There’s something inherently romantic about an old painter’s palette. It is an object made entirely in service of another object — the painting — and yet, after enough years of use, it quietly becomes one itself.
This particularly good example is dense with accumulated colour: dried reds, pinks, ochres and yellows laid over one another, interrupted by occasional flashes of green, blue and white. Some areas have been mixed almost back into the surface while elsewhere the paint remains in little geological deposits. It has the accidental abstraction of a studio floor or the edge of a well-used easel — colour recording the process of painting rather than the finished result.
Converted into a wall light, that relationship with colour becomes rather lovely. A simple metal fitting holds the palette away from the wall, creating a concealed space for the bulb behind it. The fitting itself doesn’t direct the light; instead the wall becomes the reflector, allowing a warm, diffuse glow to escape around the irregular edges of the palette and through the thumb hole. In the evening the palette becomes a darkened plane of colour surrounded by light.
There is perhaps something faintly Turner-ish in the idea, rather than the appearance: pigment and illumination becoming difficult to separate from one another. By day it reads as a wonderfully battered piece of accidental abstract painting; switch it on and the same object becomes something atmospheric and unexpectedly intimate.
Wired with black twisted fabric flex and an inline switch, it requires no hardwiring. The metal backplate mounts simply to the wall and the light can then be plugged into a standard socket.
A rather good meeting point between found object, painting and functional light.
Details
Type: Artist-made wall light
Material: Original painter’s palette, metal fitting and brass lamp holder
Wiring: Black twisted fabric-covered flex with inline switch
Installation: Wall mounted; plug-in, with no hardwiring required
Bulb: Positioned behind the palette to diffuse light against the wall
Condition
The palette is heavily marked and encrusted with accumulated paint from its original working life. This wear, residue and irregularity are intrinsic to the piece and very much the point. The lighting components are in good working order. Please refer to the photographs for detail.
Dimensions
Height: 40 cm
Width: 30 cm
Projection: 8 cm
Delivery
Qualifies as a smaller item. UK delivery via insured courier/FedEx is available at checkout. International shipping is also available — please get in touch for a quote.
