Mary Hong possesses an enthusiasm for life that spills over into everything she does, and as an artist this joy expresses itself through every beautiful piece that she creates.
A former flight attendant and graphic design major, Hong told The Log that she has dabbled in several forms of art since 1999, finally landing on her own trademarked style of glass collage in recent years.
“It really has transformed,” she said of her art. “I started out melting glass in a kiln and then started glass mosaics, then I started painting.”
Hong said that her move to painting was very freeing for her, and gave her a creative outlet while her children were young.
“I had kids so I couldn’t have glass around, and I had twins so I really didn’t have much time for art,” she said. “But I really wanted to paint because it looked like fun, and I loved it; I just loved it.”
It was not long before glass started to make its way back into her artwork as Hong said she found herself experimenting with a mixture of the glass and paint resulting in a brand-new form of art.
“I just kind of took some glass that I had and started gluing it to my paintings,” Hong said. “And it totally mushroomed into this beautiful storm of glass, resin and paint.”
For her technique, Hong said it’s all about allowing the glass to catch the light best.
“I trademarked the term glass collage or glass-meets-canvas it’s a kind of non-traditional mosaic. I use epoxy resin which allows light to come through and I lay out the pieces to create forms. Where traditionally you would grout that, I use epoxy.”
Today, Hong is well known in the local area for her beach-themed glass mosaics, and line of words created from recycled glass bottles.
Recently nominated South Walton Artist of the year for 2014, her work is now catching the eye of art collectors across the country.
“People are nuts about what I do,” she said. “I started slicing up wine bottles like sushi; I made a few signs with words and now I can’t even keep up.”
Ever-evolving her work, Hong said she will be showcasing a brand new line of abstract works for the MKAF’s Festival of the Arts this weekend.
“I have a new series using my same technique but I’m actually bringing more color,” she said. “I’m doing weathered wood frames, and dyes on the glass. You can hang them in the window and catch all the light; they are incredibly sparkly and beautiful.”
Not one to keep all the joy to herself, Hong also offers classes and even online tutorials of her methods and is willing to share her knowledge with anyone wanting to learn.
“I teach my craft at the Bayou Arts Center and in my studio in Grayton Beach and just launched an online video tutorial,” she said.