COURTESY IMAGE "Contradictory Forms, #1, #3 and #2" by Steve Davis.

Delicious translucence

GLASS is almost magical in its transformative properties. Its malleability allows it to be twisted and stretched, angled and smoothed. It can embody every vibrant color; it can glow with translucence or be made opaque. With its shine and shimmer, its ability to refract and reflect light, glass can turn a humdrum corner into a palette of dancing colors. Glass can be as utilitarian as spectacles or as beautiful as a precious jewel. It can be altered so dramatically that it takes on the look of another substance: a rock, a gem, a plant, even food.

The ARTS at Marks Garage has displayed the artwork of Hawaii Glass Artists in a way that plays to its most alluring qualities. The group's annual exhibition is presented on pedestals and against white walls with an abundance of light afforded by the space's 75-foot picture windows.

"Bouncing through the delicious translucent colors of art-glass, it's all that light that makes this one of the best looking shows of the year," says assistant gallery director Rich Richardson.

The Hawaii Glass Artists Annual Exhibition runs through Aug. 13 at The ARTS at Marks Garage, 1159 Nuuanu Ave. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays. Call 521-2903 for more information.

COURTESY IMAGE The ARTS at Marks Garage is showing The Hawaii Glass Artists Annual Exhibition through Aug. 13. Among the works is Ben Burton's "Praise the Ocean," a lampworked boriosilicate.

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COURTESY IMAGE Sheila Blackard Academia offers an untitled mixed media piece.

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COURTESY IMAGE Shelia Blackard Academia's "Dagger Series" encases tubes of lipstick in glass daggers, says "Break in case of emergency."

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COURTESY IMAGE Rick Mills's blown glass bowls are titled "Cadmium Orange Aurora," "Cadmium Selenium Yellow Aurora" and "Cadmium Sulphide Red Aurora."

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COURTESY IMAGE "Eve," by Mehan S. Murphy, is a piece created with cast glass, sand-cast and steel.