More from Habatat Glass Coast Weekend

"Refuge" by Robin Grebe (est. $8500-$9500)

Each edition of Habatat's Glass Coast Weekend features an auction. I didn't make it to the event so I can't report on hammer prices. (Note: I did a quick search to confirm the term and learned that you can purchase a hammer at Walmart for $3.88. But I digress.) Read on for a few of my favorite works and the estimates. 

Robin Glebe's figurative work always draws me in. She takes her inspiration from Byzantine paintings, folk art and fertility icons from a chain of Greek Isles known as the Cyclades. "Refuge" seems an apt title for this work. The woman has such a calm expression and the landscape with its birds and foliage invites you to settle in and stay awhile. There's even a tiny nest (which you can see if you enlarge the image by clicking on it).  

Grebe started her artistic journey as a ceramicist, and she still uses clay for her casting process. (Most glass artists use wax.) Each of her figures begins its life prone on a table.Once the mold has been created, she makes a box around it and fills it with plaster. Once the plaster has dried she peels the clay away, leaving the canvas on which she creates her work. Grebe has said this is a "very basic casting technique." It might be basic to an artist, but it sounds quite complicated to me. To see more of Grebe's work, click here. There's a great interview as well if you want to do a deep dive. 

Flower Garden Box by Kyohei Fujita
(est. $4500-$5500)

I was taken with Kyohei Fujita's beautiful ornamental box known as a kazaribako. The lid comes off so it could be used if you're careful. 

Fujita received his initial training as a glass artist while working in the factory of Toshichi Iwata. Iwata is known as the founding father of modern glass making in Japan, so it was a good place to learn. Two years later Fujita struck out on his own. 

Fujita continued his studies in Venice, where he developed his skill at incorporating vibrant colors and gold, silver and platinum leaf in his art. His creations harken back to lacquer writing boxes with pearl inlay made in the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1996, the Kyohei Fujita Glass Museum was established in Matsushima, Japan. The Museum houses more than 100 of Fujita's works. If you're ever in the area, be sure to stop by. 

"Air and Water Glass Hippo Animal" by Margit Toth
(est. $3500-4500)

I don't typically think of fine art glass as a medium that makes me smile with anything other than pleasure at its amazing beauty. But then I came upon Margit Toth's "Air and Water Glass Hippo Animal." Is he totally adorable or what?

Toth is a Hungarian artist whose cubic animal forms refer to archaic figurative art. I've always thought of the word "archaic" as just meaning old, but in this case it's a reference to a long ago period of Greek art in which figures became less stylized and more realistic. But why a hippo (or the other animals she creates) rather than a human figure? 

Every animal has a symbolic meaning whether the viewer realizes it or not. If a hippo is your spirit animal, it means you're strong and want to be in charge. To find out what your spirit animal is -- at least at this moment -- click here. And to see more of Toth's creations, click here. 

And with that, my musings on Habatat's 2024 Glass Coast Weekend have come to an end. I'm already looking forward to next year's edition. But don't fear if you missed the weekend and have a yen to see some contemporary glass art.The 15th annual exhibit of selections from the Richard and Barbara Basch Glass Collection is on display at Ringling College through March 22, and it's gorgeous. For more information, click here. And for a full-blown contemporary art experience, there's Imagine Museum in St. Pete. So much art, so little time. It's a good problem to have.