Jim is the owner of Oakcrest Landscape and has been a long-time member of ILLI along as serving a a lead Mentor for several Intensive Courses.  Jim also serves on the ILLI Board of Directors. 

Project name:  George Segal Sculpture: “Woman with Sunglasses on Bench”  (Residential Outdoor Art Installation)

Q:  What were the challenges you faced in this project?

A:  Our client, a Los Angeles homeowner, is a prolific art collector with more than 75 sculptures, statues and art pieces displayed throughout the property, including 19 pieces outdoors in the garden. The sheer number of pieces to illuminate was a challenge in and of itself; however, lighting this George Segal painted bronze sculpture of a life-sized female form on a bench posed its own unique challenges due to its size, the location of the installation on the property and the need to work around distracting elements (wall, tree trunk, decomposed granite and atrium drain grate). 

Q:  What are some of the solutions you implemented?

A: The George Segal bronze looks stunning in the daylight. However, our objective was to make it look equally stunning in the darkness and to essentially make the distracting elements that are present during the daytime fade away into the darkness.  

The statue was illuminated with one fixture from the limb of an overhanging tree. Finding the precise location on the branch was crucial to create the shadow lines on the left side of the face and cheek, as the primary viewing angle for this piece was from the property’s front porch.