Nature and Glass represents the artistic work of Lee Bessell Riley.  Riley uses glass to enhance various forms of Nature (mostly minerals).  He creates unique sculptures, wall art and wearable art.  Each piece is handmade in his Bethlehem studio.

About

Most minerals cannot withstand the heat needed to melt glass.  Gold is an exception.  In this piece, a small nugget of gold was placed between layers of glass and then melted together in the kiln.  When view from the side, one can see that the gold was sinking into the glass, but fortunately the glass cooled before it sank to the bottom.  The remainder of this piece is made from dichroic glass and enamel.

GALLERIES

The galleries are grouped into various categories each using glass, minerals, and mixed media.

Riley is always looking for a unique rock, mineral or precious stones to combine with glass in unique designs.  One of his favorite minerals is rainbow fluorite - a mineral that has bands of different colors.  When combined in a matrix of clear fluorite, it makes a wonderful specimen for combining with glass.  The glass can reflect light within the piece to create an enhanced view of the mineral.