It can be a daunting prospect to decide
on the perfect piece of art work for your business.
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How much money to set aside?
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Where is the perfect location?
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Do you pick something “off the shelf” or have it custom
made?
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What will people think?
How do you decide? Of course off the
shelf is ok but if you really want to stand out and make an impact then having
something custom made specifically for your business is the way to go.
Here is a case study about a beautiful
sculpture, created using over 60 stunning semi-precious gemstones and copper
wire, commissioned by a unique and progressive restaurant in Harborne,
Birmingham.

Case Study –
Enchanted Forest Sculpture – Harborne Kitchen
Rustic yet contemporary, Harborne kitchen has a mixture of classy
copper lighting, live ferns on the tables and rustic wooden elements.
They use locally sourced produce and serve their amazing dishes on
stone and in rustic handmade bowls. Everything about it is unique and quirky,
so it was only natural that Jamie the chef and owner behind this fabulous
restaurant, wanted a bespoke piece of art work that no one else would have.
The piece came about when I went to the restaurant for my birthday, I wore a necklace made from copper and a beautiful piece of Jade.
Chef Jamie came to me at the end of the evening and noticed my
necklace, he knew that I was a local artist, also based in Harborne and he
asked if I could create a piece of art based on this necklace and of course I
said yes.
He asked me to come up with an idea and arrange a meeting and that’s
where it all began.
I started by created a design, based on the copper lighting and the
ferns. I then added two overlay options that would add layers to the sculpture
and give the client a few ideas to choose from.
Our first meeting was great, I took gemstone and wire samples and the
sketch and decisions were made together, choosing copper wire and a variety of
gemstones including jade, aventurine and a variety of agate. The plan had
started to form.
All that was left was the costings. I like to give a quote with a
lower and a higher estimate. As everything is made to order, it is an estimate
based on the ideas discussed. Giving a price range makes it easier to get an
idea of what the client’s budget will allow. This will then dictate how elaborate
we can go.
After the budget was agreed, the fun part begins, I could start the making.
Starting with 5mm copper wire I created the structure. It moved and
adapted from the original design as the piece needed to be 5ft wide and approx.
6ft high to dominate the large space it would hang in.
I used 0.8mm (20 gauge) copper wire to bind the pieces together,
everything is wire wrapped, no welding or glue is used.
I then wire wrapped over 60 various gemstones. This took some time as
each one could actually be worn as a pendant but these beautiful stones were to
be hung on the structure to depict flowers and berries, each one has a
different kind of weave and is wrapped individually along with 100’s of
individually wire wrapped leaves.

I added the gemstones and leaves in sections to get the right balance
for the piece. Along with twisted pieces of wire to depict the ferns that are
displayed on the restaurant tables.
Here is the process in pictures. I changed the background to get an
idea of how it would look on different coloured walls. The end sculpture was
hung on a light grey wall with spotlights bouncing off it to make the sculpture
really stand out.

The final Piece
hanging in the stairwell at Harborne Kitchen

From
a lovely wearable art necklace to a beautiful 6ft enchanted forest sculpture

Do you have any ideas of what you would like for your business or
home? Or would you like me to come up with something to perfectly set off your
desired space?
Call me or send me an email and we can get talking about a fabulous
new project.
https://www.akers-of-art.co.uk/contact-akers-of-art