Tide Pool Amber Barnacle Starfish

The Tide Pool Amber Barnacle Starfish is created by melting optical tubes of color into the molten glass. Then layers of color are added to the bottom and a thick layer of clear glass is added to the top, making the starfish optical and appear almost wet. In the glass making process, the optical tubes of color begin as a mass of molten glass on the end of a metal rod. Unique color patterns are added to the glass, then it is stretched into pencil thick cane. After cooling for a day, the cane is cut to reveal cross sections about a quarter inch long. Finally, the cane is arranged on a hot plate to be melted into the starfish. When the glass is hot, John lets the molten glass fall over the edge of a metal table, capturing the moment when the starfish is creeping away, just like it clings to rocks in the ocean. It is about 5" in diameter.