DESIGN BY ILONA *

*known under the name of aura in pakistan 

About lamps by Ilona

I have designed and made custom lamps since the year 2000, beginning with stained glass lamps that included the use of agate slices, glass nuggets hand engraved and frosted glass. My present range includes table lamps and pendant shades. The wooden frames used to enclose the glass pieces, or used as bases, are of solid rosewood. Each piece is hand crafted and therefore no two pieces are alike. The techniques used are listed below:

*Glass transfer involves the use of my own photographs. I use photographs with nature and cityscape themes, making decal transfers in which the photograph is baked to a glass piece and is often enhanced with the use of water-color pencils and cross hatching, also sometimes the use of paint. The process ensures that the resulting image is lightfast and durable. These glass panels are set in a rosewood frame with a bulb inside it to make a lightbox, or are single panel lights to be displayed as wall panels or as corner display lights.

*My most recent addition to the lightbox project is the use of small prints sandwiched between glass, framed in a rosewood frame housing a bulb to make a lightbox. I often print on different hand made papers to produce interesting textures which show up most effectively under light.

*Silk transfer  involves the use of photographs, also line drawings and photo collages, often added to with blended washes painted directly on to the silk

*Burl Veneers are used sandwiched between sheets of glass.

*Decoupage, previously using traditional sub-continental tile motifs, historical/music and dance motifs and pictures, and currently using my own photographs, with the addition of water color washes, lino printing and cross hatching in pen or pencil.

About furniture by Ilona:

 My furniture is made of solid wood, and unless otherwise stated, I use rosewood. Much of it is  made using traditional methods of joinery, such as dovetail and peg joints. 

Some pieces are made using MDF, and these are covered with decoupage using my own photographs, executed with a particular theme. 

 View some of my furniture designs in the beatiful homes of the some people that bought them. The pieces are featured in homes listed on Naples Real Estate.

About Solar Prints:

 Solar printing is a technique used by printmakers. You can use photographs, line drawings or found objects to make printing plates, using the sun to expose your plate rather than the traditional and more toxic method of acid etching. You can combine various techniques within one print, such as the use of background, wood block, the addition of water colour pencils to add colour...the possibilities are endless. I have concentrated on using my forte, photocollage, and will use the resulting prints to incorporate into my lamps as well as framed artworks for the wall. I have recently added viscosity printing and chine colle on pure silk which has been tea stained or painted using blended washes.

I have recently returned to making collagraphs, a method of printing using collage boards which are rich in texture and produce beautiful almost textured results. My collagraphs are both pulled on a press, as well as being hand rubbed using a baren or the back of the spoon, a very tactile method in which the printer can control the amount of ink he wants to be transferred to the paper. They also involve the use of pochoir and chine colle. Some of my collagraphs are evolving into paper works as I have begun to add different papers and the use of burning to add depth and texture.

Writing: