Blue Bearded Iris from "Mama's Garden"

As a child I loved strolling through Mama's Garden, marveling at the flowers' fleeting beauty. Unlike Mama's Garden, this flameworked soda lime glass flower can last forever.  The piece stands 14.5" tall, 11.5" wide, and 6" deep. For those of you who have tried sculpting soft glass, you know how challenging it is. It took weeks of experimentation to create a beautiful iris that withstood the thermal shock inherent in the process. I am particularly proud of the realistic variations in shading I created by layering different colors of glass.  

• soda lime glass rods
• driftwood