Some objects have an indescribable magnetism, something that sparks neurons deep within the brain. Call it what you like, style, substance, ‘it’, you know it when you see it. Brooklyn-based Courtney Kinnare taps in to this vein of creativity with her newest releases, the Berry Polka Pendants and her Sorbetto lighting series, now available at Tuleste Factory. Working in glass, resin, and jewelry, the vertices of transparency, reflection and layering are essential to her work.
The Olive Polka Pendant, olive with purple dots, are fused and inset just slightly into the main body of the lamp, resting gently on the surface, virtually weightless. The Berry Polka Pendant, purple with olive dots, is not it’s pair’s opposite, but a sister, or maybe a cousin. A warm glow exudes from the orbs, held in stately brass hardware, suspended in space. Powerful when hung in tandem, they bring balance either right next to each other, or separately, adding to the use cases where we could imagine these pieces.
The Sorbetto series is aptly named, swirling blooms of color creating a hugely different effect when the lamps are on and off. There are deep reds that turn into a brilliant orange, in the Sherbert Sorbetto Pendant, and light pinks that contain a remarkable amount of depth, illuminated or otherwise.
These brilliant blues and aquas create a beautiful balance between warm and cool, a tactile yet ethereal quality tied to the work. As each piece is handmade, there will be welcome change within the globes, each a product of the unique expertise that brings this lighting to life.
The Gumdrop Sorbetto Pendant is reminiscent of a soundscape, bursts of color melting into each other, working in harmony to keep the light housed.
Courtney Kinnare is a Brooklyn-based artist, working primarily in glass, resin, and metal (at the moment). Her debut lighting collection, the Berry Polka and Sorbetto series, feature processes she loves most. The invisible work that occurs behind the scenes, the striving to get something exactly right is a welcome part of the process, a practitioner’s knowing where and when time and energy is best spent.
To learn more about the Berry Polka Pendants and Sorbetto lighting by Courtney Kinnare, visit tulestefactory.com.
Photography courtesy of Courtney Kinnare.
