Przemek Krawczyński is an artist based in Łódź, Poland. He started making gourd lamps in 2009 when he accidentally came across the gourd fruit. The gourd is the annual tropical vine originating from Africa and Asia. Its dried, lignified fruits are used for various, both decorative and practical, purposes. There are several dozen varieties of gourds differing mostly in shapes and sizes. Each lamp is fully handcrafted, beginning with initial sketches, outlining and charting the pattern, through the gourd processing, like cleaning, engraving, carving, perforating, painting and protecting, creating the base of the lamp and, at the end, montage of the whole lamp. “Although I have always had artistic inclinations, first and foremost, I have a scientific mind. I studied building engineering and I worked in architectural studio. However, in 2010 I decided to quit my studies and job and devote my energy to doing something I loved the most. Just after that I made a trip to Senegal from where I brought African calabashes. Since then, they have become the raw material for my lamps.” (via sweet station)