Dear Sandi: My girlfriend was in your shop a few weeks ago, and she saw what she described as a “very strange” lampshade. It was purple, and she said that it was made from some type of bark. Do you know what I am talking about, and if so, could you tell me about this bark and how to use it in this manner? —Cindy S., Salem

Hi Cindy: A very strange lampshade – well, we have done more than one or two things that would fit that description! However, I can think of only one that is purple.

The bark is something we call linen bark. Not really a bark at all, it is a botanical fiber that is grown in the tropical regions of Asia.

The fiber in its natural state is a fairly dark brown, but it also is available in a bleached form that can be dyed or colored, which is how we got purple.

The bark comes in

1-ounce pieces that are about 6 to 8 inches wide and 14 to 18 inches long. Although it is fairly stiff when dry, once wet, it becomes extremely pliable and can be stretched, pulled and manipulated into all kinds of interesting configurations.

To make the lampshade, I took a metal mixing bowl that was about the same size I wanted the finished shade to be. I covered it with aluminum foil, smoothing out the creases and wrinkles as much as possible. Then, turning it upside down, I positioned the bowl on a pedestal that was about 6 inches taller than the bowl was deep (we used a glass cylinder vase). This is to allow room for the bark to extend over the edges of the bowl.

After wetting three pieces of the linen bark, I began pulling it into workable size pieces of varying shapes. It helps if you cut off the hard outer edge; it is too strong for tearing. I usually remove this part because I like the open, airy, “spider webby” effect that you get with the inner part of the bark, but you can leave it if you like the look.

I mixed up a solution of about three parts white, water-soluble glue and

one part water; then carefully laid individual pieces down over the foil. The pieces overlapped, and I made sure that some long, tapered ends were allowed to extend down in varying lengths. I continued putting on layers of the bark, letting it be a bit thicker in some places than others, until I had an effect I liked.

At this point, you could let it dry or color it. If you want the color really intense, you might want to let it dry first, as the bark will soak up the color much more uniformly when dry.

I like a more mottled effect, so I began adding my color while the piece was still very wet. I just used acrylic paint, the type that comes in those little bottles at the craft stores. I used a couple of different shades of purple and lavender and simply applied a watered-down brushful of paint to the bark, then added a bit more water, letting it drip down and color the bark in varying degrees of intensity.

This is one of my favorite ways of applying paint to projects because the results always are uncertain and look different every time. If this isn’t something that works for you, then working with a drier piece and actually painting on the colors might be more to your liking. A word of warning, though: If you do it the wet way, it is MESSY. Be sure you have your work area protected from water, paint, etc.

After everything is dry, turn the shade over and gently remove the foil. This can try your patience, but eventually, even the most stubborn bits will come off.

After removing the foil, I added some “jewels” that had been salvaged from something else, and for the crowning glory, we topped it off with a great looking spiral finial from a metal lid that had once belonged to a now-defunct jar (never throw those interesting things away, you just don’t know when you will need them).

August 18, 2006