Glass, the Magic of Transparency

As you look at the streets, tulips and gerberas are blooming profusely on the eaves, and the scenery has become lively. I dislike spring because I love winter sports, but even so, seeing spring flowers lifts my spirits. Flowers have a mysterious power to soften the atmosphere just by having one in a room, don't they?

For that reason, I like to decorate my room with flowers, and I like vases, the vessels used to display them, just as much. At home, I enjoy using champagne flutes in place of vases. The way a single flower is placed in each slender, transparent vessel, peeking out, is so charming and beautiful. The glass object in the photo is also something I regularly use as a vase. Its mysterious shape, with what looks like living matter floating within clear glass. I can't put into clear words why I find it so wonderful, but I fell in love with this transparent mass at first sight.

Just as birds are drawn to carry sparkling things back to their nests, I seem to be attracted to objects made of glass. If something catches my eye, I tend to buy it and bring it home, so my cupboard is packed to the back with wine glasses, liqueur glasses, shot glasses, etc. But because it's a hassle to take them out, I only use the ones in the front. Then, when one of the ones in the back emerges after a while, I feel a sudden joy, thinking, "Ah, I remember having this one. Good, good." I never tire of them, no matter how many I have. Among the glasses, there are those with a delicate elegance, like champagne flutes, and then there are the battle-hardened veterans, like beer tumblers. And both have their own unique charm. Glass is not necessarily a luxurious material, but precisely because of that, I find endless expressive possibilities and appeal in glass as a material that can be made into such diverse products.

My thoughts have wandered off track. The glass object in the photo is a work by Mika Okuno, an emerging glass artist. After falling in love with her style at an exhibition, I found myself purchasing three pieces. I originally intended these for my own home, but when I placed them in the M.Y. LABEL shop, they fit in so perfectly that I haven't been able to take them home even once. I would be delighted if you would take a look at the objects when you visit the shop (laughs).


Glass artist Mika Okuno's website
www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/mica-glass