Colorful Glass Coral, Long Tentacle Plate Coral, 2015, Colored Boro Glass, 3.5″ x 11″ x 11″
Long Tentacle Plate Coral, Detail View, 2015, Colored Boro Glass, 3.5″ x 11″ x 11″
Creating colorful glass coral sculpture captures the true beauty of coral reef life. This sculpture is inspired by the marvelous marine creature known as a Plate Coral. The scientific name for this type of coral is Heliofungia actiniformis. This work is currently part of the Lifeforms 2016 traveling glass exhibit. The show opened at the Pittsburgh Glass Center on Friday, February 5, 2016. The show opens at the Cedar Art Center in Corning, New York on June 9, 2016. Opening night will be held during the Glass Art Society Conference at the Corning Museum of Glass. You can view the Lifeforms 2016 Exhibit Catalog
Plate Coral in Pink
The long tentacles of this type of Plate Coral often create confusion. People might think that some of these Plate Corals are Sea Anemone. They do look very similar! One main feature found in the Plate Coral is the amazing central mouth. The tentacles sway about and whisk plankton and small fish into it. Plate Corals can be found in many brilliant colors.
Creating a Long Tentacle Plate Coral using a mini glass hand torch.
Creating Colorful Glass Coral
This glass coral sculpture uses 3 types of Boro glass. My goal was to maintain as much light as possible moving through the glass. The main structure is made of clear glass. The tentacles are created from the most brilliant transparent pink Boro glass available. The tentacle tips are made using the brightest transparent purple Boro. As you can see by the following the glass links that some Boro glass colors are expensive!
The Future of Glass Color
In upcoming months I plan to explore a lot of brilliant colors in the forms of corals, sea anemone, and seaweeds. I will also be producing other types of colored glass sculptures such as flower forms and birds nest forms. I will be working on private commissions of different types of plant forms and marine life.
On my website I have many interesting articles about my unique glass working process. Many of my more recent blog posts have custom video shots live in my studio while I work. Many people find these glass videos very exciting to watch. Here is a recent article you also may enjoy Glass Reef, Hidden Worlds.
Color Your Own Pink Plate Coral
