Ukrainian Artists Create Glass Animal Figurines Using a Technique That Is Centuries-Old
Glass can look fragile, but in Nikita Drachuk's hands it becomes something far more striking. At Glass Symphony, a family-owned studio in Ukraine, the artist uses lampwork to shape tiny animals with surprising detail and personality.
Instead of the usual bowls and vases, the studio focuses on octopuses, spiders, scorpions, bees, and even cats. The result is a collection of miniature glass creatures that feel both delicate and strangely lifelike, which is part of what makes them so hard to scroll past.
Here’s a closer look at the studio’s centuries-old craft and the figurines that have people doing a double take.
Glass Symphony is a family-owned business that specializes in hand-blown glass sculptures.
The artists, who are based in Ukraine, create intricate octopi and spider miniatures.
The octopus line captures this creature and its eight sinuous tentacles in a variety of natural poses.
They look alive.
Place them in water, and you couldn't tell the difference.
The octopus pieces are the kind that make people stop and stare.
Bright colors add to the overall impression.
And make them even more fascinating.
The studio sells its work on Etsy.
The studio's website says: "Glass Symphony is a small family private studio. We’ve been engaged with glass figures for three generations.
My grandpa taught this craft to my father, who in turn taught me. Glass work is our life.
And we feel really cool to be able to create different glass sculptures. Our artworks give other people real delight, improve their mood, and can be found almost in every corner of the world!"
Despite their small size, the figurines accurately reflect the physiological characteristics of the animals, their character, and even emotions. Each figure created by the artist is individual and unique.
Each figurine is completely done by hand, so the size and color of the figures may differ slightly.
These glass octopi and spider miniatures feel like they share the same “make it move” energy as the Japanese balloon artist twisting balloons into creature after creature.
There are no duplicates—every piece is unique.
The artisan studio also creates spider figurines.
They also look alive.
But bright colors make them less terrifying.
How about this scorpion?
Honey bees? Yes, please.
Even cats!
Lampwork is a glass craft that has been around for generations. Lampwork requires the use of a small torch to manipulate the glass.
A gas burner with a temperature of 1800 degrees is used in the process (the temperature for melting glass is 800-1200 degrees, depending on the glass).
Under these conditions, the glass acquires the required physical state and, in the hands of a skilled artist, is transformed into pieces of art that are impossible to look away from.
The studio's tiny animals are doing a lot of heavy lifting for a centuries-old craft.
Want more creature chaos, from a couple’s octopus-toy paint jobs with tiny details? See these figurines and art-toys of different creatures.
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