Cat Got The Grapes is the unofficial title that I gave to this commissioned, reverse hand painted lamp shade that was created for a couple who live in Florida. Every year I meet people who have unfortunately broken a painted lamp, usually an antique. The broken lamp in question for this client was not so much an antique but it had sentiment for my clients. My clients owned two, identical desert themed shades that were painted in a flat style that is so different from how I paint that initially I was hesitant to consider the project.

First I had to determine if I could match the shape of the glass that was broken. Turns out, I was unable to do that. The shade was paper thin and flared out at the ends and was also made for an unusual base. My reverse hand painted lamp shades begin here in my studio, with me creating and firing the glass shade shape. My glass shades are 18″ in diameter and will fit most any Tiffany style base with a few pieces of additional hardware that are provided by me.

Early on in the project we determined that I would make two shades and that each would be different but that the color palate would be the same. We decided to use the colors in my Vineyard Romance Series. The first shade would have grapes, leaves, two red birds and a portrait of my client’s cat. The second shade would have a desert scene to celebrate my client’s Lebanese heritage and also incorporate flowers from her garden.

Cat Got The Grapes was a more developed theme in my mind so it made sense to do this revere hand painted lamp shade first. Normally I do not paint pet portraits but I decided to take a chance on this one and as you can see, the cat turned out lovely! He is forever immortalized in my client’s shade and will forever have a part in their home. The base that this shade lives on came from my client. It was a lovely camel base and she owned two! So each shade would have the same base.