Blown and hot sculpted glass: base is red with beige dots, bud attachment is beige with red dots. Currently on display at Bluethumb Art Gallery Adelaide, 72A King William Road.
The prickly pear is a terribly widespread weed. Perhaps you have memories of the prickly pear from your grandparents' farm, or one in the neighbour's front yard. Emma started noticing how prolific this plant is after a visit to her maternal grandparents’ birthplace in Malta, where prickly pear cacti line the landscape.
Interpreting this cactus into blown glass leads to limitless combinations of colour and form, with an exciting 'hot-joining' technique where the artwork transforms before one's eyes. Emma is admittedly a tragic green thumb, but 'growing' glass plants is a way to create animated life... that doesn't require any watering!
One-off sculptures with endless possibilities! Contact Emma for customised commissions.
Singular leaves & flower buds: $150ea
Prickly Pear with 1 attachment: $380
Prickly Pear with 2 attachments: $490
Prickly Pear with 3 attachments: $600
Prickly Pear with 4 attachments: $710
Prickly Pear with 5 attachments: $820
Prickly Pear with 6 attachments: $930
Prickly Pear with 7 attachments: $1040
Emma Young is South Australian born & bred, often making local references in her glass artwork. Working out of the JamFactory glass studio, Emma enjoys exploring different techniques with each new developing work. Themes often involve nostalgia, pride in local icons, and personal childhood memories. She can be followed online @emmayoungglass
Professional photography by Michael Haines. Workshop shot by Rosina Possingham for UniSA's 'Crafting Self' Project.