Inside Anna's Light
About Me
My journey into the world of glass art has been anything but conventional. Academically, I come from a background in structural engineering and architectural engineering, fields that honed my precision, creativity, and love for design. However, around 2023, while pregnant with my daughter, I felt the pull to explore something entirely new—something more tactile, luminous, and transformative.
I taught myself the art of glassworking through countless hours of research, online tutorials, and hands-on practice. The intricate and captivating world of glass coldworking—shaping, refining, and polishing glass without heat—has become my creative haven.
For me, working with glass is more than a craft; it’s a way to capture light, color, and emotion in a form that’s both delicate and enduring. Every piece I create, whether jewelry or sculpture, tells a story of transformation and resilience—a reflection of my personal journey into this art form.
I’m thrilled to share my passion and creations with you, and I hope they inspire as much joy and wonder as I find in making them.
The Glass
Dichroic glass, especially borosilicate dichroic glass, is a magical material renowned for its captivating beauty and remarkable optical qualities. Originally developed by NASA for space exploration, dichroic glass consists of ultra-thin layers of metallic oxides fused to the surface, producing breathtaking colors that shift depending on the angle and lighting. This dynamic play of color and light makes every piece truly one-of-a-kind.
I choose borosilicate dichroic glass and optical glass for its exceptional clarity, durability, and resistance to thermal shock, qualities that ensure each creation retains its beauty for generations. Through the meticulous art of coldworking—a technique where the glass is carefully shaped, ground, polished, and refined without heat—I bring out the inherent brilliance and intricate textures of this extraordinary material.
When you choose a piece crafted from borosilicate dichroic and optical glass glass, you're not only owning an elegant work of art but also capturing a tiny universe of ever-changing light and color, uniquely yours to treasure.
Glass Coldworking
Glass coldworking is a precise and technical glassworking method performed entirely at room temperature. In contrast to hot glass methods like glassblowing, lampworking, or kiln forming, coldworking involves shaping and refining glass without ever heating it. This process employs specialized machinery and manual tools—including diamond-coated saws, grinders, laps, and polishing wheels—to meticulously cut, carve, shape, smooth, and polish the glass surface. Coldworking is especially valued for achieving exact dimensions, crisp edges, intricate detail, and a highly polished finish, allowing artists to emphasize the inherent qualities of clarity and optical brilliance in glass. Due to the meticulous nature of this process, coldworking often requires considerable time and patience, with pieces taking many hours or even days to reach perfection. This extensive duration provides artists greater control over the final appearance, texture, and precision of each unique piece, ensuring every creation is finished to the highest standards.