Eyeworld

O UTSIDE THE OR Dr. Faktorovich attended classes at a San Francisco nonprofit glass studio and immer- sion courses in glasswork at Pilchuck Glass School and Corning Museum of Glass. It was there where she discovered an intriguing feature about glass—that its color can be influenced by metals that are embedded within it and are activat- ed by exposure to a particular combination of flame components. "What most people don't know is glass can look clear until you expose it to flame, and the different properties of the flame, oxygen vs. propane, for ex- ample, will result in the glass becoming colored. You can use the flame to paint the glass from within," Dr. Faktorovich said. "The flame is your creative tool." As a part of her signature creations, Dr. Fak- torovich embeds glass elements in resin structures, which she also creates. "Resin is a whole different world; it's a chemical world," she said. One of her sculptures, "Forbidden," is a 300-lb, 8' x 4' pink resin base with pink-gold glass pieces that individually emerge from the resin. Dr. Faktorovich said this sculpture is a good example of why she chose resin as a base material for her glass pieces. "By using glass and resin side by side in a single sculpture, I am able to capture two different yet harmo- nizing qualities of light: its harsh crystalline quality when it interacts with glass and its mellow softness when it's reflected from the smooth surface of the resin." Dr. Faktorovich exhibits her sculptures in venues ranging from galleries to museums, and although she sells some pieces, she pri- marily creates the works for artistic expres- sion. "I find that I'm a better surgeon after a weekend of immersing myself in my art; it's analogous to cross training. It provides com- plete and total relaxation for the part of my mind that's involved with medicine, so when I return to my practice on Monday, I'm reinvigo- rated and completely fresh to see my patients," Dr. Faktorovich said. Before taking up photography and large-scale glass sculpture, Dr. Faktorovich thought her hobby was doing research in ophthalmology and medicine, writing scientific articles. She said she now knows that a true hobby is when you nurture your soul to make yourself better at other things. "It has to be different than your work," she said. continued from page 75 Dr. Faktorovich in her studio transforming molten glass into art A gallery goer observes a red glass sculpture that Dr. Faktorovich created using an oxidizing flame to activate copper metal embedded in clear glass. Source (all): Ella Faktorovich, MD AUGUST 2019 | EYEWORLD | 76

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