An opportunity

Written By John Garloff

Life is full of chaptures. I wound up meeting the love of my life, moved to Oregon, lived in the

mountains, started a family, and now it’s just the two of us again. Our sons have moved away in

pursuit of their couriers, leaving us with more house than we really need. Now we have a tiny

apartment for us in the back portion of our home and offer the rest as travelers

accommodations. We are always making improvements to give our guests a great experience.

So here’s where the opportunity comes in. Along with other upgrades, I also get to furnish the

place with some of my lighting designs. Our 1890 house is full of color and you’ll see from the

pictures posted in this blog. The upstairs sleeping area was needing a pair of stunning bedside

lamps for the king bed. The Napoleon table lamp in copper, brass and black was designed and

created specifically for this space. The Bubba lamp was another design for the living room area.

Recently, we changed out the dining set to a sweet vintage 50s style table and chairs. Some

labor was needed to restore the chrome. My preference was using fine steel wool with WD40

and then a bunch of polishing that did the trick.

John Garloff

John Garloff

Artist in Metal Illumination

I’m in a phase of life at age 60, a recovered alcoholic/drug addict with 34 years sobriety, and with little formal education, have found a great deal of wisdom from past years of life through its challenges, freedoms, and triumphs.

Working with metal, developing and creating illuminated sculptures instills a sense of purpose and healing of childhood trauma from a mom, intent on committing suicide and then succeeding when I was eleven.

There’s something exceedingly special that happens in the shop when designing and creating that inspires, soothes and heals my spirit. I have been learning, researching and buying specific tools for my artistic endeavor since 2009. For the past few years, I have been pursuing galleries but have been declined by many because they didn’t see me as an artist, only a “craftsman”. This has lit a fire and gives me the determination to change this perception.

In January, my wife and I collaborated on an art showcase that yielded a great response and recognition validating me as an artist. My ambition and dream is to push the lamp designs far beyond anything imaginable.

Each piece is a great learning experience filled with complexity and development. It’s all about appealing to your sense of touch, sound and the visual aesthetics. Some of my latest added tools into the shop are a welder, English wheel and bead roller. I’m encouraged to include further new tools that will enhance the many traditional hand tools from some of the old timers I have encountered along the way.

The Tea House, a pagoda style design was created from galvanized sheet metal with embossed flower stems on the bead roller. This was the first item sold at my recent art showcase that incorporated several techniques used in the autobody industry.

This entire experience allows me to grow into becoming the best version of self and move forward as a progressive artist with confidence. My style is a fusion of inspirations including industrial and the influential godfather of steampunk, Jules Verne, French novelist and poet.

I am motivated to express and share my art through gratitude for love and life, connection with people, the planet, and its beauty.

https://www.jgarloffdesign.com/
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