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About Us
Scott Alpen
Violet Finvers
A native Vancouverite and lover of the west coast, Scott is a rather eclectic creative being, having over the last 60 years explored the arts of photography, videography, painting, writing, producing, marketing, wine tasting, acting, music (trumpet,bohdran) and sculpture.
Having grown weary of working in the digital world as a director/producer, Scott turned to his early love of working with wood and through chance and exploration found a new creative path using wood scraps, driftwood, stump ends and reclaimed articles of interest to crate lamps, candle holders and sculptures.
The most recent work is a result of one day visiting friends and discovering Violet Finvers work as a glass artist. Wanting to explore more experimental approaches to sculpture he presented Violet with some of the bases he had been working on...and thus blossomed a collaborative effort, combining natural wood with glistening glass creations.
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Violet was born and raised in Edmonton and moved to Vancouver to pursue a career as a graphic designer. In 1988, she graduated with honours from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and has been a professional graphic designer for more than 20 years. A need for a new creative outlet and a change in direction led her to kiln-formed glass. Violet began working with glass in 2008 under the mentorship of Brock Craig a Craig Studios.
Violet has participated in numerous exhibitions In Canada and the US and was a finalist in E-merge 2010, an international, juried, kiln-formed glass competition. She was the 2012 recipient of the BC Glass Arts Association Pilchuck Scholarship. Her work can be found in galleries/shops across Canada. She works out of her home studio in Burnaby, BC.
Violet's kiln-formed glass is clean and contemporary. Her attention to detail and finish and her love of colour, pattern and texture reveal themselves in distinctly unique, functional and sculpturlal pieces, equally elegant for the office and home. She also creates hand-made, sterling silver and glass jewellery.
Canada's west coast is an area of vast wilderness forests, mountains, lakes and oceans that have been a constant source of inspiration and wonder to both Scott and Violet. They try to reveal the form and flow of nature within the pieces bringing out the texture, colour and grain of the wood and glass and reflecting the beauty of our world here in British Columbia.
About the Lamps
Our lamps are a combination of a large variety of wood species, gathered, or should I say scrounged from a wide choice of sources including beaches, forests, firewood stacks, back yards and clearcuts. They include the species of arbutus, fir, pine, cedar, spruce, birch and some that I have no idea. Each lamp that includes glass is attached to a rock base, partly for aesthetic reasons as well as a counterbalance to the weight of the glass!
The rock is mainly sandstone from Pender Island although there are some other varieties including granite that I have collected from various forays into remote regions. None contain gold or diamonds.
I checked. The lights are all LED, in a variety of shapes and sizes and include the converter so they can be plugged straight into your average wall socket.
The wood is treated with several coats of Tung Oil. Tung Oil is interesting in that it seals the wood, does not colour it in any way and does not give off any odours or fumes once dried. It is also very durable. This allows the colour, texture and grain of the wood to shine through in all it's natural glory.
This is all natural wood so you may notice the odd crack.
It is perfectly OK. Wood does that.
And the lamp will not fall apart, at least in your lifetime so not to worry. I think the cracks give the lamps character and charisma. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
The glass is kiln fired and somewhat delicate so please use caution when moving or cleaning. The glass can be removed by using a small Allen wrench and carefully unscrewing the bolts. When putting back on DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN. The bolt just needs to be firm enough to prevent the glass from swivelling. Tighten gradually, testing until the glass will not slip. Keep the Allen wrench supplied with each lamp in a safe place, in case you have to move or store the lamp.
If you have any questions about the care or maintenance of your lamp please do not hesitate to call. We are always eager to help. If, perish the thought, the glass should be destroyed, chipped or cracked because of something completely out of your control like a wayward pet, call us. We may be able to either repair or replace the glass. Our work is our joy and satisfaction and we would hate to have a client be destitute for some inexplicable reason.
Call us, we will always try to help.