Phantom Lighting System

It is important to realize however, that any portrait or painting can never stand on its own. Every masterpiece requires the proper type of fine art lighting in order to be displayed with museum quality. Fine art lights are specifically designed for this person, and they differ greatly in size and luminance capacity from general lighting fixtures and purely utilitarian task lights. Fine art lights are manufactured in a wide range of fixture styles, lamping options, and material builds. These options range on the low end to simple battery powered cordless picture lights to ultra-sophisticated fine art lighting projectors. Efficiency ranges just as widely from the low end to the high end of the spectrum, and some fine art lighting fixtures are really should not be used at all other than general print lighting or photography lighting in public events. We will see why in the moment.

Why can we not hang paintings in windowed rooms and allow natural sunlight to illuminate fine art?
Because sunlight is the worst possible source of fine art lighting. In spite of the fat that it is the light we all live in daily, and the light by which we see the beauty and the many forms and colors of nature, sunlight contains an invisible enemies that can damage human skin if you stay out in the sun for too long—ultraviolet light. Reason tells us that if UV radiation can sunburn our skin, sensitive oils and canvases will suffer an even more severe outcome if they hang for any length of time in a beam of sunlight.

Infrared light is also part of the natural lighting spectrum, and although not as dangerous to humans as UV light, nevertheless has its own deleterious effects on canvas and oils. Infrared light waves are very hot and will dry out the oil and cause it to crack over time.

So what about the universal image of the Renaissance painter sitting by an Italian river, paintbrush in hand, as the sun streams down to light his canvas?

It makes for an excellent painting, provided it is kept out of the sun and showcased under fine art accent lighting fixtures design to preserve it in the annals of myth and symbol as a representative symbol of enlightenment and virtue…not the way painters of the time actually worked.

Do incandescent lamps make good fine art light sources?
Yes and no. For warm colors, such as red, orange, yellow, and brown, incandescent lamps are excellent sources. However, incandescent picture lights have the opposite effects on cooler colors such as blue, green, and violet. They appear flat with this type of illumination.

If you are new to fine art collecting, and you are looking to purchase fine art lights for the first time, we recommend you think twice about incandescent because they will more than likely be forced out by legislation just as they recently were in California.

Can energy saving fluorescent be used for fine art lighting?
We do not recommend this. While larger commercial fluorescent lights rank very high on the CRI (color rendering index), smaller lamps with internal ballasts render only a portion of the spectrum, making them unsuitable for the color palette. Even more serious is the fact that fluorescent produce ultraviolet rays just as the sun does, and they too will destroy any paintings they illuminate.

Is halogen lighting a good source for showcasing art?
Actually, it is the best. Halogen low voltage fixtures produce a strong white light, and they bring out many different colors across the color spectrum. New technology has invented low wattage based halogen bulbs, which deflect damaging UV and infrared rays. Halogen bulbs typically come in line voltage (120 V) and low voltage (12 V). This is why halogen lights are the favored lamping option for fine art projector lighting.

Phantom Fine Art Lighting Projectors
Phantom Contour Projectors feature ideal optics and photometric data for your fine art lighting needs. These projectors feature halogen light fixtures and produce a very unique quality of luminance called “the lighted from within effect.” Phantom fine are lighting projectors are easy to install and extremely versatile, because of their small, compact size and no exposed wiring.

This fine art illumination device incorporates a parabolic aluminized reflector or PAR (MR-16) 75-watt halogen based lamp in its design. These lamps were originally used for the fiber optic industry, where detailed light focusing is required. The typical rated life of this lamp is around 4000 hours, giving the enthusiast of exquisite paintings plenty of time to enjoy their precious piece, before having to replace the bulb. The SM or surface mount series is the ideal choice for any type of fine art lighting. This adjustable projector has a sleek design, which is unobtrusive and perfect for accenting brush stroke details, along with other vital elements of your paintings. The design of Phantom projector fixtures will ensure that your frames are pampered, so they are not damaged.

Call a Phantom Agent for more information on all of these options. We invite you to call toll free 800-863-1184 to request literature online or visit our lighting blog to learn more about Phantom custom low voltage lighting products.

Our lighting manufacturing facility is located in Houston, Texas with professional lighting sales agents located throughout the United States that enable us to service all of Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America and the United States including Washington DC, Nashville Tennessee, Las Vegas Nevada. Portland Oregon, Oklahoma City Oklahoma, Tucson Arizona, Los Angeles California, Atlanta Georgia, Dallas Texas and Sacramento California.

Why are over the picture lights a less than ideal source of art lighting?
Picture lights rely on halogen and incandescent lamps that produce infrared light. This results in very high temperatures that will dry out oils and crack canvases over time. Museums that still use incandescent picture frame lighting must install special motion sensors to turn the lights on when visitors enter the room and switch them off again when they leave. This is too much hassle for the private collector, and it is also more expensive.

Can the actual intensity of light cause paintings to degrade?
Yes it can. The term “Lumens per annum” refers to the cumulative intensity of museum art lighting over long periods of exposure that can have deleterious effects on colors and canvases. Setting precise levels of illumination intensity for recessed picture lights helps safeguard the preservation of pictures, paintings, and rare documents framed in museums. This is difficult to do with picture lighting equipment that offers only two or three settings and little, if any, room for custom adjustment to the piece.

What is the best alternative, then, to standard over the picture lighting?
Both private collectors and gallery curators almost unanimously agree that the vest best and safest sources of picture lighting are commercial grade art projectors. Art projector lights offer the advantages of ultraviolet and infrared filtering and do not mount to the frame. This is crucial to museum aesthetic, where classics look much better when there is nothing over the painting to distract the viewer’s eye. However, typical art projectors can be very bulky, hard to adjust, and cause severe damage to ceilings even when installed by professionals. It is also very hard to adjust lighting levels in some projectors, making it difficult to match lighting intensity precisely to color and form. Some projectors also produce a beam that is visible to people standing to the side of the room. This does not look good in a refined setting and therefore offers serious drawbacks that disqualify such a device as an ideal source of picture lighting.

Does the Phantom Contour Projector Truly Resolve All of These Issues?
As artwork lighting experts, Phantom Lighting took projector technology to a whole new level by introducing the Phantom Contour Projector. Our foremost concern in this new design was developing the highest level of protection for priceless works of art. While most art projectors provide some form of UV shielding, we have developed fixtures and precision optical design that negate its power altogether. We have accomplished this without diminishing the ability to fine tune the projector for optimal picture lighting angles and light intensity levels.

The name Phantom Contour itself refers to one of the most unique attributes of our art projectors—the ability to shape illumination to the exact dimensions of a picture. Phantom lenses offer the highest level of photometric performance currently possible as compared to other framing projectors. They can be fine tuned with such precision as to actually hide the beam of light itself regardless of viewing angles. This creates a “lighting from within” effect when the beam strikes the picture and frame. This light is further filtered through special glare shielding that prevents it from “spilling” over the wall around a painting and thus eliminates resulting shadows behind the frame.

To learn more about Phantom Contour Projectors visit our lighting blog or contact a lighting rep in your area.

I am very interested in using your Phantom Contour Projector. However, I am not crazy about using an electronic transformer. Do you have any models with magnetic transformers?

We recently introduced a magnetic transformer option for all CONTOUR PROJECTOR models that uses a Q-Tran magnetic transformer. Q-Tran has a stellar track record in the lighting industry for making some of the most quiet lighting transformers on the market. The torodial design of the Q-Tran transformer provides superior voltage regulation and a 96% energy efficiency rating. A built-in thermal auto reset breaker protects the product from overloading as well as a built-in filter choke for sound reduction. All Q-Tran magnetic transformers are tested 3 times before leaving the factory for quality and safety. This magnetic lighting transformer is specifically designed for use with all Phantom Contour Projectors.

Thank you for contacting Phantom Lighting System with your specific request. We are delighted that you are interested in our lighting projector and we hope that we have addressed your concerns by adding this new feature. Many lighting designers, architects and electrical professionals prefer to use magnetic transformers over electronic transformers. We now have both to satisfy everyone.

If you need more information on PHANTOM CONTOUR PROJECTORS or our PHANTOM STRIP LIGHTS, please contact us at 800-863-1184.

http://www.phantomlighting.com/

Could you please send me some information or have your lighting representative give me a call regarding Phantom art lighting. I am designing a large residence in Los Angeles California. The owner has an extensive art collection and has expressed an interest in your Phantom Contour Projector. Thank you!

I would be happy to put you in contact with our lighting agent in the Los Angeles Area. Here is Steve's contact information for your records:

Steve Crofts, C.P.M.
5868 W 74Th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90045

(310) 670-4410 Office
(310) 670-4545 Fax

stevecrofts@yahoo.com

Thank you for your interest in our specialty lighting fixtures. Phantom Lighting is an original equipment lighting manufacturer that specializes in fine art and cabinet lighting. Our two major product lines are the PHANTOM CONTOUR PROJECTOR and PHANTOM LIGHTING STRIPS. We have the only adjustable shelf lighting system on the market.

Steve will contact you shortly to discuss your needs and to drop off a complete color binder for your resource library. We have some of the best and most knowledgeable LIGHTING AGENTS in the industry.

I hope that you are considering attending LIGHTFAIR 2006 in Las Vegas at the end of May. We will be displaying our products in BOOTH 2742 in the main exhibition hall at the convention center.

Ask Steve about the free tickets we have for our friends and associates.

I am considering installing some new recessed art lighting fixtures in my home. The idea of a remodel housing and trim is very intriguing to me. How does your light fixture compare with other art lights on the market?

When you are talking about art lighting fixtures, you really have to break them down into three categories: Picture lights, accent lights and framing projectors.

Picture Lights
Surface mounted picture lights are the simplest form on art lighting used by galleries, consultants and homeowners. Picture lights are attached to the frame or wall and cords are either exposed or concealed behind the frame depending on the location of the receptacle. The picture light floods the art and produces heat that may be harmful to works of art. They are available in several styles and lengths to fit most art. Costs for this form of lighting is minimal.

Accent Lighting
Recessed accent light fixtures, typically MR16 fixtures, can be quite effective for illuminating art. The small aperture and high output of these lights makes them a favorite in both commercial and residential settings. The low voltage halogen light produces a good color and can be controlled to spot light or flood an object with light. MR16 lamps because of their dichroic reflectors are "Cool Beam" lamps and do not create harmful UV or infrared rays that damage art. Accent lights come in many shapes and sizes and are made by many manufacturers. Cost for this form of lighting is moderate.

Framing Projectors
Recessed optical framing projectors are by far the most dramatic and effective way to illuminate art or sculpture. Optical framing projectors produce a very high intensity focused light that can be manipulated to fit the exact contour of the object. Only a few companies promote optical framing projectors because they are so specialized and tedious to install. Some companies make simple framing projectors that must conform to a rigid formula and can only do square or rectangular art, masking the light with shutters. Others, are more complex and require a trained technician to hand cut templates masking the light to any shape. Costs for this form of lighting pictures can be high and does vary by manufacturer.

PHANTOM CONTOUR PROJECTORS are designed by a professional installer and have been engineered so a novice, do it yourselfer or qualified electrician can successfully illuminate art. The patented mounting method, simplified optical system and the ability to use both shutters and custom templates make this one of the most versatile and awesome fixtures on the market today. By shaping the light to only the canvas, the art takes on a "Lighted from within" look that can only be seen to appreciate.

Our lighting manufacturing plant is located in Houston, Texas with professional lighting sales agents located throughout the United States that enable us to service all 50 states including Washington DC, Nashville Tennessee, Reno Nevada. Portland Oregon, Oklahoma City Oklahoma, Tucson Arizona, Los Angeles California, Atlanta Georgia, and Malibu California.

See our PROJECTOR COMPARISON CHART to see how we stack up against the competition in this highly specialized niche market. Feel free to contact us toll free at 800-863-1184 for design assistance, technical information or to request a free color brochure.

You'll be glad you did!