About Us
What is Captured Lightning?
Captured lightning carvings are a type of Lichtenberg Figure. Named after the German physicist who studied and described them in the late 1700's, these organic, fractal-like figures are the result of electrical discharge across a conductor. In the case of my work, the conductor is a wooden object.
Once an object has been shaped, a conductive solution and high voltage current are applied to it's surface. At this high energy level, the insulative properties of the wood fibers are overcome, resulting in electrical breakdown. Much like a wire that receives too much power, the wood fibers overheat, and burn away. Slowly creeping from the probes where power is applied, carbonized tracks traverse the grain as they work towards each other to meet. In doing so, the path of electricity reveals itself in the pattern of a static discharge carved into solid wood.
To some, these patterns resemble lightning, trees, branches, roots, mycelium, vines, veins, or even neurons. The more you look, the more you will see this pattern emerge. In this way, we can see how nature repeats itself in a fractal manner, from the shape and form of branching trees and booming lightning strikes, down to a tiny spark of static electricity or the neural network that transfers invisible electrons through our bodies. And just like each of these natural phenomena, each captured lightning pattern created in our shop is unique, and inimitable.
About the Artist
Rob McAllister is a self-taught woodworker, artist and maker residing just outside New Hope, Pennsylvania. Originally trained as an automotive technician, the chance purchase of a derelict school bus and its subsequent revival led him to leave that career behind to pursue carpentry and art. From a workshop in an old hay barn, he combines raw lumber and high-voltage electricity to create unique wooden sculpture, custom furniture and interiors. His work is inspired by the beauty of natural materials, and the intersection of form and function. Rob works full-time at his home studio, Angry Nimbus Woodcraft.
The Barn
Angry Nimbus Woodcraft occupies a workshop inside a hay barn on a historic Bucks county farm. Our shop is shared with another builder, and shares walls with several other artisans and fabricators in a unique maker's community. If our shop is not equipped to complete your piece, someone in our little family surely can. Angry Nimbus offer custom carpentry, sculpture, handmade furniture, interior renovation, commercial storefront fabrication, camper van/Trailer/RV outfitting, slab-flattening, and spray/hand finishing services. Our barn neighbors are metal fabricators, welders, machinists, set builders, flooring installers, florists, stone masons, landscapers, painters and more. Simply put, if you have something that needs making, we can handle that for you.
