FOUND TREASURE: THE CHANDELIER AT HOPE ON PARK
How Lisa Schulte Turned a Washed-Up Vine into a Work of Magic
As a trailblazer in the field of neon art, Lisa Schulte is celebrated worldwide for her captivating works, both commercial and artistic. But the chandelier that she created for Hope on Park was born well out of the limelight, on a quiet beach in Oxnard, when she spotted an unlikely castaway rolling onto shore: the remnant of an old grapevine.
ABOVE: Celebrated worldwide as “The Neon Queen,” Lisa is a trailblazer in the field of neon art.
This striking chandelier—part grapevine, part neon—now hangs above Hope on Park’s sidewalk tasting bar, beckoning passersby with its neon-infused tendrils. It is a work that Lisa started a decade ago, and that caught the eye of Austin Hope several years before he found the perfect place for it. As for the origins of the vine itself, those remain a mystery.
“I was walking alone on the beach after a storm when I came upon this driftwood that turned out to be the crown of an old grapevine—one can only imagine where it came from,” Lisa recalls. “At the time, I was working with a lot of discarded wood, inspired by the idea that there’s beauty in everything if you look hard enough.”
ABOVE: Hope on Park’s chandelier is crafted from a driftwood grapevine that Lisa found on a beach.
Into the Light
In the words of LA Weekly, “Lisa Schulte is, first and foremost, an artist. Her sculptures artfully combine found organic material and hand-crafted neon tubes of white light.” Popularly known as the “Neon Queen,” Lisa first made a name for her commercial work, producing neon masterworks for brands such as the Olympics, Nike, Gucci, Backstreet Boys, Paramount Pictures and many others. During the economic downturn in 2008, however, she doubled down on her artistic pursuits, producing stunningly creative pieces and shows that have been exhibited worldwide.
Lisa first met Austin and Celeste Hope at a Paso Robles art show featuring Celeste’s live music photography. After the show, Austin and Celeste acquired one of Lisa’s pieces and they became fast friends. “I stayed at their house, Austin cooked these amazing meals, and I fell madly in love with both of them,” Lisa says. “They are great supporters of the arts, and I just liked the story of how Austin’s dad got started growing grapes, and how Austin ran with that and started making wines.”
During one of his periodic visits to Lisa’s warehouse studio in Los Angeles, Austin took note of one piece in particular—the grapevine chandelier. This piece resonated with Austin for obvious reasons, and he never forgot about it. Then, when the time came to design Hope on Park, their new tasting space in downtown Paso Robles, Austin and Celeste immediately thought of the chandelier. “I was super happy that I still had it in storage, because it is just perfect for Austin and his vocation as a winemaker,” Lisa says. “It was meant to be.”
Finding the Beauty
Lisa made a few changes to the chandelier to accommodate the height of the ceiling, and it now hovers like a halo over the casual and festive atmosphere of the sidewalk tasting bar. Lisa also created a joyful neon “Hope” sign exclusively for the interior creative space at Hope on Park, as well as several art pieces seen at the Austin Hope & Treana Tasting Cellar.
“Lisa’s piece of art symbolizes the beauty of growing grapes and making wine,” Austin says. “It’s also symbolic of being resourceful and open to what life puts in your path.”
For Lisa, the chandelier tells a larger story that goes to the heart of the human experience. “Here was this waterlogged piece of wood, covered with barnacles, and it was hard to see the beauty in it right away,” Lisa says. “I might have walked past something like that a hundred times before without really seeing it. It’s a metaphor for life—if we don’t look and see and search, we miss the true beauty that surrounds us.”