With an exciting array of what appears to be multi-hued, striped candy spread out before him, Sweden-born Ola Hoglund could easily masquerade as a confectioner. But, when he begins to demonstrate how he painstakingly transforms these bits of coloured glass into one-of-a-kind works of art, that image is forever shattered. In its place appears the passionate artist who has embraced glass as his medium so completely that in 1982 he packed bags and family (consisting of artist wife Marie Simberg-Hoglund and their two sons) to leave for New Zealand and expand his rapidly-growing practice by setting up his studio at Nelson, on the northern tip of South Island. Consisting of magnificent home accessories and jewellery created by the husband-wife duo, Hoglund Art Glass is internationally renowned and highly sought after for its creativity and quality.

Ola excels in capturing the light fantastic by blowing glass, a tedious and time-consuming process. But the outcome, as is evident in each one of his creations that is available at Effervescence in suburban Mumbai, is out of this world! Indeed, Hoglund is at the cutting edge of glass design – creating classics that could stand the test of time. The couple’s fan following includes international personalities like Sir Elton John, Bill Clinton, Olivia Newton John, Melanie Griffith and Mohammed Ali. Hoglund Art Glass masterpieces can also be found in the Swedish, Lichenstein and Tongan Royal Family Collections, the Auckland Museum in New Zealand, the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Tasmania Museum and Gal–lery in Australia and the Ebeltoft Glass Museum in Denmark.

The launch of the store specially set up to showcase this art glass to Indian connoisseurs, was marked by the drama–tic unveiling of an unusual and unique piece from the Rainforest Graal collection, wherein beautiful patterns are suspended in several layers of thick crystal glass, creating a visual impression of the lush glory of the rainforest captured in a three-dimensional form. Each hand-blown piece is brought to life by captivating reflections of light and depths of shade working through the layers – making each one a collector’s item.