There are a number of images that visitors to Maui remember… the sea spectaculars of Honu popping their heads above the surface, whales breaching and tail slapping, the beautiful and exotic flora, the traditional leis, and of course, the spectacular rainbow. Sandy and I have tried to capture the beauty and Icons of Hawaii in our fused glass pieces. Honus and whale tails can be seen in a number of our pieces… in our bowls, cheese plates and clocks. Hibiscus, plumeria, and haliconia, as well as the iconic wave, have also been placed on these pieces. Most recently, we’ve added the lei and rainbow to our repertoire.
Sandy has created small dishes, cheese plates and clocks with the lei motif. The leis are created using chips of glass (called frit) in several colors to simulate the colorful lei. The first photo shows side by side a cheese plate with a lei motif ready for fusing (the red one) and one that has been fuse fired (the blue one). The multiple colors used by Sandy give the lei a 3-D look. The second photo shows a bowl with two interlaced leis. Many people come to Maui as a destination wedding, or a honeymoon, or an anniversary. This design symbolizes the commitment and union of a couple. The leis have been placed on transparent turquoise glass to represent the sea. A tradition for visitors to Hawaii is to toss their lei into the ocean. If it returns to shore it predicts that you will return to the island.
Bob has developed a number of pieces that capture the colors of the rainbow. The bowl in the third photo was called Kaleidoscope. It was created from a triangular pattern bar that Bob formed using transparent glass in the colors and sequence of the rainbow spectrum… red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Bob also created a lattice basket shown in the fourth photo using the same transparent glass. There are several other bowls in the rainbow sequence of colors that can be found on our website.
Hawaii, and in particular Maui, is a lovers’ destination and accurately referred to as the rainbow state. It is definitely a piece of paradise. We are blessed to live here as well as those who have visited.
Aloha and Happy New Year……… Bob
