News

If you have ever stood outside on a cold Alaskan night and watched the roll across the sky, you know there is nothing quite like it. The greens, the soft pinks, the way the light seems to breathe. Most people do not get to see it more than once or twice in a lifetime. So a few years ago I started asking myself a simple question: could I bring that feeling indoors, in glass, so people could live with a little of it every day? The answer became my Aurora Collection.

Why the Aurora Is So Hard to Capture

The northern lights move. That is the first challenge. A painting freezes them. A photograph flattens them is the only medium I have worked in that comes close to honouring how the aurora actually behaves, because real glass also changes with the light around it. A piece looks different at noon than it does at dusk, the same way the real aurora looks different from one minute to the next.

The second challenge is colour. Aurora green is not a normal green. It is a slightly warm, slightly milky green with hints of yellow at the edges and electric blue running through it. I have spent a long time experimenting with and dichroic accents to get close to it. Some sheets are too cold. Others are too lime. The right green sits somewhere in the middle, and I usually only know I have it when I hold the sheet up to a real window in the morning.

The Layering Technique

The Aurora pieces are built in layers. I usually start with a deep base, a navy or near-black sheet, because the aurora always sits against a dark sky. Then I cut my colour strips, the greens, pinks and soft purples, and I arrange them in long, organic waves. Nothing is straight. Even the seams between colours move.

Once the layout feels right, I tack-fuse the layers together in the Tack-fusing means heating the glass just enough for the layers to bond, but not so much that they melt into one flat surface. This step is the heart of the technique. If I fuse for too long, the colours blur into mush. If I fuse for too little, the layers can shift later. Each kiln cycle is about ten to twelve hours, mostly cooling. There is no rushing it.

Adding Depth

After the first fuse, I add a second pass with finer details. This is where the small dichroic accents go, the tiny chips that catch the light and flash gold or pink depending on the angle you stand at. Dichroic glass is expensive and unforgiving, but a piece without it does not feel like the real aurora. With it, the panel suddenly has that flicker, that little movement at the edges, that makes you do a double take.

Some pieces also get a thin layer of clear textured glass on top. This is what I call the sky veil. It softens the colours underneath and gives the panel that slight haze you see in the real when the air is humid. It is a small step but it matters.

How to Display an Aurora Piece

People often ask me where to hang these. My honest advice is a north-facing window if you can. North light is cooler and more consistent through the day, and it brings out the greens and blues most beautifully. East-facing windows are wonderful too because the warm morning sun lights up the pink and gold edges.

If you do not have a good window, do not worry. The pieces also work beautifully on a wall with a small angled down from above. The light brings out the layers and the dichroic flashes. Just avoid harsh overhead bulbs, which can flatten the colour.

Cleaning is simple. A soft, dry microfibre cloth is enough. If a piece gets dusty, you can lightly mist it with plain water and dry it gently. Avoid ammonia-based cleaners, especially on iridescent sheets, because they can dull the surface over time.

A Personal Note

The aurora has been part of my life for as long as I have lived in Alaska, and the more I make these pieces, the more I realise they are also a form of memory keeping. Every panel reminds me of a specific night, a specific sky. When someone takes one home, they are not just buying art. They are taking a piece of an evening I once stood in.

If you have your own aurora memory and want a custom panel to capture it, I am always happy to talk. Send me a description, a photograph, even a rough sketch. I will work with you to translate it into And Copper, of course, will supervise from the windowsill.