About the Artist
Justin Miles
Well Hi there! I’m Justin Miles, my artist name is ‘Justystarz’.
I am a visual artist messing about with woodworking, kinetic sculpture, automata (which I call crankers), and traditional Japanese karakuri (wooden automata) craft. I can paint, sculpt, draw, and use electronics, laser cutting and 3D printing in my creations.
I have a separate website specializing in my automata artworks.
Please visit www.justinmiles-automata.com to have a look!
I have slowly but surely been amassing a variety of wooden lamp designs, based roughly on traditional Japanese lamps. I have a growing list of very satisfied customers.
Here are various lamps I have made in recent years. If you like a particular design, and it is not in stock – please email me to place a custom order. justystarz@hagurumacrafts.ca
My Designs
All of my lamp bodies are hand-crafted, with minimum machine processing. Every one is unique in its own way. And basically, I follow the principles of Wabi Sabi. I like to keep the wood grain and knots in my designs where possible. Very little finishing, if at all, is used. If there is a finish, it will be a beeswax polish. If the wood used is fragrant, (for example, Sugi has a wonderful warm scent) I will not use any sealant at all.
That being said, expect your lamp’s wood to change colour slightly over time, or be affected by direct sunlight.
The lamp panels are based on original Japanese design motifs, and a mixture of my own design or interests.
My Training
I graduated from Emily Carr College of Art and Design with a degree in Fine Arts and Classical Animation in 1997.
Since then, much of my training is self-led, but I did have the amazing opportunity to meet and learn from Japanese Karakuri Ningyo Master Tomaya Shobei IX.
In 2017, I was invited to participate in participating in a Japanese reality show called "Who Wants to Go to Japan". I spent a week following Tamaya-san, and he gave me many opportunities to see up-close many rare karakuri ningyo (automata) and taught me some of the basics in their construction. I was also shown how to care for the carving tools, and to make my own. Sent home with many examples, (including a gift of a few tools of his own! So lucky!!) I've been fine tuning my skills in this regard. The Japanese inspired lamps and crafts are just a few examples of how this experience has effected my work.
I continue to be very grateful for this experience.
