Octopus by Michael Hopko

MICHAEL HOPKO

Michael's background in glass began back in 1990 as an art student in Shasta College in California. He spent four years studying under various well known glass artisans honing his skills in various techniques. The creative process begins with a 2000 degree furnace to liquefy the sand which will become glass. The artist gathers a portion of this liquid glass on a pipe and begins preforming the piece, rolling and adding colors that will become the internal structure.

Layering adds secondary coatings with tinting determined by the temperature of the glass as it cools down or heats up. A split second can determine if a piece is won or lost. A great deal of balance, patience and skill is required to create any glass work.