HEART OF GLASS

By Benjamen Judd

Port Douglas is truly one of Australia’s most beautiful areas to visit. Even better to live, if you ask us. Warm oceans, deep tropical forests and endless sunshine can relax even the hardest of workers…we should know, because we work super hard to make sure that it stays this way.

Not surprisingly, this kind of lifestyle attracts some of the most creative and brilliant people from around the world who use the beauty of the region to inspire their work. One such couple are master glassworkers, Marie and Ola Hoglund, who swapped the chill Scandinavian winters of Sweden for the temperate evenings of Port.

Ola was born to a family of artists and knew from an early age that he would spend his life driven by a desire to create beautiful things. Marie was taught the art of weaving by her grandmother. Together they make a collection of delicately worked, hand-blown glass pieces that are inspired by the natural beauty of the region. Over the years, Ola and Marie have taken part in over 40 international exhibitions, including the New York Art Expo, the SOFA Exhibition in Chicago and art exhibitions, shows and trade fairs in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, USA, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, India and Japan.

Ola and Marie spend half of their year working from their studio hidden in the greenery of Whyanbeel Valley.  Tourists, locals and any others interested in their work are invited to come and see first-hand how they create the work that they do and buy directly from the masters’ hands, so
if you are visiting in the Port Douglas, Cairns, Daintree area between 1 June and 31 October, be sure to spend an hour or so at their very special studio/gallery in the rainforest.

As well as serious collectors’ signed and numbered art works, the Hoglund Art Glass gallery has smaller pieces, suitable for special gifts – and perfect for popping inside your suitcase for family and friends back home.

For more information on the Hoglund Art Glass gallery, and to see their work online, head to their website here.