By Shelly Aucoin

Although a New Englander at present, Holly Kenny is by birth a Jersey girl with a traveling heart. In fact, her collections and art pieces are named after state parks that she has either been to or wants to visit. The daughter of two artists and the sister of a painter, she comes from a very talented gene pool. “Credit for the name of my business goes to my clever husband, who came up with the play on my daughter’s initials, ‘LCK,’” she explains. Her second grade daughter, Lindsey, was also the inspiration for her new line of kids’ items called “Elsie Kids.”

Holly’s one-of-a-kind-creations include jewelry, giftware and key chains made from Moretti/Effetre glass. She’s been practicing her craft, known as “flame working” or “lamp working,” since 2003. “I find flame work to be a unique and captivating art form; a bit of intrigue, danger, peace and Zen,” she says. Each piece of art incorporates materials such as crushed glass, silver foil, aventurine, raku, Swarovski crystals, semi-precious stones and etching. She’s also working with a new silver reactive glass that creates 3D shine and vivid colors when the torch’s propane/oxygen levels are altered.

Ms. Kenny, who is a member of the Westboro Gallery and serves as the board’s Communications Director, was featured on WBTV’s Artist Profile in June. “It has definitely helped to raise my visibility within the community,” she says happily.

Kenny describes the flame work process as “…absolutely hypnotic…I melt a glass rod in a flame and wrap the molten glass around a mandrel. The end of the mandrel is dipped in a wet clay slurry that prevents the glass from sticking permanently to the rod. Once the glass reaches 1400 degrees it becomes workable, similar to the consistency of honey.” Holly then wraps the glass to form the bead. She advises that learning to control the glass is the most important element of flame working.

Beads can be decorated using glass rods, tungsten picks, graphite marvers and paddles. Holly says that the decoration can take anywhere from ten to thirty minutes per bead.  Afterwards, the design must spend six hours cooling very gradually in a kiln. “This prevents stress and thermal shock, which can cause the bead to break,” she explains.

Ms. Kenny’s latest project is Steampunk skeleton key necklaces which have been hot sellers, and she’s also designing a new ring. “I’m getting into silversmithing and metalworking a bit more,” she says with excitement. “What I like making best varies from week to week. At the moment, I’m really into making flowers and incorporating them into large silver O-rings that I cut and solder. I also make ‘gravity beads,’ beads that I create when I allow the tip of the glass rod to melt and slowly drip down toward the flame.”

Holly will be performing a Flame Working Demonstration at the 9th Annual stART on the Street festival September 15th here in Worcester. The festival extends down Park Avenue from Highland Street to Pleasant Street, runs from 11am to 5pm and features 250+ artists, crafters, performers and food vendors as well as live bands on the main stage. Rain date is September 25th. For more details please visit www.startonthestreet.org.

Elsie Kaye Glassworks pieces can be purchased in Westborough through The Westboro Gallery at 8 West Main Street, and Nicolina’s at 9 South Street, or in Hudson at Serendipity located at 63B Main Street. You can also find her at the Westboro Farmer’s Market every Thursday through the end of September. For a complete list of locations, trunk shows, upcoming events and more check out www.elsiekaye.com.