The Mesmerizing Light Sculpture of a Canadian Artist

Celebrated American biologist Edward O. Wilson once said, “Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.” For Kim Land, the artist behind the brand Aurora Light Sculptures, this rings especially true.

Land found her calling on one of her regular fishing trips in rural Northwestern Quebec when she came across an interesting-looking piece of driftwood.

“When I spotted that piece of driftwood, I was compelled to do something with it. To some extent, that was how Aurora Light Sculptures came about—I always knew I wanted to make something that was a part of nature, and I also love working with my hands. Creating these light sculptures marries two of my great passions,” Land says.

As Land’s interest grew, the fishing trips turned into driftwood-hunting excursions. She also started to teach herself how to make light sculptures, and in that process created her own techniques.

“I immersed myself in the learning process, studying and scrutinizing pictures of lights in various stages of completion and learning different framing techniques,” she says.

The springboard

Land’s process begins with the driftwood. From there, she designs and creates following its natural shape, which actually makes finding the right pieces of driftwood more difficult.

“It’s a crucial first step, and no easy feat,” she says. “For starters, the driftwood needs to have character. For instance, does it have a beautiful knot, or perhaps Beaver teeth marks? Does the branch come out of the back or the core of the tree? These unexpected and naturally occurring details give [the driftwood pieces] their personality—they speak to you.”