Sculpture in Sea Glass

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed)
Jun 17th 2010 at 10:01AM

Debara Hafemann is a sea-glass artist. Her work schedule is one any artist would envy. She buys a cup of coffee near her favorite Rocky Neck Beach in Gloucester, Mass. When the cup is empty, she strolls along the beach collecting glass shards. When the cup is full, it's time to go home and begin her "real" work: sea-glass sculpture. Pure sea glass, mostly from discarded bottles drowned at sea and worn smooth from crushing waves, has a patina all its own. As a material for art, it's just about irresistible which is why Hafemann uses her collection for both sculpture and photography. Although most of her sculptures are of fish, sea horses, lobsters, and an occasional flower, she is creating more abstract works, "so they can hold their own as pieces of art." Hafemann lives in the oldest seaport in America and, no surprise, it's home to more than 150 artists. While they are busy painting fishing boats and fab harbor sunsets, the challenge for a sea-glass artist is finding material. There are roughly 17 different colors of sea glass with orange, followed by red, as the rarest finds. Spotting pure sea glass on beaches today in places like the Hamptons or Fire Island, for example, is becoming as unlikely as rescuing a message in a castaway bottle.

In spite of such difficulties, the number of sea-glass collectors continues to grow. At the annual meetings of the North American Sea Glass Association (www.seaglassassociation.org) thousands turn up to compare and display their collections. The 2010 Sea Glass Festival, sponsored by the non-profit association, will be held October 9-10 in Hyannisport, Mass.

Hafemann's sea-glass photographs range from about $100-$250 while her sculptures vary in price according to size and complexity. The best way to reach her is by phone (978-283-0407) or by writing to her at debarahafemann@yahoo.com

Tags: beach art, beach combing, gloucester, sculpture, sea glass, sea-glass sculpture, seaglass, seaside art

Filed under: Art

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

mermaidspurse Jun 18th 2010 12:40AM

These sea glass sculptures are amazing...I love them. Thanks for posting.
Fair Winds and Calm Seas,
Deborah Leon
www.mermaidspurseseaglass.com

wayjeff Jun 18th 2010 11:59AM

We can all help out by throwing all of our bottles in the ocean. Plastic, too!

Thanks.

jjthmpson Jun 18th 2010 6:56PM

Big whoop! I know some sea glass artists that could teach her a few things.......That's alot of sea glass!

jjthmpson Jun 18th 2010 7:02PM

Ever been to a good nauticle art gallery anywhere? They are very average..........That is alot of glass used up!

Dame Jun 18th 2010 7:44PM

I call BS on this. I've been collecting sea glass for decades. It's obvious to me that she is either buying the 'sea' glass from someone that tumbles it using a glass tumbling machine or she is tumbling 75% of it herself. The majority of this glass is NOT naturally tumbled by the ocean and found on beaches, and I'd bet real money on that.

erichafemann Jun 23rd 2010 9:43PM

Dame your call of "BS" is incorrect...so it seems your ability to recognize truth from fiction is just as bad as your ability to find sea glass. You sound bitter to me. I apologize that your decades of searching have proven unsuccessful...maybe instead of attacking this artists work you should ask for some tips.

And I accept your wager...name the price.

Nardo Jun 21st 2010 4:22PM

I have collected beach glass for 50 years and then some. I don't think I found as much blue glass as seen in one of these art works. AND I have bushels ..

debarahafemann Jun 25th 2010 10:28AM

Sincerely, I know how fortunate I am to live in the oldest seaport in America!
But do you realize these are tiny tiny bits!? The entire sculpture is about
8 x 12. I haven't even begun to tap into the 16 ton of shard and glass in our harbor.
Estimate of an underwater archeologist......I know - and I tell as many visitors to our city my best two beaches...where I have found 85% of my glass. There is plenty to go around....and it is a gift anyway - I wouldn't think of hoarding!

I love it when a family is here on vacation....I tell them my spots and then they come into the gallery I sell in and show me their best finds. I have coveted only twice...a huge piece of red and a frozen charlotte doll.....with a flip hairdo.

Anyway, here's wishing YOU blue, which by the way - is what my husband wishes me - when I call into his study and say...I'm off to the office!

Debara

Sableesp Jun 20th 2010 4:40PM

It's sad that someone would 'cheat' by saying the random pieces of glass used in the sculptures were'nt really worked on after finding, to make them round & small. If glass had been wittled into the pieces we see in these pictures, it'd take about 100, or1000 years to get that way.

Sableesp Jun 20th 2010 5:08PM

Honesty is important & one of the things that make a story behind the art intriging. Anything else is cheating.

It takes 100's even 1000's of years, for the ocean to deliver 'sea glass' in the shapes that are shown in these 'finished pieces'.

So, this tall tale takes away the joy and excitement anticipated by sculptors and spectators alike.

erichafemann Jun 23rd 2010 11:07AM

I find SABLEESP, the art detective, comments interesting. You seem to be such an expert on sea glass...Being able to identify such a precise time in which the pieces shown would take to form is very impressive. 100's...or 1,000's of years WOW! Great work detective.

You also mention that you would be willing to make a wager that the pieces of sea glass are not legit...as someone who knows the artist personally...I will take that bet. I have walked the beaches with her and can say for a fact they are shown the way they were found.

In conclusion Detective, nothing you said is true or accurate...however your passion in falsely discrediting an artist's work, that you have never met or seen in person, is surprising...surprising and pathetic. Keep up the good work.

debarahafemann Jun 23rd 2010 2:57PM

Thanks.............son. But before you dismiss his comments. You must know that
my son...this son.....is the creative one who thought up and created the first of the
sea glass sculptures of a fish. We were just playing with my sea glass.
I love you too!
Mom

debarahafemann Jun 25th 2010 9:06AM

Thanks ever so much!

Carol Jun 26th 2010 8:12AM

These comments really detract from the beauty of the art. In fact, this article inspired me. I was at the beach last week and didn't find a single piece of sea glass, but did purchase a few pieces. Very expensive. So instead I started looking for very worn shells, and started putting designs together with them. We are thinking of retiring soon, and I look forward to spending my days working in this "new" medium. Thank you Deborah and Luxist.

bd Jun 26th 2010 10:12AM

It's ridiculous to say it would take 100-1000yrs to whittle (btw, you can't spell whittle) the glass down to these small pieces. Did it ever occur to you that the glass was broken first by the sea / rocks/ etc THEN the small bits were smoothed over time?

litouphilippe Oct 15th 2010 7:16AM

Hello ! I'm a French Artist and i contact you because I use a sea glass to créate my own sculpture.If You want , you can see my production in my web site www.litou.fr ,this is totally different as your beautiful work but we can exchange about our practice.I'm looking forward your answer.
All the best

litouphilippe Sep 17th 2010 12:48PM

I' very happy to know you and your web site to exchange about sea glass passion.But for me is not just a hoby this my life.I'm a French Artiste and i use the sea glass for my funny création.If you want to discover my production, you can go in my web site www.litou.fr , I waiting for your answers .My work shop is in the south of France in a little village of Carcès.In France no body know's really the real precious think who are the sea glass fragments.They come from the firth time of civilizations in méditérannée.Romans,Grecs,Etrusques and more and more, this is a real archeologic pieces of human hystory around the world.And i use that in my own création.Can you explain to me, how can I do to make an exibition in your country.For me it's so far but it' may be possible.Thank's by advance for your response.Now I'm not alone with my sea glass attitude.All the best.Bye ! Philippe Litou. Mail adress: litouphilippe@orange.fr