It can be a daunting prospect to decide on the perfect piece of art work for your business.

-         How much money to set aside?

-         Where is the perfect location?

-         Do you pick something “off the shelf” or have it custom made?

-         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