Adorable Small Glass Animal Sculptures Raise Environmental Awareness

Claire Kelly is a Rhode Island-based glass artist who became known for her series of glass animal sculptures that are not only adorable to look at but also bear a powerful message. With these sculptures, which feature elephants, giraffes and other animals balancing on balls or seeking refuge in a boat, Kelly wishes to raise environmental awareness and also turn attention to devastating effects climate change can have on animals.

The origin of the series dates back to 2014 when Kelly tried to find a way to express herself creatively while taking an absence from work. She first started doing sketches and drawings, before turning her attention to the glass.

While she tries to keep the shapes of her sculptures fairly simple, Kelly likes to experiment with the colors, using them to inspire emotions.

“Depending on the animal and form I try to use colors that come right up to the edge of being conflicting but somehow work together,” Kelly told Colossal. “Color is so emotionally charged, and I often find myself getting really happy when using certain colors in combination…I experiment a lot and have a sense of how some colors react to their neighbors. There’s a real sense of harmony and balance that I look for when planning a color scheme.”

Check out some of Kelly’s intriguing works below.