Making waves
Meet the boat builder turned artist who crafts sculptures so fluid and luminous, they feel alive.
Meet the boat builder turned artist who crafts sculptures so fluid and luminous, they feel alive.
photos OLIVIA RENOUF + BEN YOUNG
For an artist without formal glasswork training, Ben Young has mastered the medium like few others.
Raised by the sea in Waihi Beach, he developed a fascination with the ocean’s ever-changing nature – something that now defines his work.
The former boat builder’s hands-on craftsmanship and innovative layering techniques turn rigid glass into fluid, almost living forms that capture water’s movement and depth. His work balances precision and artistry, playing with light, waves and reflections – while incorporating concrete and metal to add texture and dimension.
Here, he shares the journey from experimenting with glass to shaping it into something truly breathtaking.
How did you become an artist?
I grew up in Waihi Beach in the Bay of Plenty, surrounded by the ocean, which has been a huge influence on me from a young age. Before becoming a full-time artist, I spent 10 years training and working as a boat builder, playing with glass on the side. That hands-on experience with materials, problem-solving and craftsmanship naturally carried over into my artwork. I’ve always loved making things and sometimes I feel like I should be labelled a maker as opposed to an artist – I love being able to see the craft in something. I never had formal training in glass art. I’m completely self-taught.
How did your work evolve into glass sculpture?
It happened quite organically. My journey into this medium started when I was young and travelling through Europe with my family. My dad saw an amazing laminated glass window display in Greece. That artist was actually the first one to make a glass wave. When I was old enough to play with glass, I began making them, too, trying to create the perfect wave. I started experimenting and developing my own techniques, which eventually evolved into the work I create today. When I first started working with glass, I was drawn to how I could use layers to create depth, much like the ocean itself. Over time, I refined my techniques, combining glass with concrete and metal to bring in that contrast between fluidity and solidity.
My work has always been about trying to capture the essence of water – its movement, depth and vastness – through a material that is typically rigid and structured.
Who and/or what influences and inspires your work?
The ocean and nature is my biggest influence – it always has been. I’ve spent my life in and around the water, surfing, boating and just being immersed in that environment. There’s something about the way water moves, the way it interacts with light, and the way it can feel both calming and powerful at the same time. That duality really inspires me. I also draw inspiration from landscapes, architecture, and even simple, everyday moments where light and form interact in interesting ways. I think my connection to the ocean is why I’m so drawn to working with glass – it allows me to recreate that sense of depth and movement in a tangible form.
What do you hope to achieve with your work?
I want my work to evoke emotion and connection. When people look at my sculptures, I want them to feel something, whether it’s a sense of nostalgia, calm, curiosity or even a deep appreciation for the natural world. My goal is to create pieces that make people pause, reflect and maybe even see the ocean or landscapes in a different way.
How has technology helped/changed your style of work?
I still do a lot of my work by hand, but technology has definitely played a role in refining my process. I use digital tools to sketch and plan my pieces before I start physically working on them. This allows me to visualise depth, perspective, and how the layers will interact before I commit to cutting and assembling the glass. While I embrace technology for the planning stages, I always return to the hands-on process – it’s the physical making that really brings the pieces to life.
What do you love about the Bay?
I’ve been in the Bay of Plenty for most of my life apart from a stint in NSW, Australia. I’ve been lucky enough to do a lot of travel and the feeling I always get when I return to the Bay is that it’s home. I love how central we are to everything, nothing feels too far to get to. We have the ocean, the forest, bush walks, lakes, mountains – the best of it all really close by. It all feeds into my creativity. There’s something special about being so close to the water every day; it’s a way of life for me, and a bonus when there is surf.