Peacock hand painted glass chandelier

"Peacock Mystery", a 24" diameter reverse hand painted glass chandelier that includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy. 24" in height plus chain length. Jenny Floravita's Hand Painted Chandeliers can be purchased through Jenny Floravita's website http://www.floravitalights.com

I loved this glass chandelier painting and unfortunately I sold it before I had a good chance to get photographs. In fact, this piece sold slightly wet. There is a beautiful peacock at the top. This was a bird that I saw at a favorite garden on Kauai. They are such a majestic bird and I hear them calling on a nearby ranch on my evening walks. I paint the flowers that I observe in my travels and in my own garden. This is the time of year where my own tropical garden flourishes and we grow many of the flowers that I paint. My lotus flowers in the pond were blooming just two weeks ago.

This reverse hand painted glass chandelier has orchids, ginger, shell ginger, bird of paradise, hibiscus and more. I am always inspired by the flowers of the islands.

To see more reverse painted glass chandeliers and art by Jenny Floravita, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com and www.floravita.com

Summer Abundance, one of four new hand painted glass chandeliers by Jenny Floravita

"Summer Abundance", a 24" diameter reverse hand painted glass chandelier that includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy. 24" in height plus chain length. Jenny Floravita's Hand Painted Chandeliers can be purchased through Jenny Floravita's website http://www.floravitalights.com

This week I've added three new chandeliers to my website and I'll be releasing four new images onto my Facebook page facebook.com/Jenny.Floravita.Painted.Chandeliers.andArt

I'm half way through my California art festival season and it's been fun and exciting. Actually, I'm enjoying a couple weeks off from my weekend shows, regenerating and creating new works for my last big burst of 2010 shows which run from August through mid-October. So much to do with so little time!

Any artist who exhibits in art festivals knows how much work, energy and resource goes into each festival and that quality time is needed in between to create fresh new works of art. The above chandelier painting is titled Summer Abundance and I'm really enjoying my current theme of multi-colored chandeliers in my exotic flowers.

To see more reverse painted glass chandeliers and art by Jenny Floravita, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com and www.floravita.com

Make custom lighting a priority in your home re-model

"Urban Paradise", a 24" diameter reverse hand painted glass chandelier that includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy. Jenny Floravita's Hand Painted Chandeliers can be purchased through Jenny Floravita's website http://www.floravitalights.com

Too many times people consider custom lighting last on their wish list for their home re-model. Yet lighting is an incredibly important aspect of a home or business space. Lighting helps sets the ambiance and helps to define the space. When considering lighting, you should look at multiple light sources for a room depending on the function of the room and the mood that you wish to create.

My beautiful reverse painted glass chandeliers bring opulence into a room. They add bursts of color to an unexpected area and they help to make a room truly unique. And though this form of lighting does give off good light to dine by it is an ambient source. If you need a room to be really bright, you will want to have at least one other light source. Having multiple light sources in a room also gives you flexibility in changing the mood.

Lighting adds warmth and comfort to a room when done correctly. Lighting can also make a room feel very modern or formal. I cannot emphasize enough how much lighting effects the overall effect of a room.

Often I will meet people who fall in love with my hand painted chandeliers and lighting is the last consideration for their renovation project. Custom lighting does cost a little bit more but the quality will be superior. Make custom lighting a priority in your home re-model, not an afterthought.

To see more reverse painted glass chandeliers and art by Jenny Floravita, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com and www.floravita.com

Why do my reverse painted glass lamp shades cost what they...well, cost?

Side view of a commissioned chandelier, a 38" diameter reverse painted glass chandelier that includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy. Jenny Floravita's Hand Painted Chandeliers can be purchased through Jenny Floravita's website http://www.floravitalights.com

Last weekend I had an interesting experience though sad to say not an unusual experience for an artist. I was offered 45% of my asking price for one of my chandeliers and the potential collectors, who are from a very wealthy area in the San Francisco Bay Area, were extremely firm on that being their highest price. Of course I couldn't accept...because of my standards and also because that would have almost been the price of what it really costs me to make and sell my beautiful reverse hand painted glass lamp shades and chandeliers.

In this particular case mentioned above I think that the wife really wanted the chandelier but the husband felt overloaded on the expense of their house renovation. And let's face it, high-end lighting is not for everyone. My work has value and you will receive a superior product that is also very unique. An art form like this must be a priority in a home re-model as opposed to a last thought because of the expense and yet my chandeliers are offered at a very good price for all that goes into them.

So let me humbly offer some education on high-quality custom lighting.

Custom Lighting 101: when lighting is made here in the US by lighting artists there is a difference in quality. The glass for my reverse hand painted chandeliers is superior to "glass" that you receive with store bought products that come from overseas. My glass is a special architectural grade glass that is hand cut and kiln bent and the resulting bowl is actually 1/4" thick. A kiln is a giant oven that you put the cut glass into to bend it into a particular shape, in my case my glass bowls or sconces, whatever shape I need to create.

The bowls are then hand frosted and prepared for the painting process. My special painting technique is a collaboration of my 30 years as an artist. Ok, I've been painting seriously since I was 15...but my artistic training started at age 4 and by the time I was 11 I was studying with a private instructor. The painting technique that I use on my reverse hand painted glass lamp shades appears to be 3-dimensional because of my brush strokes. I've worked for many years to develop my artistry and I've been selling my fine art professionally since the mid-90s. A lot of time, thought and artistry goes into my painting technique and sometimes I paint very slowly and this is especially true of commissions. Commissions in general take a lot more time.


And an artist can only create so many works of art each year. I am not a factory and I do not employ others to paint my chandeliers and yet I can still handle large projects when given adequate time because of my excellent time management skills and professionalism.

My work is not common. Everyone who sees my work does know this.

Then there is my iron fixture. These are not cheap home depot or department store fixtures. I hate to say it but those often stylish fixtures are made with cheap materials and are often behind in code. My fixtures are made from steel that is cut, bent, forged and welded by hand. These are custom hand made fixtures and they are very lovely. The chandelier is then wired up with the best quality electrical materials. My husband is a professional licensed electrician and my work is to top standards.

With my current prices, I cannot sell through many galleries and be profitable. In most cases I literally cannot sell through galleries and not lose money if a chandelier requires shipping to the gallery. This is because my prices cannot absorb the cut and any extra costs at that point. My point here is that I do not have a huge mark-up on my real costs in creating each and every hand painted glass chandelier and lamp.

It is important to know what kind of work goes into my chandeliers and this helps to show collectors why the chandeliers are more expensive than store bought fixtures and yet my chandeliers are at such a good price for the fine art form that they are. And you also consider that the artistry in my work is exquisite. I am overall a very humble artist but there are times where I feel that I really need to point out why my work is worth my asking price and more. My talent for this art form will make me a very well known artist in a number of years and I already have a strong national following. Right now I am saying to the world that I am worth my asking prices for my chandeliers...and more.

My style is unique. Very unique. I am known for my exotic flowers and my special color palates and blends...for all of the thousands of brush strokes and small touches that go into each reverse painted glass lamp chandelier shade and I have worked to distinguish myself in this forgotten art form.

In summary, when you buy artisan made lamps by reputable artisans in the USA, you receive more and the quality is superior. Thank you for allowing me to share a bit more of the complete process in the making of my custom illuminated works of art. It is much appreciated!

To see more reverse painted glass chandeliers and art by Jenny Floravita, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com and www.floravita.com

Work Ethic and Artists

Side view of 'Summer in Maui', a 24" diameter reverse painted glass chandelier that includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy. Jenny Floravita's Hand Painted Chandeliers can be purchased through Jenny Floravita's website http://www.floravitalights.com

I'd like to dispel the age old myth that all artists are flaky, temperamental and work only when inspiration hits. The truth is that most professional artists today work extremely hard and those that have become successful including myself, are also very reliable. My close network of professional artists all have extremely high work ethics. And let's face it, I think everybody these days needs to have a high work ethic to succeed...and I think that most people also realize this is especially true of experienced artists.

I personally work and paint almost every day. When I exhibit in festivals, then 2-5 days of my life can be consumed with each show and the surrounding preparations. Occasionally I'll just take a day off and often on these days I'll read magazines, enjoy my backyard, go for a walk down by Marsh Creek. As there is always so much to do, I let these particular days tell me that it's time for a rest and that usually happens on a Monday or Tuesday after a show, depending on how many loose ends there are to tie up but a need for a rest could also happen later in the week.

This past Monday (after my Open Studio show) was absolutely crazy for me from the moment I looked at messages on my studio phone until the end of the evening so a day off was out of the question. And there's always more to do...it's just that an artist must determine when their day is done and a lot of that has to do with how they manage their deadlines.

The bottom line is if an artist is unreliable and doesn't have a strong work ethic, then they definitely won't last in the business of fine art for very long...and it is a business, we are here to serve you and to create custom works of fine art that will add joy to your life.

You may be wondering how to know if an artist is top-notch? Look at their experience, contact them and talk to them and let them tell you about their work and successes. If your friends own works from a particular artist, then you can inquire about their experiences.

The above image is of my reverse painted chandelier titled 'Summer in Maui'. As always, thanks for reading my blog and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Hope this information sheds some light on what it is like to be a professional artist.

To see more reverse painted glass chandeliers and art by Jenny Floravita, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com and www.floravita.com

What inapires my hand Painted Chandeliers? What is my creation process?

Bottom view of 'Orchid Symphony', a 24" diameter reverse painted glass chandelier that includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy. Jenny Floravita's Hand Painted Chandeliers can be purchased through Jenny Floravita's website http://www.floravitalights.com

Inspiration is personal to every artist. Some days I will simply stand at my easel and begin to paint by layering and splashing colors onto my glass canvas. The patterns and values of the colors then inspire the flowers that emerge in my glass hand painted chandeliers.

Recently I had a studio show where I invited a dear sculptor friend who shows in galleries and her process of sculpting is sometimes not so different from my process of painting on glass. She explained to clients that her woods dictate the forms of the sculpture and sometimes add surprises, like an unplanned form the emerges that she hadn't envisioned...it was simply there all along within the wood. When I paint completely freely with my chandeliers, this also happens.

But sometimes, my inspiration comes directly from a very specific exotic flower or a combination of colors. When I am in the creation process for my reverse painted chandeliers, sometimes I end up mixing sections of colors that may be the inspiring starting point for my very next chandelier.

Mixing colors is endlessly fascinating to me and it is my ability to mix colors well that creates my unique voice in this art form. My color mixing is what creates my soft romantic hues and dramatic moods. When I was in my early teens, I knew that I would be a professional artist. I worked then as a watercolorist. There was nothing so fascinating to me as the fist sections of wet fluid color that spilled from my brush onto my Arches watercolor paper. Those first splashes of color set the inspiration to move me through the difficult sections of my paintings towards completion. And I always looked forward to the next painting for the same reason. This makes me a colorist by nature.

These are two very different creation processes that both work well for me as a contemporary glass artist. The starting points are very different yet both creative processes share the same elements at some point.

Inspiration and the creative process, as both are needed in order to create an art piece that is successful, is something that is very abstract to most and...well, God given in the same way that everyone is given their special talents. There is not a day that I paint on glass that I am not grateful that I was born with the talent for this marvelous art form. And I feel like I could write forever about what it is exactly that fuels an artist forward in their form. Creativity is a very interesting process in itself.

Hope that my explanation helps to shed some light on how I choose to paint what it is that I paint. Thank you for looking at a picture of one of my newest hand painted chandeliers!

To see more reverse painted glass chandeliers and art by Jenny Floravita, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com and www.floravita.com

See Jenny's Painted Chandeliers at her annual spring Open Studio

Side view of 'Orchid Symphony', a 24" diameter reverse painted glass chandelier that includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy. Chandeliers can be purchased from the artist, Jenny Floravita

I'd like to give a big THUMBS UP to Jack Gaughan and his organizers for doing such an awesome job on this years 2010 East Contra Costa County Artists' Open Studio Tour. I'm certain that this will be the best year ever.

For those of you who live in the San Francisco Bay Area and are willing to drive only a few extra minutes, you can come visit my studio and others and enjoy some wine, chocolates, good art and sunshine. There are 62 artists on the studio this year and if you start at my studio, you can pick up your free 18-page full-color catalog with samples and maps of the other artists' works. The group works very hard on this event!

I will me hosing the fabulous sculptor, Crystal Lockwood, who often uses Hawaiian woods for her beautiful figurative pieces.

When? THIS WEEKEND, Sat & Sun, May 22 & 23, 10am-6pm. Call me at the number on my website if you need directions or have questions. I look forward to talking with you and explaining my creative process, techniques and inspirations.

Next Show: Jenny Floravita's Spring Open Studio, May 22 & 23, 10am to 6pm...see my website for more details.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Blessed to be a painter and contemporary glass artist

Side view of Sunflower Summer, a 24" diameter reverse painted glass chandelier that includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy. Chandeliers can be purchased from the artist, Jenny Floravita

You've probably read this theme a lot if you follow my Mini Master painting blog but most of the time I wake up and feel excited about my work. This happens almost every day with the rare day in which I'm just not inspired and that usually means that it's time to take a break. Today this feeling came over me as I sat down to paint some of my glass nightlights, which is something that I have to be in the mood to do. Painted glass nightlights = lots of work...considering what little I charge for them. Creating beautiful little works of contemporary painted glass art is rewarding but I have to be in a mood that will tolerate working small in scale.

Anyway, this feeling reminds me that I am blessed to be living a creative life that many people envy. Sure, most of the time as a working artist I don't make a bizillion dollars, especially in this economy but I still do well enough...and sometimes I even "do" fantastic in terms of my sales.

Living the life of a working artist is not for everyone, that's for sure! Most people could never tolerate the uncertainty and vast challenges of the business. It can be tough to gauge the market sometimes and just putting yourself in the right spot at the right time can feel impossible at times and then there are times where everything just works and you're not sure why...actually I'm always certain it's the accumulation of my hard work and devotion.

It's these feelings that reinforce the fact that I work every day as an artist because that is what I was born to do.

See more images of Sunflower Summer on http://www.floravitalights.com or on my Facebook page.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Having control over a reverse painted glass chandelier in terms of the painting process

Bottom detail of Sunflower Summer, a 24" diameter reverse painted glass chandelier that includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy. Chandeliers can be purchased from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Recently I misunderstood a client question about the painting process of my reverse painted glass chandeliers. It had been a very long day, I had just come from blacksmithing and everything about the smithy is just pain loud even with earplugs and on top of that it was later in the evening and I was very anxious to simply end my day and relax, have dinner.

So I'd like to clarify to you who read this blog what it means to 'have control' of the paint in terms of creating a chandelier that has all of the correct colors, tones, elements, etc...for a custom commission.

First, when I paint freely on original concepts, meaning that I'm not trying to duplicate a chandelier or parts of a chandelier for a commission, I paint with a freedom that allows me to express my artistry through the paint in wonderful ways. I make thousands of split-second decisions about color, hue, brush strokes, shapes, composition, etc...everything that makes this art form so lovely lies in the control that I have over my brush and paint.

And make no mistake, I did say control with a capital "C" as I have been working intensely in this medium for a few years now.

Now when I paint a chandelier with special requests, make no mistake, I have total control with a capital "T" over my brushes, paint colors, hues, etc... The actual painting process for me is slower because I'm working withing constraints and that is partly the definition of a commission. I've painted countless complex commissions this way.

Every chandelier is original in it's own way because they are hand painted by me, a human artist. There is variation in everything but overall, I achieve the intended goals.

Just wanted to clarify this concept of control because I do know that this art form has a lot of mystery that surrounds the actual artistry of my reverse painted glass chandeliers and for good reason! It's not very easy to do and when I say that, I do mean from making the glass bowl to forging the irons and completing the piece as a whole.

Hope this info helps!

See more images of Sunflower Summer on http://www.floravitalights.com or on my Facebook page.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com

Creating Innovative Contemporary Glass Art

Side detail of Sunflower Summer, a 24" diameter reverse painted glass chandelier that includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy. Chandeliers can be purchased from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Here is a side detail of one of my newest reverse painted glass chandeliers. As a contemporary glass artist I continually strive to push myself to new creative levels in the contemporary glass art market. Because commissions are a big part of what my business is about, I tend to spend a lot of time creating chandeliers with similar elements to previous pieces. There are many outstanding glass artists who fuse and blow beautiful shapes and they demand that other artists like myself also create only the most innovative works of contemporary glass art.

It occurred to me last week that the innovation of my 'original' ideals are what fuel my commissions. Sometimes only one in every 5 chandeliers is a new original, which is a good problem for a contemporary glass artist like myself. Work is always good and it's a pleasure to create a beautiful work of art for a collector.

So when I have the opportunity to simply create a new chandelier in which I can paint with total freedom, I cherish this time in my studio with my paints. This was the case with Sunflower Summer and I think that this piece really rocks! It's a definite must-see in person and it's quite frankly a very lovely reverse painted glass chandelier.

See more images of Sunflower Summer on http://www.floravitalights.com or on my Facebook page.

To see more, please visit my websites: www.floravitalights.com
and www.floravita.com