The following post is from our new blogger Annie Josey, who is joining Pegasus Lighting on May 21, 2012. Annie is a recent UNC-Chapel Hill graduate who majored in English with a minor in creative writing. Annie wrote this post during the interview process and we loved it so much, and learned a little bit about art in the process, we could not wait to post it to the blog. We hope you like Annie’s first post as much as we do, and can’t wait for her to “enlighten” us even more in the coming months.

In paintings, the depiction of light can create tangible shape, intricate texture and vibrant color. Great painters like Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Manet crafted careers out of working with light, while having very few lighting options for inspiration. Here are a few examples of their work, and how each painter might go about achieving the same schemes with modern lighting:

The employment of lighting in this Manet painting differs greatly from Rembrandt and Caravaggio. Instead of valuing shadow to illuminate dimension, Manet uses full frontal lighting to emphasize color – bright reds, whites and yellows.

relatively high ceilings. Drive by any industrial park, warehouse, or factory, and walk inside and what you will see is a high bay light.

But walk into any factory or warehouse and you will see different styles and options, wattage’s and configurations. Traditional high bay fixtures that were once common place were Mercury Vapor, which were then replaced with High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide bulbs. As new technologies were introduced, and old technologies became more common, the old HID bulbs were replaced with Induction and Fluorescent light sources. And more recently with the more wide spread approval and popularity of LED, we started to see conversions from these older technologies to the latest energy saving LED High Bays.

A High Bay Fixture, depending on the light source, can take on many forms and shapes. If you consider a Metal Halide or High Pressure Sodium fixture, they typically consist of a large heat sink block at the top of the fixture that typically houses the fixtures ballast. Below is an aluminum or acrylic dome and at the top of the dome is the HID bulb. These bulbs typically come in two wattage’s, 400 and 1000. 400 Watt Fixtures tend to be installed in ceiling heights no higher than 30 feet, 1000 watt fixtures are typically 40 feet or higher. Interestingly enough, spacing of lights is similar to the height they are located off the floor. A fixture installed at 20 feet from the floor is installed in a 20X20 pattern, 30 feet in a 30X30 pattern, 40 feet in a 40X40 pattern. Of the 3 type of HID bulbs, Metal Halide tends to be the best option. High Pressure Sodium Bulbs are very low on the temperature color and have the warehouse aisles have the ability to focus the light where it is needed. A light designed for a warehouse aisle is a lot different than a light designed for a gymnasium or a factory floor. In these spaces, a light that can flood the area evenly is important, in a warehouse aisle, a light that can light up the face of the shelves and the floor below is important. And when selecting energy efficient options, its just as important to understand the technology and what it is capable of doing. Adding controls to a T5 fluorescent fixture is a good idea only if the ballast is designed to handle that requirement and not lower the life expectancy of the bulbs. Motions sensors and daylight controls that dim the light output based on occupants and the amount of daylight available in the space. Technologies such as metal halide and high pressure sodium are not a good choice as these technologies are not good at dimming or turn on or off quickly. Fluorescent can dim, but you need special ballasts for them. So knowing what you want to do and may want to do is important at time of purchase, because not having the proper equipment or options could mean a costly lighting warehouses, factories, gyms and readily available through the utility companies, and mass adoption means the technology of LED had matured to the point where the questions and disbelief of past years have gone away.

Across Nokesville and the rest of Virginia, parents and their kids anxiously await the arrival of Spring Break. The school year can be particularly stressful for everyone, both parents and kids, so we hope that you and your family are able to take full advantage of your downtime to relax. If you’re planning a getaway for your family, don’t forget to safeguard your home against potential threats. Getting adequate rest during this time is crucial for finishing out the school year strong. The last thing we want is for you to have to cut your vacation short because something went wrong at home. To get the most of your Spring Break holiday, follow these tips on keeping your home safe!

Whether you’re going to be gone for a few nights or the entire week, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to check on your home once or twice a day. Perhaps your neighbor can even keep a car parked there for the time being. You will also want to have your newspaper and mail picked up, as nothing says “I’m not home” like a driveway full of newspapers and a stuffed mailbox.

If you’re leaving pets behind, it’s especially crucial to have someone look after them. It’s always difficult determining just how much food and water your furry friend is going to need. For the safety of your pet – and for your peace of mind – make sure they’re properly taken care of!

Homeowners often make the mistake of leaving certain lights on at all times. While this may seem like an effective deterrent, it actually does quite the opposite. Wouldn’t you find it strange, too, if the same hallway and front room lights in a home were left on for several consecutive days? The goal is to make it appear as if someone is always home, so you want to follow a normal light pattern. You can do this by installing timers so that you can program your lights to turn on and off at designated times.

In addition to gaining control over your lights, by installing smart controls throughout your home, you can check to see if you remembered to lock the front door, close the garage, or turn the heat off. Even if you do have a friend or neighbor watching over your home, you might feel even better knowing that you can check on it too, even while hundreds of miles away.