ARTISANS: Spotlighting Makers of Hand-Crafted Goods : Laguna Beach Artist Sandblasts Glass to Create Unique Works

Life’s a blast for Marci Lyster.

It has been that way ever since the Laguna Beach artist discovered a nearly extinct art: sandblast-carved glass.

Dividing her time between her home studio and her rented Santa Ana warehouse space, Lyster sandblasts glass, deeply engraving it to achieve a three-dimensional frosted appearance. The style is reminiscent of the acid-washed glass works of the late famed French artisan, Lalique.

She is one of a small number of artisans across the nation who specialize in sandblast-carved glass, she says.

It is a grueling pursuit that challenges creativity, dexterity, brute strength and patience. The work is so exacting--and exhausting--she explains, that “many more artists leave the medium than stay with it.”

Lyster translates a love of flora and fauna into one-of-a-kind pieces that reflect the homeowner’s taste and specifications--from a small flowering magnolia mantel piece to an enormous jungle scene of Bengal tigers, panthers and exotic birds. Art Deco and Grecian figures can also be found among her designs.

The tools of Lyster’s trade include a heavy helmet with dust-cloud shield, into which fresh air is piped.

Working in two-hour increments, she sandblasts the heavy glass using a hose, which, attached to a large compressor, spews forth mixed air and sand under high pressure.

Next comes a well-needed respite, during which Lyster tapes the glass to mark the borders and depth of the etching. The carving is accomplished in layers.

“Some artists sculpt using chisels, hammers and knives. I use a high-pressure hose just like those you see used for street or house sandblasting. And, the sand that I use is actually finely ground garnet,” a semi-precious stone.

The daughter of a physicist and an artist, Lyster learned about art at her mother’s knee. Some of her most cherished childhood memories, she recalls, were of summers spent at the Laguna Beach’s Festival of Arts, where her mother exhibited serigraphs for more than a decade.

Lyster continues the tradition. She has exhibited glass etchings--created expressly for the festival--for eight years.

“I am so grateful that my mother provided that stimulus for me when I was young. She made a special area for me and my friends with all kinds of artsy-craftsy stuff. We had fabric swatches, colored pencils, pens, paint, glue and scissors, everything a kid could possibly want.

“When you give your child a window through which to view his or her creativity, to explore it and to nurture it, you give that child the world,” says Lyster.

The labor-intensive art work is expensive. On average, Lyster’s works range from $2,000 for a small mantel piece to $12,000 for a 6-by-7-foot inset.

Her most challenging project to date is her current one--a nearly completed seven-panel, 26-foot-long mural--”priced at six figures,” she announces, sotto voce.

It has taken 15 months to complete the ornate luau scene that was commissioned by a real estate developer living in Hawaii.

The Laguna Beach native prefers to work closely with homeowners who commission her to design specific works of art. “I do occasionally work for interior designers and architects, but I prefer to work directly with clients,” she says.

“My gratification comes in learning directly from clients what they want, then seeing firsthand the pleasure my work brings to them.”