- Feb 27

Lamp Lady

A lamp lady is someone who knows beauty to be the mysterious substance of light. Such a person might have a unique collection of decorative lighting. This pair of lamp ladies, with their beautiful winter purple glass, as well as lyrics from the artist Sevdaliza, inspired me to give them a new life.

--Artist Statement

If you're in the market for a nifty pair of lamps or just want to experience Art in a tropical-air environment on the wind-swept high plains, stop by the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens Glass Art Show.

The annual show runs through April.

Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm.

The Story:

In 2021 the family business and building went up for sale. The Albany Restaurant, Bar, and Liquormart was owned and operated by the Kallas family for nearly 80 years. Over the decades, there was a natural build-up of furniture and artifacts from the various eras of our occupation. Thus, a purge was in order before the big handover.

The Big Sale in April of 2021 took place in the Albany garage, which was easily filled to the brim with furniture and bar memorabilia. Amongst the chaos of pricing and arranging objects, I noticed a pair of lamps the color of eggplant. Compared to the vintage chairs and beer signs, these lamps might have been considered uninteresting. However, I happen to be a lamp person. As I lingered on the retro shape and neutral glass surface, I couldn't help hearing the voice of the artist Sevdaliza and her song "Lamp Lady." This third song from her album Shabrang convinced me to take the lamps home and give them new life.

Due to the glass surface of the lamps, I used enamel paint. Although the paint is toxic and the application process temperamental, the results are superior in their high-gloss and color saturation.

Why roses? "The rose is the queen of all flowers in bloom," from The Rose Oracle by Rebecca Campbell, sums it up nicely. In addition, Magdalene Kallas, my grandmother, was once an owner of The Albany and loved tending to the roses in her garden. These lamps are dedicated to her memory and other lamp ladies alike.