Driftwood Lamps

I love walking along beaches looking at shells, finding interesting bits of wood, worn glass, and other flotsam and jetsam from the ocean.  For years I picked up bits of coloured glass worn smooth by the sand and the waves, until I began to amass quite a collection.

The driftwood in the photo on the left was found when I was on holiday on the South Island’s West Coast.  I began to explore what would happen if I combined my beautiful glass with this interesting piece of wood.  Imagining the original shape of the tree, I painstakingly recreated this form using my gem-like glass.  Then, by illuminating it from within, I breathed life back into both the glass and the wood.

After searching many beaches, I’ve now come to the conclusion that it’s very rare to find such an amazing hollow piece of driftwood as this first one.   But, when I occasionally happen upon an inspiring piece of driftwood in my travels, I open my old set of drawers full of glass, pull out a roll of wire, and settle in to the long and laborious process of giving new life to an old tree …