Artist/electrician Cheryl Kehoe is fascinated by vintage electronics. She especially loves old cameras, projectors, and radios – objects whose appearance and function have changed dramatically over the last century. One day, her trade knowledge and her love of these pieces synthesized into a novel idea – could she create one-of-a-kind lamps out of these quirky old objects? Kehoe experimented, and soon she had brought these objects alight. The first of these ended up in the 1940s Brekke house in Ponoka, Alberta, which she restored in its historical style.
Trawling antiques malls, vintage markets, and second-hand shops nets Kehoe a supply of likely lamp bases, and she then applies her artistic style to selecting a harp and lampshade to complement the object. Typically she will set up the object in her home, gazing at it over her morning coffee until a suitable design pops into her head. Then, using new, CSA-approved electrical components, Kehoe applies her 24 years of trade expertise to the wiring and construction of a functional lamp.
Kehoe’s lamp designs are clever, functional, and aesthetically pleasing, but there’s also another, more heartfelt layer of meaning. Often when a loved elder dies, the attic or basement of their residence contains dusty and forgotten pieces of vintage equipment. Bring such pieces to Kehoe (they don’t have to be functioning) and she’ll collaborate with you to create a unique lamp that will remind you of your loved one each time you turn it on. She says such pieces can “help to keep the loves of your life alight in your memory.”
Kehoe recently joined The Landing Artists group for camaraderie and stimulating exchange with other artists, and is very excited to be part of their current exhibition at the Gibsons Public Art Gallery until Dec. 23. She will be on hand on Dec. 22 and would be pleased to chat about the potential for turning a neglected vintage object into a treasured lamp. You can also contact her at [email protected].
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