For Hawai'i, glass counts as a new medium

By Victoria Gail-White
Advertiser Art Critic

•	'Fire to Form: Glass Artists' 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Fridays, through May 13 The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center 526-1322

In February, the exhibit traveled to The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center.

From humble beginnings 30 years ago, Hawai'i has become one of the leading producers of contemporary glass art.

The upstairs gallery at First Hawaiian Center is the perfect spot for this exhibit. The sunlight floods through the window and powers the "on" switch of color intensity in the 28 glass works. No other art form bends and reflects light through pure colors the way glass does.

The blown-glass works of several artists incorporate nature.

Daniel Wooddell's rainbow bands of color become touchable in his "Hahalua" series; eternal terrariums of glass branches, bugs and dirt live in Michael Mortara's "Habitat"; and leaves and vines emerge from Misato Mortara's vase "Arrangement from Rain Forest."

Hawaiian landscapes emerge from layers of periwinkle blue in Christopher Richards' vase, "Ohi'a Landscape"; winter is forever frozen in Wilfred Yamasawa's "Haleakala Winter"; and a platter-sized ocean floats above the pedestal in Sally and William Worcester's "Blue Ocean."

Secret artifacts emerge from the hidden drawers in Rick Mills' "Sentience Seed Form" series, comprised of solid-formed glass with colored overlays and cast bronze. And relics of childhood appear in KC Smith's "xoxo," comprised of sand-cast glass, mosaic sheet glass, paint and wood.

Blown-glass goblets fit for a baroque feast line up in Mark Mitsuda's "Eros" series, while cocktails seemed to have already been poured from Boyd Sugiki's "Olive Martini and Mixer Set."

Photographic images and graphic patterns reflect shades of deep red-purple against the wall in Ture Gustafson's photosensitive glass and metal "Vision" installation.

Dimensions of rich earth-toned colors and textures play on the surfaces of blown-glass works by Hugh Jenkins and Stephanie Ross.

The work of W. Chris Lowry has that extra bit of magic that illustrates the transformational qualities intrinsic in glass.

In "Flux," what appears to be a sizeable raku crackle-glazed platter, with sticks of natural bamboo mounted tastefully around it, is none other than — (you guessed it) blown glass.