VERO BEACH — Dog Days of summer bring Holly Wray and her stain glass lamps to light the Main Street Vero Beach guest artist space.
Wray was born in upstate New York and holds a Bachelor of Science Core in Education and a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction from SUNY Albany. She taught sixth grade for 12 years, and has always enjoyed painting and drawing.
She minored in art as an undergraduate and found art a valuable asset in teaching elementary school. A grandfather of one of her students introduced her to stained glass. He gave her a barrel of shards of glass which sat untouched in her basement for years until she saw an article about a local artist offering a beginning stained glass class in a nearby craft shop.
Like the barrel of glass, most of these lamp bases are recycled. They come from shops, flea markets,and garage sales through out the country. All of Wray’s works are one of a kind, usually inspired by the base itself.
Her larger pieces take 50 to 100 hours from concept to completion. Pieces are hand cut, copper edged, and solder is hand applied.
Last year she became a permanent resident of Florida and purchased a home in Sebastian. The intensity of the sunlight and colors that surround us here have stimulated her imagination and made her work take an exciting new turn.
Wray’s reception will be First Friday Aug. 5, during Gallery Stroll from 5 to 8 p.m.
Main Street Vero Beach is located at 2036 14th Ave. in downtown Vero Beach. Call them at (772) 643-6782, or email info@mainstreetverobeach.org. Visit www.mainstreetverobeach.org, or follow the group on Twitter and Facebook for more information.