Artist Sculpts Intricate Invertebrates Using a Centuries-Old Glass Technique

Animal Glass Sculptures by Glass Symphony Studio

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Glass takes on undulating, delicate, and refined shapes in the hands of Nikita Drachuk. The Ukraine-based artist is the creative force behind the family-owned glassblowing studio Glass Symphony, which has been in business for three generations. Drachuk employs a technique called lampwork—in which the maker manipulates the glass with the use of a small torch—to create intricate figurines.

Instead of vases and bowls, Drachuk and her studio tackle some of the most complex creatures on the planet. Her series of octopuses, for example, capture this aquatic creature and its eight sinuous tentacles in a variety of natural poses. Brilliantly colored in reds and blues, these cephalopods look like they could slither off the table—or even across your skin.

Similarly, Glass Symphony also produces a stunning array of arachnid sculptures. Eight-legged spiders with long, spindly legs appear frozen in the midst of a creepy crawl in these miniature works of art. The delicate proportions of these statuettes are emphasized by the mix and match of different colors, with mottled blues and greens covering the legs and abdomens in gorgeous visual displays.

You can purchase available glass art via Glass Symphony's Etsy shop, and never miss an update by following them on Instagram.

Family-owned studio Glass Symphony creates exquisite hand-blown glass sculptures.

Animal Glass Sculptures by Glass Symphony Studio

Animal Glass Sculptures by Glass Symphony Studio

Based in Ukraine, the artisans make elaborate figurines of octopi and spiders.

Animal Glass Sculptures by Glass Symphony Studio

Animal Glass Sculptures by Glass Symphony Studio

Animal Glass Sculptures by Glass Symphony Studio

Animal Glass Sculptures by Glass Symphony Studio

Animal Glass Sculptures by Glass Symphony Studio

Animal Glass Sculptures by Glass Symphony Studio

The glass technique is called lampwork, which has been around for centuries.

Animal Glass Sculptures by Glass Symphony Studio

Animal Glass Sculptures by Glass Symphony Studio

Animal Glass Sculptures by Glass Symphony Studio

Lampwork has the maker manipulate the glass with the use of a small torch.

Animal Glass Sculptures by Glass Symphony Studio

Glass Symphony: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Etsy

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Glass Symphony.

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Margherita Cole

Margherita Cole is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and illustrator based in Southern California. She holds a BA in Art History with a minor in Studio Art from Wofford College, and an MA in Illustration: Authorial Practice from Falmouth University in the UK. She wrote and illustrated an instructional art book about how to draw cartoons titled 'Cartooning Made Easy: Circle, Triangle, Square' that was published by Walter Foster in 2022.
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