Art With A function - Late 1980's/2018
Old
Many years ago (in the late 80’s) I made a series of “Tree Lamps.”  At the time they fit my interests of color, pattern, and playfulness.  Besides my house was fairly dark and floor lamps were needed.  My wife and I had been shopping for some lamps and, frankly, we hated all we found.  Way back then my wife was the local nursery school director and in their curriculum creativity was an emphasis.  I loved seeing the kid’s drawings she would show me – one series in particular were those resulting from the annual field trip to the local orchard.  Kids see the world in wonderful ways – their drawings of apple trees were especially engaging.  That led me to a lifetime of investigating children’s art.  My first four “Tree Lamps” have been in my living room, dining room, and back room for the last 30 years.  In each one, the way kids see trees and then draw them greatly influenced my choices and decisions. 
New
More recently my son and daughter-in-law bought a small farm.  The house on the property and the front porch needed renovation.  While in the renovation process I rescued the cylindrical porch posts.  Thus I had a starting point for new tree lamps.  In these mostly white and natural wood forms I was focused on tree bark design and simple canopies.  Within the structure of each one, there is but a glimmer of color; pattern, and playfulness have been emphasized.
 

​Tree Lamp 1 - Banana

Painted wood and aluminum, electric parts  / 84x30x30 / 1987

Tree Lamp 2 - Apple

Painted wood and steel, electric parts / 90x20x16 / 1987

Tree Lamp 3 - Pear

Painted wood and aluminum, electric parts / 86x24x20 / 1987

Tree Lamp 4 - Moon

Painted wood, welded and painted aluminum / 80x28x14 / 1988

Tree Lamp 5 - Knotty Bark

Painted wood, reworked porch post and wooden bowl, electric parts 
​/ 76x18x18 / 2017

Tree Lamp 6 - Red Fruit

Painted wood, welded aluminum, reworked porch post and wooden bowl
​/ 73x24x24 / 2017

Tree Lamp 7 - Sprouts

Painted wood, reworked porch post and wooden bowl, electric parts
/ 72x30x30 / 2017

Tree Lamp 8 - Buds

Painted wood, reworked porch post and wooden bowl, electric parts
/ 81x16x16 / 2017

Tree Lamp 9 - Cellbark

Painted wood, reworked porch post, electric parts
/76x18x18"/ 2018

Tree Lamp 10 - Springrow

Painted wood, electric parts /84x18x18"/ 2018