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his subject was both challenging and time consuming. The solanum vine, a member of the nightshade family, climbs by using its thin petioles. The petioles are touch sensitive and loop when in contact with an object.
Part of the beauty of this climber is the way the mature stalk twists as it grows.
The carving on this lamp completely surrounds the base.
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ere the main stem has begun to divide and twist. In the upper portion can be seen several of the twining petioles.
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When I was a student at UC Berkeley, one of my most memorable experiences was in the main library in the rare books biology section. I was doing research on tendrilled plants and came across an 1870's early original edition of one of Charles Darwin's works on natural history. The book, called "The Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants" chronicled his observations and experiments with the mechanics of botanical climbing. Standing there in the dim light, holding this worn book with its Dewey Decimal number written in quilled ink, I could feel Darwin's presence, near and tangible, his spirit of inquiry and his love of nature.
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Photos on this page by Hap Sakwa
Like much of nature these lamps are pure sculptural form. Part of the pleasure of making them is seeing all the parts go together and visually work well in a unified whole.
One of my earliest experiences with woodcraft was as a child seeing some of the wooden scale model sailing boats my grandfather made at his bench. Even at that age I recognized the care and attention to detail that went into each piece of the construction and how it carefully fitted into the next.
