Year: 2019

Medium: Glass paperweight molded with Japanese woodblock style carving.

Conception: I have a background and training in glass-blowing and typically create large vases. While working in a glass studio in Berkeley, CA, I met a man who created highly realistic designs in glass using Japanese woodblock printing techniques. He taught me how to use his methods and I set myself out to create a project of my own. 

Making: I began by sketching and carving out a relief of a hummingbird on a branch with leaves and berries into a block of wood. After forming the log of molten glass, I pressed it with the woodblock carving, and placed it in a cooling chamber. The finished piece is a completely original design embedded in a clear, light blue glass paperweight.

Legacy: I produced a limited set of 30 glass paperweights and (in typical Yolanda-fashion) gave all but one away to family and loved ones.