In a quiet area of Yokohama, surrounded by forests, bamboo grooves, rice fields and a shinto shrine, you can find Hanabi Glass Studio, where the glass artist Lucas Mahoney makes magic with glass.
Lucas has been working with glass for about 24 years now, starting in America and continuing at present in Japan. He still remembers the very first day he started - July 28, 2000.
" I think I might have been destined to work or do something with glass since I was five years old, when I watched a lamp worker at our local mall and asked for one of his glass ships for Christmas. Which I still have to this day."
Lucas initially studied Computer Science in university, but shifted to Fine Arts where he got straight As in all subjects except for Art History, as he struggled with spelling due to his dyslexia.
He did a 2 week trial at a glass studio in the USA to test if he could pick up the craft, and within the first day, he was given the job. He ended up dropping out of university, and that’s how he started working with glass. He was getting paid very little in the beginning, just got paid to learn, like how all artists would start out.
Some time later, Lucas moved to Japan and started working as an English teacher in ikebukuro. He used to bike to work because it was faster than taking the train. One day, during the monsoon season, his bike seat got really wet because the apartment he was living in had no roof for the bike parking. So he took the train to work, and that day he was wearing his beanie with the logo of "Glass Alchemy" company. (A company that makes glass supplies for glass artists). On the stop right before Ikebukuro, he was approached by this hippie guy who noticed his beanie and called out Glass Alchemy. Back then, his Japanese wasn’t very good yet, so they spoke for about 3 minutes in broken English, and Lucas told the guy that he's a glass blower. They exchanged business cards and met up once again, and they ended up working together for 8 years at that guy's glass studio.
Working with Lucas has been nothing else but a blessing, as even the most whimsical design idea from Wanderlust has been made possible by his expert skills. Lucas said that his favorite thing about working with glass is the problem solving aspect. He enjoys taking a concept and figuring out how he can make it happen. It is a constant challenge to test his skills and knowledge in glass to bring ideas to reality.
We have released two glass pens with Hanabi Glass Studio, and we have plans to keep working together, designing more glass pens with this amazing artist and his wonderful craftsmanship.
Check out our Glass Pen Pirate's Sea
And our Glass Pen Hotaru
