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  Zeus (4)

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  Troy: The Downfall (2)

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  Troy: Ilium Revealed (2)

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  Troy: Dawn of War (3)

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  Theogony (1)

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  Tears of Chios (2)

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  Source of Pactolus (1)

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  Shield of Athena (1)

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  Santorini (2)

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  Poseidon (3)

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  Pillars (1)

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  Perihelion (1)

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  Paros (1)

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  Naxos (2)

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  Minoan Fall (1)

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  Medusa (1)

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  Hot Gates (1)

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  Hollow of Attica (1)

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  Hera (2)

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  Harmony of the Spheres (1)

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  Grief of Orpheus (1)

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  Flight of Icarus (3)

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  Eyes of the Hunter (1)

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  Eros (1)

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  Cornucopia (1)

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  Cape Sounion (1)

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  Artemis (3)

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  Ares (5)

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  Aphrodite (3)

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  Aeolian Dunes (1)

The Iris Glass store in Athens is located some distance from the main workshop. Transporting these pieces takes a lot of patience and careful hands.

By the evening of August 20th, the fire had grown into a blazing monster, devouring hillside after hillside, threatening a large number of towns and villages, and continuing to advance. Due to the incredible dryness of the island at this time of year, and the thick coverage of trees, nothing was able to stop the fire as strong winds drove it on with intense power.

Hundreds of firefighters, volunteers and soldiers battled to control the fire using dozens of vehicles and dropping aircraft loads of water from above. Help was also requested from Italy and Spain to try and bring the blaze under control. Eventually, after nearly a week, over half of the trees of Chios were destroyed before the fire was fully extinguished. The smoke from the fire had been seen from Crete, over 100km to the south.

Chios is the island home of Athanasia, the owner of Iris Glass. Athanasia lived for many years on the island and still returns there regularly. It is also the home of mastic gum, which is cultivated only on this single island. The fire destroyed more than half of the island’s mastic orchards. Sadly, much of the island is still covered in the skeletal remains of the trees that once blessed the island hills with rich greens and browns. It will be decades before the island fully recovers.

A 24-year old man was arrested for starting the fire. He was angry at not being hired as a local firefighter, and in his anger admitted to starting 14 separate fires in the north of the island. In 2012, over 250 people were detained on arson charges in Greece. Mostly the charges were due to neglect rather than deliberate arson. Forest fires continue to be a huge problem in Greece.

The Grief of Orpheus, a fused glass hand painted panel created by Athanasia clearly shows reference not only to the Ancient myths of Orpheus, but also to the great fire of Chios, images of which remained with her long after the flames died away.

The Grief of Orpheus art panel

We have had several questions about the stories associated with each Iris Glass product.

If you don’t know where to find them, they can be seen on each product page, like this:

Why write these stories?

The history and legends of Ancient Greece are fascinating, and something we love to share. They are also a big source of creative inspiration. The stories come about as a part of the natural process of developing a new idea or collection.

We also strongly believe that beautiful products are more than simple functional items, they have an innate story that develops and changes over time. Think of the special keepsake that might be passed from mother to child, along with the precious memories, the object itself has a history. This is a value beyond mere functionality.

Are the stories historically accurate?

Many of the Ancient Greek legends are open to interpretation. There may be several differing stories surrounding events or the gods, depending on who the story-teller is.

We have taken kernels and threads of existing stories and legends, and sometimes spun them in new directions.

The stories surrounding the Greek islands and Athens are generally parts of our own story and experiences.

So overall, it’s probably best to take each story as a work of fiction, drawing from more ancient tales and legends.

How are they created?

When the Iris Glass mastercrafters develop a new concept and collection, they have in mind a source of inspiration. The story writers (often Matt or Ada) will try as much as possible to capture this creative essence when developing the story.

Do visitors like the stories?

Some of our visitors really enjoy the stories as an additional facet of the collection. We occasionally hear from someone who feels they are an annoying distraction, or too far from historical truth to be enjoyable.

We have kept the stories fairly low key across the website. If you want to read them they are waiting, but not shouting loudly from every product page.

Are the stories a bit warlike and savage?

Yes, some of them probably are. There’s a balance to be stuck between remaining faithful to the inspiration of the collection, and creating a product that is attractive and marketable. On some occasions the  savagery probably takes the upper hand.

For example Troy: Dawn of War, probably sounds more like a Hollywood blockbuster than a fused glass collection.

Ultimately, the Ancient Greeks were a fairly bloodthirsty bunch at times, conforming fully to generally accepted human nature. The collection stories are a reflection of this.

As we continue to develop our range of fused glass collections, we are always developing new stories. If you have any feedback or ideas, please connect with us through the website or via social media.