Splendor in the glass

Artist learns creativity growing up in Hawaii

By Jeannie Stone

LITTLE ROCK — U’ilani Cooper of Russellville, a native of Hawaii, has been showing her line of lightcatching dichroic jewelry under the name of Unique Designs by Hula for four years in the River Valley.

She participates in Russellville’s downtown art walks.

Cooper settled on her unusual medium after a lifetime of creating jewelry. Her interests for stringing things originated in her childhood home on the island of Oahu. She grew up in a large family, which included her sister, parents, uncles and aunts, all under one roof.

“We had just enough to have a meal every evening,” she said. “We were a musical family. We would, literally, go out and sing for our supper - and lunch.”

Because residents of Hawaii are submersed in retaining the traditions of the native culture, the children learn to hula. Cooper is no exception.

“We would go to where the tourists were, and my uncles played the ukuleles and sang, and we girls danced. We would earn enough money for lunch and hit it again,” she said. “We danced forever.”

Even in those years, tourism was strong in the islands. As a small girl, she started hunting for shells.

“We’d hunt seashells and wash them out, and we’d sell them to the tourists. I don’t know if they bought from us because of the shells or because we were so cute - or pitiful - but that’s how we survived,” she said with a laugh.

There were lots of crafting possibilities on the island. Cooper learned Hawaiian weaving using fronds of palm leavesstripped and dried. She also made hula costumes and lots of leis, specializing in ones made from seed pods.

When her husband moved her away from island life, her creative tendencies took a different turn. “Well, I didn’t have any shells or palm leaves to play with anymore,” she said.

“We happened to be in a glass shop, and I was admiring a glass pendant. My husband told me that I could make it,” she said. “He’s to blame for this.”

Learning to work with glass was unlike anything she had ever done. Cooper considered glass blowing, but “that’s a hot, hot job,” she said. “You need a lot of people and a huge studio because the furnace is going all the time.” She fell into creating dichroic glass because of the end result. Her literature claims that her creations are inspired by the beauty of the Pacific Islands, and reflect her family’s creative legacy. The finished pieces resemble the varying hues of the sky and the shimmer of the water.

The process makes use of iridescent glass, colored glass, glass powder, glass beads and ground pieces of glass to addtexture to the emerging pieces. Multiple kiln firings affect the shape and color. Cooper then adds the clasps, hooks and bales, all of which are sterling silver, to complete the pieces.

Cooper and her family - grown daughter, son and grandchidren - live as neighbors in the countryside between Russellville and Dover.

She is content to stay. “I love the people here. My husband and I traveled many states looking for a place to retire, and we chose Arkansas. Home is where you make it,” she said.

River Valley Ozark, Pages 144 on 08/10/2008