Process of commissioned painted glass chandelier

inside view of commissioned glass painting in progress, includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy
Reverse Painted Glass Chandeliers can be purchased from the artist, Jenny Floravita

The process of this commission piece started long before I ever picked up a brush. I had several emails and a couple phone calls with the client and they sent me colors of their room and imagery that included brightly colored flowers, birds and butterflies. I then slumped the glass to the size desired. This chandelier is large and measures almost 36" across. Glass shrinks in the kiln and it's a bit of a science in itself to slump larger pieces.

This is an interesting piece for me to work on because of it's particular challenges. The first challenge is that the client desires a chandelier with a predominate amount of reddish tones with several accent colors that will pop. The piece needs to have well-defined colors and I interpret this to mean that both the background colors need to be clear and the colors of the flowers and birds need to have contrast against the background. And the imagery in the chandelier needs to be dense.

And though this is just the first section of the painting, I've actually been contemplating this piece for quite a while. When it came time to start the painting, I choose to start with a section of the background red color and I also choose two brightly colored parrots that appeared several times in the imagery that the client sent. This would help me to anchor the piece because when I paint "for myself" I paint freely. With a commission, an artist works within a strict set of boundaries. I tend to paint very slowly with commissions. This one was quite tricky to start and already has several hours into it's process. The main problem with having colorful "dense" imagery is that is well defined in color is that your piece is at the risk of just being a very colorful piece. I need to maintain a certain reddish tone that will go well with the color of the room.

I would also like to add that it's iron fixture is also complete. I will just have to add the electrical.

As this piece progresses, it will be a challenge to keep the piece dense with colorful flowers, birds and butterflies and yet convey a feeling of "red". Over the next dozen hours, I will continue to move this piece into a dark-red zone...

Hope that made sense and if not, stay with me. Commissions are challenging on many levels and I promise you that this piece will turn out lovely in the end. You get to see the chandelier glass painting in progress with this post and I would like to add that reverse painted glass chandeliers are stunning when they are actually hung in a room. It is at this point that you get to fully appreciate how the piece was meant to be viewed.

To see more, please visit my website: www.floravita.com

custom hand painted glass chandelier for Jack & Betty

commissioned glass painting, Partridge and the Pear Tree, includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy
Reverse Painted Glass Chandeliers can be purchased from the artist, Jenny Floravita

I love the challenge of making colors in my commissioned painted glass chandeliers work with my client's rooms. This piece is for a couple of dear friends who are also important figures in my local artist community. Betty's room has a very pale blue color, along with soft greens, yellows and rust colors. The couple collect pear and partridge themed sculptures and since that has been such a central theme in their decor, not to mention symbolic in their lives, it went without saying that their chandelier had to reflect the pear and partridge theme.

The challenge was also to create a piece that worked with the colors of their foyer, which are unusual and yet come off lovely. There is a single partridge bird on the other side and the white flowers were inspired by pear blossoms. The blue going around the right edge is exactly the color of the blue of their room. When I took this piece to them to view, it matched and complimented it's designated space beautifully.

I cannot wait to see this beautiful glass painted chandelier installed. It is titled, of course, Partridge and the Pear Tree. Happy 50th, Betty and Jack!

To see more, please visit my website: www.floravita.com

Contemporary Glass Painted Chandelier

contemporary glass painting, Hibiscus Light detail, includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy
Reverse Painted Glass Chandeliers can be purchased from the artist, Jenny Floravita

So what does a fashion forward girl think of wearing steel toe shoes when she's doing iron work for her reverse painted glass chandeliers? Well, let me tell you it's not exactly a walk in the park when it's 90 degrees out!

My outfit when I bend iron and weld includes jeans (I bought my first pair of Wranglers just to bend), long sleeve 100% cotton shirts in black (the fabric is unfortunately thick), leather apron and of course, those elegant boots that I sport that look so cute on my husband. Trust me, when I'm finished, the first thing that comes off are the boots so that I can slip into my sandals!

The above piece is a detail from my painted glass chandelier, Hibiscus Light.


To see more, please visit my website: www.floravita.com

Hand Painted Glass Chandelier in Romantic Colors

contemporary glass painting, Florals in Rustic Colors, includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy
Reverse Painted Glass Chandeliers can be purchased from the artist, Jenny Floravita

This is another view of one of my new hand painted glass chandeliers, titled Florals in Rustic Colors. This is a truly romantic piece and I'm looking forward to creating other works in similar colors.

You may wonder how artists juggle their work? I will tell you. As a full-time professional artist, I must divide my time up between completing commissions, creating new works for my shows and galleries, corresponding with clients and making sure all the busy work in my office is flowing along. And now each of those tasks must be divided up into several parts.

When I am creating new works for show, I must fist decide on if I will be creating new oil paintings, watercolors or glass painted chandeliers. Sometimes I am really being called to one medium and sometimes it's because I need more landscapes in oil or flowers in watercolor!

This week I will be both creating a new tropical oil landscape painting and finishing up a glass painted chandelier commission with pears, pear blossoms, pear leaves and a wild flower or two for two of my most favorite people who are both clients and dear friends and artists.


To see more, please visit my website: www.floravita.com

Reverse Painted Glass Chandelier in Rustic Colors

glass painting, Florals in Rustic Colors, includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy
Reverse Painted Glass Chandelier Lamps can be purchased from the artist, Jenny Floravita

This beautiful reverse painted glass chandelier sold to a lovely couple in Southern California. The color theme was rustic and I loved the effects of the color blends. And it's the color blends that are the most exciting part of the painting process, for me as an artist. I love to experiment with color and see what happens!

Each piece is a new adventure. Tomorrow I will begin the painting process of a custom piece based on pears and partridges...more to come on that!

Thank you for viewing my newest reverse glass painted chandelier!

To see more, please visit my website at: www.floravita.com

Rain forest Reverse Painted Glass Chandelier

glass painting, Rainforest Exotics, includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy
Reverse Painted Glass Chandelier Lamps can be purchased from the artist, Jenny Floravita

This reverse painted glass chandelier was a total pleasure to create! I really enjoy painting the pieces that have different colors going around the bowl. I experiment with different color combinations so each piece is unique.

This is a particularly exciting week because our pond will finally be one step closer to completion. We're having the rock waterfall created by a professional, who is known for large water installations. I'm so excited because my backyard has been in the works for years, with my husband Patrick toiling many long hours and days to create our tropical paridise.

Thank you for looking at one of my newest reverse glass painted chandeliers!

To see more, please visit my website at: www.floravita.com

18" Reverse Painted Glass Chandelier

glass painting, Lotus Magic, includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy
Reverse Painted Glass Chandelier Lamps can be purchased from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Just got back from Waikiki. This is my second trip to the islands in two months. The last trip I stayed mostly in the North Shore of Oahu but this time my mother and I shopped and sunbathed in Waikiki and Honolulu.

I love to travel but it does take me away from my work. Sometimes it's necessary for business and I do create small paintings on these trips but my glass art is all done in focus here in my studio. And actually, I'm excited because I'm getting ready to create three new commission pieces.

The above piece is an example of a smaller, 18" diameter reverse painted chandelier and has beautiful floral highlight elements that are similar to art nouveau designs.

To see more, please visit my website at: www.floravita.com

Tropical Flower Painting

glass painting, Peacock Floral, includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy
Reverse Painted Glass Chandelier Lamps can be purchased from the artist, Jenny Floravita

This reverse painted glass chandelier went to a very dear client. It's been one of my favorite works and continues to inspire my new pieces. So I want to say, "Thank you, Chris, for being such a supportive friend and collector". I hope you enjoy this piece!

Please visit my website at: www.floravita.com

Humming Bird Flight, painted glass chandelier

glass painting, Humming Bird Flight, includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy
Reverse Painted Glass Chandelier Lamps can be purchased from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Painted glass chandeliers were very popular during the Victorian era and Philip Julius Handel started the Handel Company in 1876 in Connecticut. He is credited with making reverse painted lamp shades extremely popular. In their time, they were more affordable options to the popular Tiffany lamps. His business thrived through out the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods. Some of my inspiration comes from these highly collectible painted glass lamp shades.

Please visit my website at: www.floravita.com

Reverse Painted Glass Chandelier with tropical birds

glass painting, Parrot Floral, includes irons, electrical, chain and canopy
Reverse Painted Glass Chandelier Lamps can be purchased from the artist, Jenny Floravita

Painted chandeliers are a wonderful way to illuminate a room. They bring such warmth with colors and imagery. This is the other side to Parrot Floral, which I sold a few months ago...still this piece inspires me to paint. And though each piece is different in colors, choice of flowers, birds and animals, I still study the works that I have done in the past and the parts that I felt worked particularly well.

In this piece, I loved the way the flowers form the background for the blue and yellow Macaw and how the piece transforms into cooler blues and violets on the other side. Even the tropical red flowers have a cooler feeling.

Please visit my website at: www.floravita.com