It's fascinating to watch Krista Woodward's hand ballet of molten glass as she melts and sculpts glass rods into enchanting ocean creatures. Krista is a lampworking glass artist.
Krista's most sought-after pieces are her flowing tropical fish that appear ready to swim away ~ aha . . . Oceans in Glass!
Wearing protective glasses, Krista turns on the 5,400 degree flaming hot torch, and chooses the glass tubes she'll use for her latest seahorse.
In order to prevent the rods from cracking due to the thermal shock, she introduces clear and colored glass rods slowly into the flame. As the glass becomes molten, Krista pulls, pinches, spins, embellishes, and lovingly manipulates the glass into wonderful sea life.
The finished lampwork is then annealed, meaning, heated very slowly at 1050 degrees, until its temperature reaches a stress-relief point, where the temperature of the glass is too hard to deform, but still soft enough for internal stresses to ease. The piece is then heat-soaked until its temperature is uniform throughout, then slowly cooled until its temperature is below a critical point, where it can't generate internal stresses. This process helps to insure the piece won't crack or shatter due to minor temperature change or other shock.
Lampworking has been around since ancient times. It became popular in 14th century Italy, and again in 19th century France. Today, lampworkers have higher tech torches, but the art is the same. Lampworkers begin with glass rods, sometimes infusing metal oxides like tin, cobalt, gold and silver into their sculptures for a variety of looks.
Oceans in Glass is a dreamlike gallery of colorful glass sculptures sparkling in the sunlight ~ some are hanging, some are on interesting pedestals of gnarled tree roots ~ "harvested without harming the trees," Krista explained to me as we strolled through the gallery looking at her pieces and those of several other artists.
Krista grew up in New England attending Waldorf Schools where her artistic talents blossomed. Upon coming to Hawai'i 18 years ago, she apprenticed under a Master Lampworker for four years. Today after seventeen years of lampworking, Krista is herself a Master, and has apprentices of her own.
K
rista finds inspiration for her sculptures while snorkeling and diving around tropical coral reefs in Hawai'i's crystalline turquoise waters.
It's very cool to watch Krista or one of her apprentices shape a sculpture of colored glass before your very eyes!
Krista will create custom pieces for you if you ask, as well as ship them to you - guaranteed undamaged.
No, Krista doesn't have a website. She's already quite busy keeping up with the demand for her beautiful sculptures. One person can only do so much! Stop by Oceans in Glass, you'll be glad you did, it'll make you smile.
Oceans in Glass Gallery is located between a gorgeous old grandaddy ficus tree, and the Hale'iwa Surf Museum, a great little museum, in the Marketplace Shopping Center in Hale'iwa along the Kamehameha Highway on O'ahu's North Shore. George Atkins is the owner of Oceans in Glass and the nearby Hale'iwa Art Gallery.
Watch the entire sculpting process here
The finished lampwork is then annealed, meaning, heated very slowly at 1050 degrees, until its temperature reaches a stress-relief point, where the temperature of the glass is too hard to deform, but still soft enough for internal stresses to ease. The piece is then heat-soaked until its temperature is uniform throughout, then slowly cooled until its temperature is below a critical point, where it can't generate internal stresses. This process helps to insure the piece won't crack or shatter due to minor temperature change or other shock.
Lampworking has been around since ancient times. It became popular in 14th century Italy, and again in 19th century France. Today, lampworkers have higher tech torches, but the art is the same. Lampworkers begin with glass rods, sometimes infusing metal oxides like tin, cobalt, gold and silver into their sculptures for a variety of looks.
Oceans in Glass is a dreamlike gallery of colorful glass sculptures sparkling in the sunlight ~ some are hanging, some are on interesting pedestals of gnarled tree roots ~ "harvested without harming the trees," Krista explained to me as we strolled through the gallery looking at her pieces and those of several other artists.
Krista grew up in New England attending Waldorf Schools where her artistic talents blossomed. Upon coming to Hawai'i 18 years ago, she apprenticed under a Master Lampworker for four years. Today after seventeen years of lampworking, Krista is herself a Master, and has apprentices of her own.
K
rista finds inspiration for her sculptures while snorkeling and diving around tropical coral reefs in Hawai'i's crystalline turquoise waters.It's very cool to watch Krista or one of her apprentices shape a sculpture of colored glass before your very eyes!
Krista will create custom pieces for you if you ask, as well as ship them to you - guaranteed undamaged.
No, Krista doesn't have a website. She's already quite busy keeping up with the demand for her beautiful sculptures. One person can only do so much! Stop by Oceans in Glass, you'll be glad you did, it'll make you smile.
Oceans in Glass Gallery is located between a gorgeous old grandaddy ficus tree, and the Hale'iwa Surf Museum, a great little museum, in the Marketplace Shopping Center in Hale'iwa along the Kamehameha Highway on O'ahu's North Shore. George Atkins is the owner of Oceans in Glass and the nearby Hale'iwa Art Gallery.
Watch the entire sculpting process here
