Work By Gijs Kuijpers
Where there is light
Every maker uses light, even if they are not aware of it. Well no one works in the dark, but that is not really what I mean. Light can accentuate and embellish a design.
Light
Where there is light, there is also shade. Thank goodness. It can be hot in the sun. Although complete darkness is not great, a bit of dark (shade) makes us appreciate light all the more. But no matter how wonderful light is, it is the play of light that makes it magical. Dappled light filtering through the leaves in a woodland, shafts of light cutting through the clouds or light at the end of a tunnel. They are all instances where, without the shade, the light would have no drama. Sometimes it can be more subtle in the way in which light can skim along a surface and pick out the high spots on a stone wall or the reflections from water or cut glass. Makers who work with light, whether artist or artisan, show their understanding of the human mind.
Shade
Shiny objects catch our eye, but only if they are few. Is that because our eyes are shiny too? When everything is shiny, it blinds us. Good balances of dark and shade, soft and sparkle, rough and smooth are what please us. Like a pebble worn by water that reveals its colours, just for a while, when it gets wet again. It is not full on, it is occasional and surprising.
Light Shade
The light at the end of the tunnel draws us through the dark journey to the end, confident that things will turn out well. In the hands of a good designer who has considered both how light falls and is reflected we are drawn into the object and things turn out well too. Light guides us to where we want to be.
Where there is light, there is shade.