Wendy Young of Luminescence Hot Glass Studio
By T. Bennison

Glass sculpting is the marriage of stasis and motion, and few art forms provide as much pleasure from the final outcome as they do with the actual process of creation. When Wendy Young twirls a clear cylinder of Pyrex over the flame from her torch and mingles it with other rods of colored glass, one finds her mastery of the technique to be as beautiful to behold as the resulting dolphin which rests in the palm of her hand minutes later. In the sleek curve of its back and in the translucent blues of the fins, the piece suggests movement through crystal water and holds the history of its creation in every inch of its form.

In Luminescence Hot Glass Studio at the southern end of Cocoa Village, beyond the crowds of shops in the heart of the area, Wendy imbues each of her pieces with a lifetime of diving, kayaking, hiking, and beachside strolls. A childhood spent along the shores of Huntington Beach sparked interest in the minutiae of sea life, from brilliantly colored algae and kelp to fragile shells and coral. But a move to the Hawaiian island of Maui and an introduction to glass sculpting at the Crystal Dolphin in Lahaina inspired her to take up the craft. A later trip to the island of Murano off Venice and exposure to the work of Lucio Bubacco and renowned artist Robert Mickelson drove her to hone her skills further. But the main inspiration for Wendy's work remains the ocean. Never without a small notebook during her seaside excursions, Wendy sketches out forms and ideas before sitting down in front of the torch to meld rods of glass into gliding sea turtles, dolphins, and fish.

Lampworking, the proper term for the art, is the manipulation of solid borosilicate glass, particularly Pyrex, over the 1800° F flame of a torch. The flame, a mixture of oxygen and propane, is controlled by Wendy to release varying proportions of the two gases to melt the glass to a working consistency of thick honey. By fusing pieces of colored glass and clipping them off with tungsten tools, colors are swirled into dizzying patterns to form butterfly wings, striated palm or mangrove leaves, or the flowing seaweed locks of a surfacing mermaid. Each item is then placed in an electric kiln heated to 1050° F which slowly anneals, or eases it into room temperature for safe handling.

Wendy moved to the area last summer and met Randy McNamara, a retired aircraft technician from Minneapolis who'd moved to the area years before. He opened Luminescence this past January as a showcase for her work as well as many other local glasswork artists, all of whom inspire Wendy's work. Beautiful pieces by Ron Bearer, Jr., impossibly intricate "cameos" by Rocio Bearer, and organic flights of fancy by Terese Petrone adorn the walls and pedestals of the modern studio. Though the emphasis at the gallery is on flamed glass sculptures and jewelry, they also handle paintings and pottery - all individually hand-crafted. The real draw, however, is the windowed studio in front of the shop. There, customers can see Wendy create her pieces and learn about the process firsthand. Daily demonstrations are held Thursdays through Saturdays, and one-on-one classes are taught by arrangement in advance. Though Wendy is currently concentrating on the human form, she'll discuss requests for specific objects and motifs. Her custom wedding cake tops depicting embracing couples are a perfect addition to any cake, and though inedible, make for a lasting and unique keepsake.

Luminescence Hot Glass Studio is located at 625 Brevard Ave. in Cocoa Village and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. They host daily glass sculpting demonstrations Thursday through Saturday from Noon to 5 p.m. Call (321) 633-GLAS or visit www.luminescencegallery.com for further information on classes on piece requests.