Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Light




Reflections.....

I hope you will not get too bored with this room Dear Readers, as I keep presenting it to you with such Tiny alterations as are almost impossible to notice the difference without me carefully pointing them out! This week all I have added are a pair of "candle" sconces on the wall by the window. You must believe me when I tell you how difficult they are to photograph! I have to confess that I am a little disappointed with the results.... I had very high hopes for them.... but they gave me no end of challenges in the making! I am struggling with the overall lighting of this room.... to begin with, the ornate brass "Light" I have been using so far is really Terribly out of scale and even more out of character historically speaking! And there really is no graceful way of hanging it from the beautiful gilded ceiling... and it interferes with the view of said ceiling... and so on. I have been doing a bit of research on the methods of lighting eighteenth century Bedrooms.... as opposed to Drawing rooms where a chandelier might be expected.... chandeliers were not the general method of lighting bedrooms! Picture yourself lighting the candles before bed.... (on a step ladder?) and trying to "turn them off" when one gets in bed!  Sconces were much more practical alternatives.... and the simple candlestick on a table was the basic light! So I decided that this room needed a pair of candle sconces...... and set about trying to make them......
I stole a couple of tiny reflective mirrors from a beautiful Indian scarf of mine..... 
and cut them down to tiny diamonds...

I glued them onto some cardboard and glued some of that gold thread around the edges....
And I cut apart some lacy filigree jewelry findings and painted them gold.... 
bending the center piece into a horizontal base for the candle holder... 
attaching a bead 

And I glued the mirrored pieces onto the filigree pieces.....
All the parts are so tiny and so hard to work with..... 
I kept forgetting to take pictures because I wasn't sure it would even work.....

If you look VERY closely at the above picture 
you can see tiny rows of miniscule beads glued together.....
I simply put a thin line of glue onto a plastic baggie... 
and lined up micro beads in the glue so they touched each other.....
and when they were dry I peeled them off the plastic... 
hoping the glue would hold them together enough to make "hanging Crystals"....

But first I needed to add the "Glittering Candles".....
I used my favorite pieces of Reflective Iridescent Glitter to simulate glowing flames.....
Can you see the glow?

Or Now? Can you see it?
And can you see how small they are, and how difficult to hold?
And here you can see the "Crystal Drops" added....


Or maybe you can see them better now.....

 
 I tried to position the glitter "flames" so they would reflect light at 
the right angle for when they were attached to the wall.... 
but I miscalculated. Originally I planned for the sconces to go over the fireplace.....
But I could NOT bear to attach them to the Peacock Painting!
Far better to make some free standing candelabras for the mantle.....
(yet to be completed....)
So when I finally attached the sconces to the wall on either side of the window....

It became clear that the angle of the "Glittery flames" was not right for optimum Reflection! 
The candle near the door can glow.... 
but the one further in is almost impossible to see with any reflection.
And it is also clear that they are a little large for sconces in this tiny scale....
And that Brass lamp just HAS to go!
There! Isn't that better?

And if you are looking up.... 
you can see a Much better view of the ceiling.....

Even though it is so difficult to light it......
And to decide what sort of "Lights" this room should have....
Because the sconces aren't real lights....
So should I try for a hidden "Ambient Light" .....?

And would it provide enough light to produce any glow at all from the sconces?
Which are so hard to see....

Without a Glaring light shining into the room......
Do we really need the overhead light too...?

So you can see, Dear Readers......
I am struggling with the Light in this room....

Just trying to get a little Reflection.....!

10 comments:

  1. Hello Betsy,
    I have come to realize properly lighting a room is easier then it sounds. First of all I agree that you should lose the ceiling light. That ceiling is too beautiful to be blocked by a fixture.
    While I like the sconces, you seem not to, so can I suggest a floor candelabra. I think they would be appropriate in the room and you would have more flexibility as to placement and getting the light to flicker properly. Ambient light is a great idea.
    I love the room very much and as I said I liked the sconces, but I know what it feels like when a room is just not what you want it to be, so you keep working your magic until you are happy with it.
    Big hug,
    Giac
    p.s. Of course you are invited to the Inaugural Ball at Dewell Manor!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello from Spain: I like your work. A lovely stay. Keep in touch

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am NEVER bored with this room! But I guess you know it by now, Betsy.:)
    Actually I can see the scones quite easily and I do like it, so you don't have to worry about them. I think Giac's idea about floor candelabra can be a good solution if you don't like your lights so far.:)
    Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a magical place. I like the atmosphere.
    Bye, Faby

    ReplyDelete
  5. Never will I be tired of seeing this room :).

    And yes,the bane of my mini making is always lighting. By the way, I will go bind if I have to make sconces so small! How to "see" the light after that?! hahaha. But if I have spent so much effort and time making them, I will absolutely NOT remove them! They are very pretty, Bets. And they can be fake lights. As a light source, one in such a small scale will not be effective anyway, right? Just use an external source for real lighting, meaning lighting for people to see the inside. But for the mice family, I am sure the sconces will suffice ? :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. And if you'll write 100 posts more on this room's progress you won't be able to bore me... and also not with 101, 102... You always amaze me with the effort and time you spend with smallest details that are hardly visible. Although your scones aren't in the right position for reflection anymore, but it's much better this way than covering that gorgeous peacock. And I think the placement next to the window is very realistic. As Giac suggested, you shoud think aobut a floor candelabra and maybe some ambient light can solve that problem, at least it's good you took away that lamp, it was really covering too much from your stunning dome.

    Greetings
    Birgit

    ReplyDelete
  7. Those little scones are beautiful...I hope you will keep them. And I'm sure you will find the perfect solution for the lighting!

    ReplyDelete
  8. hi Betsy,

    I'll get back to you about the beads ASAP. haven't forgotten!!

    The bedroom is delightful, I don't get tired of seeing it at all! I love the tiny sconces, I don't think you should be unhappy with them, the work very well. As for lighting, I is tricky isn't it, especially in your tiny scale, Giac's idea is good, or a candle by the bed somewhere. One thing to remember about the past is that they were used to much lower light levels at home than we are in our post Swan/Edison world!!

    The room does look better without the hanging lantern, I agree with you, and anything that blocks the view of that delightful room is criminal!! ;)

    Hugs
    Andy xxx

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi, Betsy -
    I DID read the last blog, about the history of the tree house, and i remember my comment, which was "Why have deadlines? Isn't this a "hobby?" Maybe I never hit publish.
    Anyway, as to this one - definitely better without the big brass light. They would need light in their bedrooms if they dressed there for the evening, so you need something. The sconces look good, and INCREDIBLY tiny - wow. I like the idea of a hand-held candle by the bedside.
    Love, Mm

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think your sconces are gorgeous. As someone who struggles with lighting, I feel your pain! I wonder if you could put a hidden light source in the crown molding of the dome? Something that would throw a little ambient light into the room but not look too flashy? I dunno. I'm sure you will 'make it work' Betsy --of that I have no fear!

    ReplyDelete