This is a hanging pot rack with a wildlife relief frieze. It has built-in lighting that illuminates the ceiling and the table; up and down lighting.
My old house in South Kent was a "sawmill" house. The framing - ceiling joists and subfloor shown here - came right out of a local sawmill in 1948. There was no planing or sanding to clean them up before the house was built. So I installed the Wildlife Relief in such a way as to both light the rough-board ceiling and the waxed pine dining table below. Both can be adjusted separately to achieve a nice balance.
There are fifteen different birds, fish and animals in a continuous frieze around the perimeter. This is the wild turkey stepping out of the grass. Behind the turkey is a carved wood landscape.
These are the animals, birds and fish that are on the relief. In all of the years that I have lived in Litchfield County, Connecticut, I have only seen canvasback ducks a few times; always in bitter cold conditions on the Housatonic River. I actually saw them more frequently on Long Island Sound in the '70s. "Cans" used to be called the aristocrats of all the North American ducks for their beauty, size and speed.
Warblers are tiny and precious. So they needed extra representation (2) on the relief. In early May "birders" come from afar to see the warblers on River Road in Kent.
Viewed from above. Wildlife and carved landscape forms are made of painted wood. The frame and lighting components are iron and solid bronze with patinas to match. Hooks below are forged iron. The hooks are good for hanging herbs to dry etc. All electrical parts are low-voltage for safety. Note that the interior "mechanicals" are mostly concealed by the surrounding artwork.
Another view showing the Etruscan Fox and more of the dining room. I made the waxed pine table out of three bookshelf boards that came from my loft studio in Port Chester, NY. On the far left, bottom, is the Nazlini Bench made of painted poplar and iron. The painted chairs were made in CT about ten years after Jefferson died.
There is a printed brochure that is available for this piece describing it in greater detail. It can also be e-mailed. To get one contact me at: johneverettscofield@gmail.com / 860-671-0153
