My OBT

What if you spent every day looking for One Beautiful Thing?

Kelly of the Dell

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Kelly O’Dell

Kelly O’Dell’s astounding glass sculptures are about extinction, animal endangerment, threatened species, and the human impact on the natural world. O’Dell grew up in Hawaii with artistic parents who sometimes worked in glass. Though she started at the University of Hawaii intending to major in math, she says that once she walked past the school’s hot shop, the smell brought her back to her childhood, and she was hooked.

“Animal extinction is occurring mostly by way of human-caused habitat destruction and climate change. It is fascinating and devastating to me that our presence as one species has so much impact on the delicate balance of life. Using sculpture, I am recreating the endangered, the critically endangered, and the extinct in glass.”

You can see all of Kelly O’Dell’s magnificent work on her website and on Instagram.

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Exhibiting at the @schackartcenter in Everett, WA, oct 3- nov 2. 🐘 reception is oct 10! ::: This piece is titled “Hope,” and is about seeing ourselves as part of the solution. Human-caused Habitat destruction, animal endangerment, and extinction is a hot topic of conversation, or if it isn’t, then is is certainly “the elephant in the room.” I love to see how this piece reflects light (and people), and hopefully, hope! ♥️ ::: ::: Enjoy. This exhibit shows work by @karen_willenbrink_johnsen and Jasen Johnsen, and about 20 of their friends (mostly from the PNW) making glasswork! See work by @jelekff and Jeremy Bert, @bueno_glass @elinchristopherson @leslieulrichpatchworked @scottydarlingtonglass @pattydglass @eichenbird @pmartin1000 @shelleymuzylowskiallen @rocketrik @k8rhoads @ravenskyriver @meganstelljes @randywalkerglass @twotonestudiosglass @tina.aufiero and Mark Zirpel, Jenny Pohlman& Sabrina Knowles, Diane Hansen, and Alison Chism! What a line up. 😱 ::: ::: #glass #glassart #glassartist #mosaic #mosaicart #elephant #mirror #mirrormosaic #exhibition #glassexhibition #schackartcenter #everettwashington #endangeredspecies #animalart #animalartists #extinction #hope #reflection

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Armor, 2018. I tried one about a year ago that didn’t make it, learned a lot on this one, including cutting corners in pre-fusing some scales. Pre-making parts to assemble can really up the game on a complicated piece. . . . Defense mode. ♥️ Pangolins coil up when they are being attacked, leaving their predators with a tough keratin scale armor to eventually give up on. pangolins are the most widely illegally trafficked mammal in the world. They are so docile, shy and sweet, it’s terrible that humans are their top predator. At 1 million poached per year, these little guys will be extinct in no time. There are organizations out there doing their best to educate against the eating of pangolins, and against using their scales for unconfirmed medical results. See for yourself how cool these creatures are! @pangolinconservation @savepangolinsofficial . . . . #glasssculpture #glasspangolin #irisgold #pangolincoil #coil #pangolinball #pangolin #pangolinconservation #pangolinart #animalart #animalartist #animalartists #pangolinsofinstagram #glassofig #bestofglass #glass #glassart #glassartist #savethepangolin #savethehumans . . . 📸by @porterlovescreative

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Ammonite with Sea Grass. ::: ::: Why do I make these?what do they have to do with anything? Hm, It’s not really just another pretty shell… 🐚💃🏽 ::: The Ammonite, a coiled-up extinct cephalopod, is an instrumental “index fossil,” a tool to date other fossils found in its same geological layer. Ammonites were a widespread marine organism, limited to a specific geological time period, going extinct 65 million years ago. ::: ::: I sometimes wonder what kind of fossils we will leave behind. Beautiful opalescent Rocks that fill up underground cavities made by a calculator, typewriter, car, jet that was once there? Who digs up our bones in 65 million years? What will our sedimentary layer look like in the earths geological tiramisu? 🧐 REALLY DIFFERENT from all the other layers, I’m sure. How long will plastic REALLY take to decompose? They say about a thousand years. I wonder if that’s true, and if in our sedimentary later we leave behind colorful plastic bits that are still visible, preserved and speckled and sprinkled throughout. Hm. How will the layer of the Anthropocene layer affect the other layers above and below it? ::: ::: Just stuff I think about sometimes. 🐚 🦕

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Author: Donna from MyOBT

I have committed to spending part of every day looking for at least one beautiful thing, and sharing what I find with you lovelies!

6 thoughts on “Kelly of the Dell”

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  1. Laura (PA Pict)
    June 1, 2020 at 8:43 am

    I especially love the shells but that rhino head is exquisite.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. StellaKate Blue
    June 9, 2020 at 7:33 am

    What lovely, important work! The hermit crab is my fave but that pangolin is quite interesting too.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. Kelly O'Dell
    June 15, 2020 at 11:51 am

    thank you so much for your interest! ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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