Meet Haven Livingston

We are officially in 2023... We here at OGT can't even believe it. With February full in bloom we want you introduce you to our valentine - Haven Livingston or as most of you might better know as @wavehavenglass. This amazing gal was actually full time biologist before becoming the iconic glass guru that we all know and love :). Her passion for Mother Earth clearly translates to her art. Give this blog a read as we promise you won't regret it! Scroll below to follow Miss Haven through her glass Journey. It won't take you long to find out she is phoenix through all the adversity that comes her way.

 

1.Tell us a little bit about yourself: who you are, where you are from, how you got into glass.

Up until 4 years ago I primarily worked as a field biologist for over 20 years and spent nearly all of my days outside. I followed tortoises through deserts, searched for bird nests in forests and crawled around in tidepools collecting data. I miss it, but I still do all of my playing outside – climbing, skiing, ocean swimming etc. Connecting to my surroundings is incredibly important to me. It makes me feel human and understand my place in the world. My work in glass is a reflection of my relationship with the land and sea. Those thousands of hours I spent in observation of the natural world inform my art.  

 

2. How long have you been working with glass in general?

I started making mosaic from scraps of stained glass I found at the flea market nearly 15 years ago. It was a side hobby. Then I dislocated my shoulder in 2017 while whitewater kayaking and had a lot of downtime. I was really depressed and just gravitated back towards glass. During my recovery I taught myself everything I could find about stained glass online, in libraries and my local glass shop. I became obsessed with stained glass and acquired all the glass and materials from Jean Myers studio, a stained glass architect who had passed away. I had my first art show in 2019 at Santa Cruz County Open Studios and it was successful enough for me to stop working full time and focus on the commissions that came from it. I’ve been full time in stained glass and mosaic since then. 

 

3. What is the focus of your work, any inspiration behind it?

I started with images I knew in my head and those happened to be mountains, seaweed and little bits of wild things around me. Everything in the wild world inspires me. If only my hands could create as fast as my mind goes. Colors, textures, sounds, and even the feelings I get on my skin in a place inspire my creations. I especially love to imagine the world without human objects: no plastic, steel, roads, buildings. What do rivers look like without levees or dams, what does the coast look like without development?  

 

4. How long have you used our products, and do you use them exclusively? 

I’ve been using Oceanside glass since it came on the market. Everyone was so panicked when Spectrum closed and I was thrilled when OGT started up. Though OGT features prominently in many of my pieces, I don’t use it exclusively. Every glass maker has something different to offer and it’s really about choosing the material that will best fulfill the feeling I want to convey in a piece. 

5. Is there anything that makes our product stand out from the rest- a reason why you choose to use it? What do you look for in glass when you are sourcing it for your next project? (ie: color, texture, quality etc.)

When searching for a glass to complete a piece I don’t always know what I’m looking for until I see it. With OGT there is a reliability in production so I know that I can base works around those colors. I like the reliable uniform thickness and it always breaks predictably. My favorite line is the Baroque collection. I wish you’d bring all the colors back! I love the transparent baroques and they are the crowning piece of sky for many of my landscapes. The Waterglass is also something that makes a regular appearance in my work. When I was starting with mosaic I used a lot of the mirrored silvercoats glass that Spectrum made. I have a small stash I still use judiciously, but I wish you’d bring those back too!

6. If you are teaching a class, what is it about? What will students learn? (If not a class, are you launching anything?)

I don’t teach (yet), but I am currently the featured artist for Ventana Surfboards & Supplies. They are a company in my home town of Santa Cruz, CA that builds hollow wooden surfboards from reclaimed lumber. We have created a couple of collaborative pieces and I have several pieces inspired by their work. This past year I’ve worked on a collection of Porthole Views – underwater scenes – that dovetails with their work. 

 

7. Do you have any big projects in the works or coming up? Any works you are particularly proud of?

I am going to be working on a fireplace mosaic commission this winter for a wonderful author in Santa Cruz. I’m excited to create a larger piece that will become part of the home. And yes, it will have OGT glass in it!

8. Tell us one fun fact about you or your work.

Occasionally, I don’t work from a pattern at all. I let the glass completely direct the piece and I just put it together as I go like a jigsaw puzzle without a master image. 

OR

I have collected glass objects since I was a kid. My family would gift me glass paperweights or colored glass bottles when they traveled. And of course, I collected beach glass. 

OR

Wavehaven has been my email name since the 90’s. It kind of stuck, and even in grad school my advisor would call me Wavehaven. Glass is my maternal grandmother’s maiden name. So the name Wavehaven Glass feels right at home to me.

And... that's a wrap folks for this months #ArtGlassFinest. Thank you so much @wavehaven again for being our February feature this month:). Not only did we get an amazing insight into you as an artist, but also you as a human being. You continue to be a trail blazer in the art world and for that we thank you!

As always, Stay Glassy ;)