In essence -- IllumiCraft is the fusion of high-technology lighting (mostly high-intensity LEDs) with unique handcrafted artistry. IllumiCrafts take advantage of the symbolic, as well as aesthetic properties of extremely bright, projected and colored light. This light can be sculpted or shaped by directing it into various translucent objects i.e. translucent stones, gems, crystals, wax, hand-blown glass: creating for the viewer an intense, yet elegant, radiant effect. These "Illumi-Gems" are then incorporated into a wide variety of jewelry, arts and crafts designs. IllumiCraft can be categorized as... "Handcrafted, illuminated, jewelry, arts and crafts."
The intention here is to cultivate an atmosphere of illumination and awe-inspiring wonderment; blurring the lines between technology and art, past and future, the material and the spiritual, function and beauty. Enjoy!

The idea to use light as an artistic medium, while rarely touched upon, is not a new idea. Since light is a needed ingredient in most art (besides music), it could be said that, fundamentally, art is the manipulation of light in various ways as a means of symbolic communication. When fire was discovered it is very likely that cave people set sticks on fire and spun them around as an artistic expression. Over the centuries lighting technologies have evolved, leading to new artistic uses. Candles, incandescent bulbs, fluorescents, neon etc. have all been used by artists and crafters to create luminous works.

However, there is a new and powerful lighting technology that is just now coming into fruition, and that is LED or Light Emitting Diode technology. LEDs are compact, super energy efficient, run on low voltages and can be powered by miniature batteries (also evolved technology) for hours on end. This new technology is making it possible for artists, crafts people and hobbyists to explore light, in ways, and on a scale that has never before been possible.

As a matter of historical fact, a man named Thomas Wilfred suggested, in the 1930's, that the art of light, which he called Lumia, could become the eighth fine art comparable to music. Here is a quote from an article written by him entitled "Light and the Artist" that is well suited to your understanding of the concept;

" In a Primer of Modern Art, Sheldon Cheney has this to say about Lumia: “Here is
the beginning, or at least the first serious achievement, of an art as primitive, as
complex, as capable of varied emotional beauty as music; and its medium is light—
that light which was the earliest god of humankind, which to this day typifies all that
is spiritual, joy-bringing and radiant. Perhaps, then, this is the beginning of the
greatest, the most spiritual and radiant art of all.”

It appears that the term Lumia has not received widespread recognition. Although, there have been amazing advancements that could be considered a part of that definition including; psychedelic light shows, computer graphics, VJ-ing (Video Jockeys), neon art, etc. IllumiCraft can be seen as a specific style or a brand of light art (Lumia).

The IllumiCraft brand of light art is linked to a growing movement of artists expressing visionary and interdimensional sentiments (Google- interdimensional art movement). Raising awareness and helping to create an atmosphere of cultural evolution and refinement. This movement celebrates diversity and strives to expand awareness and consciousness through unhinged artistic expression.

Illumin' Luna is the online gallery/marketing vehicle, which is interconnectedly linked with the efforts of DreamWalkerStudios. DreamWalkerStudios is an inclusive amalgam of artists and crafts people, exploring projected/colored light as an artistic medium. Orion Waters, the director of DreamWalkerStudios plans to increase collaboration efforts with a variety of artists for the creation of superb illuminated arts and crafts. At some point we hope to expand our offerings to include useful components, instructional material and kits.
Illumin' Luna (on-line gallery) will serve two purposes. Since IllumiCraft is a new phenomenon, people will need to see examples of what is possible. Illumin' Luna (will not only show what is currently being created by the IllumiCrafters and Dream Walkers of the world, but will provide inspirational art such as computer graphic art, photography, paintings etc. These two dimensional "illumination" themed artworks will serve to awaken the imagination to what is possible in 3 dimensional (maybe even 4th dimensional Wink Wink) mixed media art.
The second purpose of Illumin' Luna is to act as a marketing vehicle, showcasing and selling IllumiCrafts through the web site as well as at festivals, catalogues and appropriate stores.

Orion Waters

Orion Waters is the lead designer and the conceptual architect of for all that is IllumiCraft , including the word IllumiCraft. He holds a BS degree in Environmental Science from Humboldt State University and is now pursuing a career in the luminous arts. At HSU he was the founder and president of the Qi Club and the Green Dragon Holistic Living club, which explored the mysteries of life and ways to enjoy ourselves while in this paradoxical reality. He is the husband to Bella Waters and the father to a baby boy Sage Raven Waters.

As a long standing Tai Ji Chuan, Qi Gong and general practitioner of the energetic disciplines, Orion is fueled by his vision of bringing light into the darkness, merging positive and negative energies to produce light and expressing his inner revelations symbolically through his art. Orion's designs are his tools for communicating messages of awakening, consciousness and beauty. This art is intended to work on many levels toward this goal.

Maybe Orion's work could be partly explained as homage to his personal totem: Raven. In the ancient Inuit myth "Raven Brings Light to the World" , Raven is seen as a trickster that appears to the sky gods as a cute little boy and tricks them into letting him play with the sacred glowing sphere (the sun), which they are hiding from the people of the world, as a means of control over them. Once he gets a hold of the sun, he transforms himself back into the form of a raven and flies it high into the sky for the benefit of the people.

Orion's creations are designed to spark awakening and consciousness and to challenge and inspire people to think about important concepts such as sustainability, handcrafted verses mass production, the paradoxical state of the world, the benefits and down-sides associated with high technology, the existence or illusion of manna, Chi, zero point etc. in the universe; the importance of exploring your creative nature, the nature of focused intention and magick and so on.

Each one of his designs i.e. illuminated wizards staffs, wands and scepters; Illuminated necklaces, and Spectro-Lanterns all have an interactive and expansive nature not typically found in products produced for the mass market, and suggest a new style of illuminated art that has as of yet to be fully ,excuse the pun, illuminated upon.

Recently, Orion launched Spectro-Lanterns at Earth Dance 2006 in Laytonville, California. The Spectro-Lanterns were well received, garnishing copious amounts of ooohs and ahhhs from all who encountered them. For those who understood its true ramifications it was like a light going off, you could see the excitement in their eyes. It was pure joy to see people enjoying the art and connecting with its true essence.

The Spectro-Lanterns, made from reused Odwalla and Naked Juice bottles, incorporate an LED based, microprocessor controlled, solid-state light gizmo that has many lighting effects, including; color phasing, strobing, and choice of any solid color including white , all in one package. Orion calls it "a light show in a bottle". The illuminated bottle then serves as a canvas for the art of your choice.

Orion offered sacred, visionary, goddess based, prints from an up and coming Humboldt County artist by the name of AmmA, as well as fractal art from Universoulightforms.com. The most unique feature was the fact that when art is exposed to different colored light the colors in the print change as well, creating an animated color changing art effect that is a real mind blower. The product came with instructions explaining 10 ways that a person could add their own artistic talents to create an interactive experience. One suggestion was to find other Odwalla bottles and paint them with vibrant colors.

Orion is currently seeking the support, financial and otherwise, to bring IllumiCraft to the world in a fully manifest way. All reasonable financial offers will be considered. Any advise will be well received and appreciated, and feedback or support of any kind is always welcome.