For our sister lighting publication, Mimi Zeiger recently caught up with Oklahoma City–based architect Rand Elliott. "With some 40 years in practice (he started his firm, Elliott + Associates Architects, at age 27), Elliott approaches his work with the confidence of an artist or dancer," Zeiger writes. "Every day, the muscle memory of his profession—the skills of observation, documentation, and detailing—leads him to his sketchbook, where he jots down concepts, experiences, and research alongside abstract squiggly lines and what he self-deprecatingly calls 'ugly drawings.' He also uses his sketchbooks to write poetry, or 'word paintings.' Those texts are his way of trying to describe a building before it happens, to establish an attitude toward structure and program, but also sketch out what is possible and, importantly, to ask 'Where’s the light coming from?' " For Zeiger's full story, check it out here at Architectural Lighting.
