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
What makes ILD the most qualified go-to source for art and light in the city of Houston?
In the 1980s, we originally began as an
art lighting firm whose specialty was the superior presentation of fine art. Over time, we expanded into other areas of lighting, including interior home lighting, architectural lighting, landscape lighting, electrical services, and home automation.
This expansion taught us many things about interior architecture and decorating, and the subtle impacts that these forces can bring to bear upon a collection of art.
Illuminating art requires not only knowledge of art and light itself, but also an awareness of such factors as lighting intensity, angle, and the relationship between light and shadow.
What do art and light have in common?
Art and light share a number of remarkable similarities that makes them soul mates in one sense of the term. To begin with, both depend on spatial relationships to establish aesthetic. Art depicts objects in relationship to one another. Light occupies space without consuming volume, and in the process shows all objects in the room in relationship to one another.
Both art and light utilize shadow to some degree to distinguish themselves. The variances in light and layers of light are clearly defined by proportions of luminance versus lower levels of light or outright shadow. Similarly, depictions of scenes and characters in art rely upon a blend of color, light, and shadow to create perspective and dimension—two essential attributes that distinguish fine art from run of the mill images of popular culture.
Where do we see the most complex relationships between art and light?
The similarities shared by
art and light allow for complex relationships to be formed between the two by the professional lighting designer. When art lighting fixtures are properly selected and correctly installed, the result is a multi-dimensional aesthetic that moves the viewer beyond duality.
General room lighting and average, daily life scenes are often nothing more than something we are looking at lit up by light coming from somewhere either over our shoulder or over our heads. With art lighting this is never the case.
Modern art lights are precisely adjusted to match beam spread and lighting intensity to the works of art they are showcasing. Layers of light are also created to fill the room with an ambience that is appropriate to the genre represented by any given collection.
How do art and light depend on one another?
We can see, then that light and art depend on one another in some very specific ways. Art in the dark cannot be seen, and light in an empty room is so much space illuminated without form or apparent purpose. Bringing the two together is in many ways a creation of a special reality where essence and form converge in layers of color, luminance, and shadow. At the end of the day, both the art and light in your private gallery become as much an expression of you as they are the work of the artists themselves as ILD professionals translate the sublime to the personal, the objective to the subject.
Since 1980, Illuminations Lighting Design has grown to include a team of over 50 talented and dedicated employees. Specialty divisions have been created to focus on such disciplines as
lighting design,
electrical contracting,
landscape lighting and
home automation. Having specialists in each of these disciplines, while remaining true to the mission of offering home owners the "complete picture" of lighting design, is key to continued success at Illuminations Lighting.
Labels: Art Lighting Consultants, Art of Light, Commercial Art Lighting, Fine Art Light Installers, Fine Art Lighting Company Texas, Houston Residential Specialty Contractors
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, Houston’s premier fine art lighting company to specify and install a high performance sculpture lighting system for the Gemini II sculpture in Jones Hall.
This superb metal sculpture is the work of Milwaukee-born artist Richard Lippold, and was commissioned in 1966 by the Houston Endowment and has hung for the past 42 years in Downtown Houston Jones Hall. Its web-like design is created by a combination of polished aluminum and gold-plated wire. The wires stretch from the focal point to the axis of the sculpture and generate magnificent interplay of light between the reflective surface of the meal and the transparent appearance of the wires.
This makes the artwork lighting an integral part of the display, and something that requires the best in equipment and effect to produce.
The original sculpture lighting system, installed years before, had performed adequately enough, but it had never done complete justice to the piece. Consisting of thirty 150PAR38 incandescent lamps, it relied upon light bulbs have been used for decades. These fixtures have since become undesirable because of their short lamp life and extreme power consumption for lighting art. They also produce something of a warm color temperature (2800K to be exact), which is less than optimum for this type of display. Ideally, a metal sculpture should be lit with a very cool color temperature lamp that produces a very white light.
After conducting a series of tests on possible fixture configurations, the design team of Tom Kretzschmar and Lance Gandy decided on a modern art lighting system that combined the best in light quality, energy efficiency, and low-maintenance. Illuminations lighting designers chose theatrical fixtures made by Source Four, and they custom built a mounting rack to support the equipment.
The luminaires specified by art lighting consultants Kretzschmar and Gandy feature 150 watt ceramic metal halide lamps. These lamps are built with custom tube shields that have concentric ring louvers designed to minimize glare. They are also manufactured with computer-engineered reflectors that capture and focus the light. Ceramic metal halide technology and enhanced optical design make these lights so efficient that it only took six of them to do the job that thirty incandescent fixtures were previously needed to do!
These lamps are also six times more energy efficient than 150PAR38 incandescent lamps. Savings on operating costs were guaranteed to begin accruing in a matter of a few short months. Even better, comes every one of these six lamps is rated at an average life of 12,000 hours—bringing a drastic reduction in the cost of replacement lamps and maintenance calls.
Sculpture lighting has significantly improved as well since we installed our new lighting system. The new fixtures produce a very white, cool color of light that is ideal for the polished aluminum and gold-plated wiring. They are controlled by an astronomical clock that turns the lights under the sculpture at sundown and keeps them on until 1:00AM for your viewing pleasure.
When illuminated by the new high-end lighting system, the floating sculptural components now gleam like floating glass rods in the night, and the gold-plated wiring erupt like a web of light that seems to spring from surrounding walls.
Whomever the artist and wherever the artwork is located, you can trust the lighting professionals 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 a trained fine art lighting company help you with your art collection.
Contact us toll free at 800-863-1184 or locally at 713-863-1133 to request a design proposal.
Since 1980, ILD has grown to include a team of over 50 talented and dedicated employees. Specialty divisions have been created to focus on such disciplines as lighting design, electrical contracting, landscape lighting and home automation. Having specialists in each of these disciplines, while remaining true to the mission of offering home owners the "complete picture" of lighting design, is key to continued success at Illuminations Lighting.
We are located in Houston Texas but provide lighting in Austin TX, El Paso Texas, San Antonio TX, College Station Texas, Beaumont TX, Dallas Texas, Midland Tx and points beyond. Labels: Fine Art Lighting Company Texas, Houston Sculpture Lighting, Jones Hall Sculpture Lights, Lighting Consultants Fine Art
One of the most powerful and effective forms of accent lighting in any home or office is the use of low voltage strip lighting to highlight art, bookshelves and furniture. These hidden lighting sources enhance color, texture and form of any objects displayed.
Illuminations Lighting Design in Houston, Texas specializes in low voltage shelf and cabinet lighting installations. Years ago they created and patented a low voltage adjustable shelf lighting product called
Phantom Lighting. This low voltage strip light can be used in both free standing antiques as well as built in cabinets.
The experienced craftsman at Illuminations Lighting Design are like surgeons when it comes to
installing shelf lighting for new construction projects or after the fact on remodeling projects. They have an uncanny way of hiding the wiring and light fixtures for amazing results. They know how to respect a fine antique by installing the lighting with minimal damage to the cabinet.
So, if you are interesting in learning more about custom low voltage lighting for your display cabinets, coves or fine furniture, contact the lighting professionals at Illuminations Lighting Design.
toll free at 800-863-1184 or visit them online at
http://www.illuminationslighting.com/.
Labels: cabinet lighting, Cabinet Lighting Systems, Fine Art Lighting Company Texas, Houston Cabinet Lighting Experts, Low Voltage Display Lighting Experts
LIGHT FAIR 2006 LAS VEGAS NEVADA
MAKE YOUR PLANS TO ATTEND NOW FOR FREE!
Phantom Lighting Systems and Illuminations Lighting Design cordially invite you to attend the world's largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference to be held May 30th through June 1st, 2006 in Las Vegas.
Phantom Lighting will again be exhibiting at this year's show to display their PHANTOM CONTOUR PROJECTOR and PHANTOM LIGHT STRIPS. We welcome you to stop by BOOTH 2742 to visit a while, pick up some literature and learn more about lighting art and lighting cabinets. This is our 5th consecutive year to exhibit and we look forward to seeing our friends and customers.
Phantom Lighting specializes in residential and commercial specification grade lighting products designed for the illumination of fine art and low voltage display lighting. We are recognized as one of the country's premiere lighting manufacturers of Art lighting, Cabinet Lighting, Cove Lighting, and Adjustable Shelf Lighting.
As a courtesy to our customers, we are providing complimentary tickets to the exhibit hall for anyone who would like to attend Lightfair 2006. You must request tickets on our web site before May 10th, 2006 by visiting http://www.phantomlighting.com/ and filling out the request form on the CONTACT US page. You will receive a email confirmation of your request and the tickets will be mailed directly to you.
Feel free to call Phantom Lighting toll free at 800-863-1184 if you have any questions about our lighting products, or to discuss which model is right for your application. Let us know what we can do to help- we have experienced technicians ready to share their knowledge about fine art lighting with you.
LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL is sponsored by the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA). The event is produced and managed by AMC, Inc. For more information on LIGHTFAIR 2006, please visit the official LIGHTFAIR web site at http://www.lightfair.com/.
Labels: Architectural Lighting Expo, Fine Art Lighting Company Texas, Light Fair International, Lightfair International
Illuminations is the only firm of its kind to offer clients one stop for all their design, electrical, home automation, and audio/video needs. Need lighting designed and installed to illuminate you artwork? Does your retail store need improved lighting to highlight merchandise and improve business? Need landscape lighting high in your trees to be serviced or maintained? Need surge protection installed on your home to protect your valuable systems? Looking for audio distribution throughout your house? Interested in a home theater? Our talented employees are able to handle nearly any electrical task that might arise in your life.
With Illuminations, not only have you found a company to provide quality service in a wide variety of areas, but because our employees work together as a team for a common goal, you are ensured smooth communication from start to finish. Whether you are looking for one company to handle all the electrical design and installation on your new home, or you simply need a few hours of consultation, Illuminations' staff is among the top in their fields and are sure to bring your project to a new level of excellence.
Why do people use Illuminations?
I wanted to thank you for such a wonderful job planning and executing the lighting plan for our home and backyard. Our enjoyment of these spaces has been greatly enhanced by your expertise and recommendations. Additionally, I was very impressed by how punctual and in what a timely fashion the work was completed. It was a pleasure working with you and be assured that we will confidently recommend you and Illuminations to our friends. Thank you again!
www.illuminationslighting.com or call us toll free at 800-863-1184.
Your men were by far the most professional service personnel that have ever been to my home. They installed my new landscape lighting system very efficiently and without destroying my garden. They went above and beyond the call of duty by repairing my fountain pump which was clogged up by debris. It is that attention to detail that sets your company apart from the rest of the pack. I am very happy with the results!
Whether your lighting needs are small or large, indoors or out, residential lighting or commercial lighting, consider Illuminations your one stop for all of your lighting design, home automation, and electrical needs. Our Turn-Key services are unmatched in the lighting and electrical industry. We look forward to serving you in the future. For more information, visit us online at
Labels: About Illuminations Lighting Design, Consumer Electronic Design Installation Association, Fine Art Lighting Company Texas, Home and Garden Landscape Lights, Houston Residential Electrical Contractors
