Custom Works in Multiple Media

Although artisans are usually categorized in terms of a single medium – wood, metal, stained glass, etc – you will find that CustomMade artisans make items of exceptional beauty that expertly combine many different materials.  There are few limits to what combinations our talented artisans can work with.  If you are considering commissioning a custom project, here are a few ways of thinking of the impact of multi-media pieces.

Betwixt and Between

Doors by their very nature link together two things, “inside” and “outside.”  They offer yet limit access.  One of the most straightforward expressions of this idea is a door with an inset stained glass window.  This custom Arts and Crafts style entry door by Woodmax, LLC, combines the security and strength of solid oak wood (which yet opens) and the openness and clarity of glass (which yet remains closed).  In this case, the combination of wood and glass is not just practical.  The mixed media is the message.

Custom Arts & Crafts Style Entry Door by Woodmax LLC at CustomMade.com

There are other spaces and items that exist between two places, such as stairs.  This custom handrail by Cimarron Lofting exists between “upstairs” and “downstairs” and combines two different materials, cherry wood and steel, that give a sense of movement to the stairs.

Cherry & Steel Handrail by Cimarron Lofting Inc. at CustomMade.com

Contrasts

Sometimes a special work of art may jump out and bite you.  This portrait in glass of Bela Lugosi’s Dracula by The Glass Kats may do that literally. The iconic fangs of the vampire are rendered in metal and jut out from the frame.  The count’s pocket watch chain is in fact a real metal chain.  While the black, white, and grey tone of the piece keep all the elements in harmony, the addition of metal details in three dimensions makes this portrait truly striking.

Bela Lugosi's Dracula by The Glass Kats at CustomMade.com

Complements

Multiple media don’t always create contrast within a piece.  Disparate materials can also be skillfully combined to create a seamless arrangement.  This See’n Stone floor lamp by Home Woods combines clay, granite, and cherry wood in a smooth, fluid upward sweep.  Despite the variety of shapes in this piece, the colors and textures of the elements invite the viewer to wonder, is it a pillar of stone, is it a tree pushing up from the earth?  The work appears to be a whole.

See'n Stone Floor Lamp by Home Woods at CustomMade.com