Originally I named this commissioned reverse hand painted lamp shade Cat Got the Grapes. In line with my Vineyard Romance Series theme, my client requested two shades that would match. She loved my Tuscan colors in my other grape and vineyard reverse painted chandeliers so we decided to create both of her lamp shapes in the same hues.

The client’s cat is featured predominately along with two red song birds. She provided a really nice photo of her cat and that helped with the success of the piece. This shade fit neatly onto an existing lamp base that was sturdy and had sentimental value so all I had to do was provide the shade. A lot of thought and time went into creating both lamp shades. We had to consider that they would be viewed in the same room. In this instance, the client wanted both shades to have similar colors to match. I’d like to point out that is a personal preference—you don’t need to always match lamps if two are shown in the same room.

In my own home I show two lamps in the same room and both are very different. One is a vineyard themed shade and the other is tropical. They are both gorgeous and yet so different. Just having them lit up really makes the room come alive.

Why did this commission come about? Well, the client accidentally broke a beloved reverse hand painted lamp shade that had a desert theme. To me, the broken shade was likely mass produced abroad. Reverse painted lamp shades have been popular through other times and these definitely had a look from an older era. The second shade that I created for this client has a custom desert scene that incorporates flowers from my client’s yard. Sadly, I speak frequently to people who have broken beloved lamp shades.