Custom Made Light Fixture

We custom designed and created this beautiful light fixture for Mr. Miguel’s restaurant in Brownstown, Mi.

The overall diameter of the light fixture is 6′ 1″ and is 7.5″ tall/deep and it houses 30 LED lights. There are a total of 45 plexiglass panels and each of the panels are hand painted with Alcohol Inks and Pebeo Paints to create a vibrant stained glass effect.

The center of the light represents the heavens above. It features the moon, the sun and extends out to show the suns rays and blue skys. The next layer of panels are meant to represent the earth and it’s creatures. Many of these animals are commonly used Mexican Folk Art images. The last layer of red/yellow/orange side panels represent lava and the formation of the earth, which also tie into the Lava Bar just 20 feet away.

The acrylic panels were all back side painted. The challenge with painting from the backside is that you have to paint opposite of how you normally would. The fine details go on first instead of last. And, large swatches of background color go on last instead of first. If anything is done out of sequence the entire panel may be compromised and have to be started over.

Pictures of the process…

We mixed traditional Mexican Folk Art and playful Sugar Skull characteristics.
The “Bird of Paradise” was adapted from an old Huichol Yarn Drawing (tapestry). Huichol Indians are an indigenous people from the Sierra Madre region of Mexico and have created these beautiful tapestries for centuries. They were known for their use of bright, ornate almost psychedelic images and use of peyote.
We found a similar Coyote or Dog on an old “Bark Painting”. Bark Paintings were literally paintings created on a paper made of bark and typically were created to illustrate every day life in villages.
The overall piece was created in 2 sections.