OUR STORY
Nature Glassworks Studio, located in Milton, Georgia, is the combined creative talent of husband and wife team, Larry and Linda Mayse. Larry illustrates and creates each piece of glass art while Linda serves as artistic advisor, field photographer, and maintains the day to day operations of the studio. Although Larry’s main focus is on carved and fused fine art glasswork, the studio also does numerous unique awards, corporate gifts, architectural works and private commissions.
Larry’s exact representation of nature sets his work apart in the glass studio movement. His work is more than just the skill of technical precision or a mere interpretation of nature. Larry’s work is botanically and organically credible. He is able to translate the intricacies of flora and fauna into the unforgiving medium of glass with such clarity and precision that his work has been compared to illustration in glass.
Preferring to preserve the integrity of his work, Larry personally completes each piece of art from its conception to its realization. Through his intimacy with his subjects, his eye for detail and design, and his skill as a craftsman, his works have a "feel", not just a look. Larry is proud to sign, date and number each work of art produced in his Nature Glassworks studio.
Larry Mayse was born in 1948 in Missouri where his family background and rural surroundings instilled in him an appreciation for and a love of the Nature. He started drawing and painting at an early age and, with a keen eye for detail, his artistic efforts soon led him to pursue the illustration of local flora and fauna.
In 1993 Larry redirected his artistic efforts to the medium of glass, particularly carving and fusing. This artistic transformation occurred through an introduction to the 19th century Art Nouveau movement. He was influenced particularly by the works of the famous glass masters, Daum, Lalique, and Gallé. Larry felt a kinship with these great artists as their works were also inspired by the beauty and complexity of Nature.
Drawing upon the same subject matter, Larry uses techniques that were not available in the late 1800's to explore and develop new methods in glasswork. Unlike etching, which is merely a frosting of the glass surface, Larry uses a highly modified form of sandblasting, diamond point tools, and grinding and polishing equipment, to carve deep into the fragile crystal surface. With the hand of a
sculptor and the eye of an illustrator, Larry uses these tools to capture the intricate details of Nature in his three-dimensional glass art.
Larry's forte is not only to create an artistically appealing work of art, but also to have each creation be botanically correct. This artistic trademark and his passion for travel has taken Larry to many parts of the world in order to observe the native flora and fauna. He feels that these habitat visits are vital to understanding the rhythm of Nature, which is crucial to the integrity of his art. Using the numerous photographs and field drawings he completes on site, he creates works that often show the interrelationships of plant and animal. He also maintains two greenhouses of rare and unusual plants that have become the subjects for many of his glass creations.
Larry is a prolific artist having created over 7700 signed and numbered works since he established Nature Glassworks in 1993. His glass art can be found in many private collections around the world, as well as in a number of galleries in the United States. His works have been exhibited in numerous shows and his creations have garnered many awards. He was one of only 17 artists worldwide selected by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., to have works included in their "The Artistry of Orchids" exhibit. He has also been granted many prestigious commissions, including two works for The World Orchid Conference Trust for presentations in both Tokyo, Japan and Dijon, France, and most recently, an award for the American Orchid Society to present at the Japan Grand Prix, the World's largest orchid show. Larry's glass art was also acquired for the permanent collection of the Gingko Museum in Weimer, Germany, and included in the 21st Century Tour of Glass. A highlight for Larry and Nature Glassworks was having his glass carvings, as well as his orchid collection, featured in the Home and Garden Television network presentation, "The Orchid Mystique".
@ Larry Mayse . Nature Glassworks