Inspired by Photinus pyralis, a species of firefly, this wall sconce is hammered from 22 gauge steel, then fire-darkened and finished with a linseed oil/beeswax mix for a proper chitinous look and texture.
I wanted to capture here the dynamism and movement of this specific species: they are known commonly as “J”s because of their swooping, dancing flight pattern.
The display wall it is mounted on was made with equal care from pine lath and a clay/sand/lime plaster. The paint was made from scratch from lime and casein, a protein I extracted from milk.