light is never good. It looks sloppy, and it distracts the eye away from the work of art being viewed. Spill light is most often caused by lighting that is too intense. Retail grade art lights are often the culprit for this because they lack the ability to be adjusted. Art consultants install commercial grade picture lighting equipment that can be dimmed or brightened at will. They also prefer to use fixtures that allow the light beam to focused and shaped to match a frame, canvas, or three dimensional object on display. One of the most popular methods for achieving this effect is the use of a framing projector mounted in the center of the ceiling that can direct an invisible beam of light toward any piece(s) in the collection. When the beam strikes the piece, it suddenly becomes visible in the form of an aura of light that appears to emanate from within the art itself.
Shadows
There are many types of shadows in the world of recessed art lighting. Most are undesirable and have to be eliminated. Frame shadows are the collector’s worst nemesis. When light from an inappropriately chosen or improperly positioned fixture strikes the frame, the frame blocks the light and casts a shadow over the picture. Art consultants will either move the fixture to a different lighting angle of incidence, or replace the fixture with a more controlled and adjustable lighting source.
When it comes to three dimensional art, fine art lighting companies and consultants are less absolutist in their insistence on eliminating shadows all together. Statuary and modern art features contours and angles that are often “flattened” by too much light. Art consultants integrate certain shadows into a comfortable level of illumination that is appropriate to each piece. This helps create a more lifelike, realistic presentation of statuary, and it contributes as well to the avante guard nature of abstract pieces on high end lighting projects.
Visit our main website here to learn more about specific services that we offer in fine art lighting and interior lighting systems for homes, offices, and hospitality organizations.
Illuminations Lighting Design has mastered these mini-disciplines and has been lighting art in Houston, Beaumont, Austin, and San Antonio areas for many, many years. Our staff holds licenses in electrical service work and understands the complexity of fine art lighting, home automation and interior design.
Illuminations Lighting Design is a full service design build firm specializing in residential and commercial indoor lighting and outdoor lighting, electrical service and maintenance as well as home automation, home theaters, emergency generators, surge protection systems, phone systems and lighting control systems.
Call toll free 800-863-1184 for a complimentary lighting consultation.
Labels: Art Consultant, Art Lighting Consultants, Fine Art Lighting Experts, Hidden Art Lights, Projector Art Lighting Equipment
