Lampshades with Legs

Ta Krai Hom, 2011

Throughout my lampshade-making career, I was sometimes asked how long a lampshade would last. Of course the answer, "It depends" was not always well received. An older quiet couple without pets might deserve one answer; a household which allows the kids to play football in the living room...

But now I have evidence that even in public places, a lampshade may last a long time and still look fine. In 2005, when a small restaurant space on Dwight Way opened up (it once housed A La Carte in the late 1990's), in came a new French bistro known as Olivia.

I remember A La Carte, but I remember Olivia much better because I made most, if not all, of the lampshades, pendants and sconces for the new restaurant.  The shades were constructed using the wonderful papers of Bradbury & Bradbury. It was a sweet project and the chef, Nathan Peterson, was fun to work with.

Later, in 2008, the restaurant changed hands and names - Digs, a California-style bistro. I'm not sure that we ever made it to Digs for dinner, but I believe it stayed around for a number of years. After that, Ta Krai Hom, serving Thai street food, moved in. They kept the old Olivia lighting elements, but painted the walls a very bright green. I mean, v-e-r-y bright. And now Mim, another Thai place with more restrained wall colors, but most of the same lights. Except a few of the shades - the more portable ones - went walking.

Four different restaurants with very different styles - French, California, Thai - over eleven years managed to keep the same lighting and make it look appealing. I'm happy to have helped make it happen, way back when.

Mim, 2016

For an additional image of Olivia's dining space in 2005, click here.

New Year's Resolutions

My best guy calls them "resolvers".  It is rare that he is unkind, but for those people who show up at the gym right after New Year's Day (and generally last only a few weeks), he only scoffs.

My resolution? It's not about the gym. Actually, it's not even a New Year's thing. But I have been promising and promising to "do something" about lighting up the dining room for years.

We have loved the old fixture for at least twenty years. And beautiful though it was, it never put out much light (37.5 watts to be precise). Back then, we were younger and could see. So we lit candles and turned every dinner into a romantic evening.

Unfortunately, now that everyone's eyesight has gotten worse, it's mostly become just plain old dark. "Darker than the inside of God's hat," is how I have described the dining room.

But this holiday season, I spent some time in my studio (hard to do since there is so much junk to step over and around). But wedged in at my table, I listened to Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being and got to work.

It took forever. Designing, planning, cutting papers, fitting the mica panels - amazing how much you can forget in so little time. And switching out the fixture was a pain in the backside, but easier than I expected. Then again, I expected to blow up the house. Or burn it down, whichever came first.

But the real question is: shall we continue to light candles every night?

160 watts

Summer Bounty for the Rest of Us

Since retiring, I have made two lampshades. Or rather, I've re-made two small shades which were old enough to be attending junior high, but I don't think that really counts as working.

Instead, I've been slaving away into the yard. Ahhh, yes, the Zucchini Sex Goddess has been re-deployed. In fact, that ZSG tried to expand her area of expertise and work her charms on a gourd plant - close cousin to the zuke, that blooms even earlier in the morning - but to no purpose. No girl gourds came to the party.



The blossoms on the gourd plant are quite pretty, though - white instead of goldfish-orange. So we all pretended it was just fine to grow a flowering vine. It doesn't really matter that there will not be any gourds this year, right?

But there are beans, beans and more than enough beans to make up for the lack of a few stupid gourds. This season's choice was Fortex pole beans. Great results. And the neighborhood crowd pleaser? Watching the vines grow up the trellis in the front yard (more about trellises another time).

I like my beans mildly flavored (none of that hearty, chewy beany-ness of romanos for me). If you feel that same way, I strongly recommend Fortex. Then you get the entertainment of designing and building a trellis, too.

Goddess of Light, Ret.

I've been talking about it and talking about it and talking about it.  And now I've gone and done it.

Yup, retirement. We'll see how well it sticks.

And just for fun - after all, isn't retirement supposed to be fun? - there will be a gathering at Sue Johnson Lamps on Saturday, June 8th, as part of the Solano Art Walk.

So if you are out and about next Saturday, please stop by:

Saturday, June 8th, 2013
6 - 8 pm
Sue Johnson Custom Lamps & Shades
1745 Solano Avenue,  Berkeley

Working with a Princess

We work well together.  Sometimes making lampshades.

Sometimes at the computer.

Somehow though, she manages to get more breaks in than I do.

I Know What I Did This Summer...

You thought I spent my entire time out on the patio, goofin' off with the damn cat. Playing dress-up and chasing after bugs.

But, nooo, I was busy, busy, busy making lampshades to pair up with some beautiful lamps that we have at the shop. 'Cause the lamp shop has now been around for forty (yup, four-zero) years, so in celebration, all this year we have been showcasing some very special pieces. It's been a load of fun, too.

At this point, we're moving on to the annual BIG Fall Lamp Sale.  The sale runs until Sunday, November 11th, so you still have plenty of time to harvest the last of the tomatoes, prick up your ears for the remaining katydids and snag a bargain. Just in time for those dark, wet winter nights.

Only remember to bring your lamp, wear comfortable shoes and be really nice to the staff.


Photos courtesy of Mary Shilman

 

Taking a Shellacking

A few weeks ago, I had to shellac some lampshades. Not my favorite activity: carefully putting down layers and layers of stinky insect secretions with a small brush. And then do it all again. And again.  So, while that's going on, you try and be distracted. Without chemical enhancements. Because all those dead bugs supply plenty, thank you. However, since I'm not in my own work space, the options are limited: the radio, tuned to KQED, the local public radio station.

But I got lucky - Peter  Coyote was being interviewed by Michael Krasny on Forum. Now I've enjoyed listening to Peter Coyote for many years (and, in some instances falling asleep to Mr. Coyote, especially while watching Ken Burn's Prohibition series). And I was enjoying the discussion of his experiences in the '60's, and now, as a Zen Buddhist priest, actor, and roadie for his wife's rock & roll band.  Until he was asked about the Occupy Movement:

A caller named Susan asked,  "I wonder where you place the Occupy Movement in the social change arc?"

Coyote:
"I think the Occupy Movement is the most exciting thing that's happened in the last 35 years. And I think that they've refined a lot of the things that we began....." And he elaborated.

Krasny:
"But what about the people who say that they sympathize with the Occupy Movement but they're concerned about the violence. Or they don't support it any longer because of the violence."

Coyote:  "What violence?"

Krasny:  "Oakland."

Coyote:  "Whe..."

Krasny:  "Property damage."

(Right. So let's do the arithmetic: the Occupy Movement = violence, that is, property damage, not head-bashing. And violence = Oakland. Umkay...).

As I said, I've enjoyed listening to Peter Coyote's voice for a long time. The thoughtful responses he gave to this questioning turned me into a fan.

KQED Forum interview with Peter Coyote

Shameless Plug #2: Sue Johnson Custom Lamps & Shades

Haha, hoho, once again, it's the annual Spring Sale time at Sue Johnson Lamps & Shades on Solano in Berkeley.  Starts Friday, May 11th and keeps on going through Sunday, May 20th. Be really nice to the helpers there, 'cause we get a little wonky by the end.  

Happy Mother's Day!

Yup, I made the shade for the lamp to the left. And that most gorgeous ceiling piece shown below was made by Mary Shilman. She also took the photos.