Designing and Creating a Glass Butterfly
The butterfly is a powerful symbol of personal transformation. In nature, they have such an enchanting quality and presence. It is as if their journey through life is a reflection of growth and hope.
When our Holdman Studios team, with James Graham at the helm, had the opportunity to work with doTERRA at their Global Corporate headquarters in Pleasant Grove Utah, we were enthusiastic and intrigued. We have been able to produce art in several different buildings on the doTERRA campus and this project was for the health and wellness center.
People come to the doTERRA center to receive homeopathic help through their essential oils. It’s common to feel uneasy when seeking help for one’s well-being. Our goal for this artwork was to give those entering the building a sense of peace and hope; like the butterflies, they can be transformed and spread their wings and fly.
We began to study all varieties of butterflies until we narrowed it down to four types which we used for our designs.
Traditional stained glass has dark lead lines that we didn’t want on these butterflies. Because we wanted to focus on the lightness and translucency of the wings, we chose the method of glass fusing. This required us to order special glass that was more thick than we ordinarily use. There are parts of the butterflies that are almost an inch thick!
We ordered pieces of glass from three different manufacturers and fired them in a kiln to 1400’ degrees and fused them together. We had to make sure that the glass was compatible with the other coefficiecy of colored glass type.
The bodies of the butterflies were hand blown in our hot shop, sculpted to be just the right size and thickness.
The translucent glass wings were created specifically to refract and enhance the light of the sun.
When that light hits the butterflies, it looks like there are even more of them. The reflections are stunning. You can see butterflies all over the floor and walls of the building.
As the sun moves across the sky, so do the butterflies move across the atrium, as if they are flying. We hope each individual also feels they can soar!