Originally from Maine, James Violette started designing and woodworking in his late teens. He currently lives on a remote property in McMinnville, OR, surrounded by nature and plenty of inspiration. And James is inspired by all of it.
James usually takes a modernist approach. Aesthetically leaning towards brutal-ism, mid-century modern, art deco, and minimalist design. Shapes and angles in architecture, the concept of dimension, and the combination of different elements and materials such as various woods, metals, and fabrics, soon follow. James wants to create ambiance through a piece that's balanced and sculptural, and casts dramatic shadows, as well as light.
"I can't really pretend to have some deep, philosophical reason I feel the need to create lighting. It's quite simple - I just do. It's close to an obsession. I take in the infinite details from everything I see in my everyday life. It can be something as small as a detail from a piece of jewelry that gets blown out of proportion and manifests into a full-on giant floor lamp, to a piece of rusty metal I find in the dirt. Or a hike past a pond, and several days later, I'll have a cattail lamp."
