$ 4,800.00
12″h x 6″w x 5.d”d
Unique handblown, cut & polished glass shell with hand-made bismuth crystal in custom stand.
“Time and nature have always guided my work. For more than thirty years, this has included making handblown glass shells for hermit crabs—forms that carry ideas of shelter, adaptation, and quiet transformation. My current series, Elemental Magic, grew from my fascination with fossilized shells whose interiors have crystallized over thousands of years, preserving hidden beauty shaped by time and pressure. Inside these glass shells, I pour molten bismuth, allowing crystalline structures to form as the metal cools. The process creates vibrant, iridescent interiors that feel both precious and otherworldly. I’m drawn to the idea that the most dramatic transformation happens within, unseen until the shell is opened or illuminated. This work shifted further after I was gifted a Thomas Cooke telescope built in 1864. Looking through it connected me to both deep time and vast space, and I began translating lunar textures and celestial forms into blown glass geodes. These pieces bring together earthly materials and cosmic references, blurring the line between geology and astronomy. Every crystal formation I create is unpredictable. Changes in temperature, timing, and surface alter the outcome, making each piece entirely unique. I see this uncertainty as a collaboration with the materials themselves—a reminder that transformation is never fully controlled, only guided.” – Robert DuGrenier
