ABOUT these LIGHT BOXES: each piece is totally unique and one of a kind. Even though some of them have the same engraved graphic, no two are exactly alike. This is due to the fact that different color choices have been made for each piece of art, and the colors are all hand-painted in varying thicknesses and applications. Therefore, when exposed to light, whether it be sunlight from behind while sitting on a windowsill, or plugged in and lit from beneath, light will play differently through each and every piece of art. Just varying the amount of light running through a piece will change the mood of the image dramatically, which is one reason why a dimmer is included with each light box. The other reason is a more practical one - these pieces not only serve as decoration, but also function as mood lighting - providing ambience in a room, or as night lights on bedside tables or dressers, and the dimmer allows a person to adjust the brightness as they see fit; which in turn changes the look and feel of the artwork accordingly. Its with the lights in the room out, and the light base turned on, that these pieces truly come to life. Because the light shoots up the middle of the clear Lucite, the foreground image falls into crisp silhouette, while the background glows in vibrant color. And because the pieces are made out of such thick material and the edges are completely clear, the viewing experience is very much multi-dimesional - from an angle or side-view, you can literally see right through the artwork!
HOW THEY ARE MADE: All of the artwork is made out of 1 - 1.25" thick, recycled, cast acrylic clear Lucite (recycled meaning that everything is made from the off-cuts, or scrap, from bigger fabrication jobs, that otherwise would just be thrown away). After cutting each piece of Lucite to the desired size, a high-powered laser is used to engrave an image into the face of the material. All of imagery comes from a combination of hand-drawing, photography, and digital manipulation. Once the graphic has been burned into the material, all of the sides of the piece, still rough from being cut down on the saw, are sanded to an extremely smooth finish and then wiped clean of all dust. At this point these edges are "flame polished" with an extremely hot torch made from a mixture of burning Oxygen and Hydrogen, which results in the material once again becoming crystal clear on all sides. All colors are then hand-painted into the engraved image on the front, and applied with varying techniques on the back side. In some pieces, the faces are sanded to create a diffused, cloud-like background effect. Others are left clear to achieve a sharp and vivid abstract background design. Finally, the artwork is sealed with several coats of satin-finish clear lacquer. Each piece is engraved with the Clementine signature on its bottom edge, so as not to interfere with the artwork at all. The signature is cleverly engraved backwards, so that when the viewer looks down through the piece's top edge, it appears in its proper and legible form.
Every piece of artwork is accompanied by a its own custom light base that matches it exactly in width and thickness. These light bases, made from 3/4" white plexiglass (also recycled), are milled on a CNC router, and wired with LED lights running in a groove on the under side. The light bases are powered by a 12 volt power supply running through a dimmer switch, so they use very little energy and can be left on for long periods of time without even getting warm. (*NOTE*: all dimensions provided are for the artwork mounted on its light base)
