In 2015, I had a two-month residency at Pilchuck Glass School outside of Stanwood, WA. The goal was to delve into kiln casting. But the journey left much deeper impressions than just glass techniques. The school is located in the middle of the forest, surrounded by tall mountains. In the evenings, it was completely dark, and we needed flashlights to navigate the campus. We were also instructed to make a lot of noise when it was dark so that bears could hear us coming. In various ways, the forms of nature in the Pacific Northwest found their way into my work when I returned home. Night Eyes is one of them. I sculpted an original in clay and then made a mold in which I placed diamond-cut aventurine glass discs. At 780 degrees, the glass softens, sinks down (randomly), and takes on the shape of the sculpted form. The mold is lost in the process. The facets are inspired by the texture of the mountains, but also by the connection to the eye, where many insects have faceted eyes to see better in the dark. A night eye.