Meet Crystal Clark, Our Very Own

“Mother of Dragons”

By Jennifer Ouvrard

Most of you know Crystal Clark or have heard of her but did you know she was once a financial wizard who was reincarnated and morphed into a two-headed mythical creature?!

Yes, it is true. In 1994 Crystal Clark gave up a lucrative career in finance to become a two-headed Dragon; one head as a passionate lampworker and the other, a successful sorcerer of cosmetics, bath and beauty products.  But what makes her a true Mother of Dragons is her devotion to the Florida Glass Dragons as a three-year president and the fact that she literally is the mother of two mini-dragons; her adopted Iguanas, Dracaryus and Freya.

Crystal was a very artistic child finding inspiration in everything around her, especially the tools and pieces of equipment her father, a stone cutter and rockhound, had in his work shed. She fashioned his scrap pieces of stones into jewelry that she sold to her classmates in elementary school. She even made homemade soaps and sold them too. Needless to say, at the ripe old age of 9, Crystal had a feeling she was on to something good.  

After acquiring two college degrees, and giving into the pressures of “growing up”, Crystal put her left brain to use as a Certified Financial Counselor for HUD and Mortgage Banker. For 13 years she did this and at the same time, she kept up with the demands for her jewelry and body products from longtime customers….yes, from her school days. Crystal’s cosmetic line is still going strong today and it is the magical power behind her reincarnation into a devoted lampworker. The All Natural Face is Crystal’s all vegan cosmetic line and the fuel for her pursuit of happiness.

“I discovered lampworking at a time when it seemed like no one else was doing glass,” says Crystal, “it was just me and my Cindy Jenkins lampworking kit and I was hooked.”  It didn’t take long for her to graduate from melting little round beads to melting huge gathers as an assistant at a hot shop in Rhode Island. She discovered her inner lampworker and began making what she calls her “Dark Beads,” more mystical pieces like dragon wings, Green Man masks and freeform flames. She drew inspiration from her work in pottery, silversmithing and even from soap making to visualize a piece in her head and then make it come to life in glass.

In 2016 Crystal and her husband of 23 years, Sean, purchased a tropical paradise in Southern Florida. They have two children, five cats, two “dragons/iguanas,” a family business, and a 10 torch studio on three sprawling acres of mangos, papayas, avocados, pineapples, bananas, coconuts and even dragon fruit! All this, and her passion for glass is what she gives to the Florida Glass Dragons. In the three years as our president, Crystal not only built the glass studio for hosting workshops and events, she also opened her home as lodging for out of town Dragons and prepared feasts for every occasion. Her dedication to our club has not gone unnoticed. It is our honor to give you this sneak peek into her mystical life, and share with you some of the reasons why Crystal Clark is our Mother of Dragons.

When asked if she could share one of her favorite memories with the Dragons, Crystal said, “There are too many to name just one, the demos with Mr. Smiley (Brent Graber), workshops with Carolyn Baum, so many days spent with fellow Dragons.. all these memories are simply not comparable to anything else.” She went on to say “What is happening with the Dragons now, has completely re-awoken my inner muse. I am taking online classes that I never would have had time for had we not been put into quarantine by the pandemic.” Crystal says she has rediscovered that glass is her “Zen” and credits classes with Astrid Reidel, JC Herrel and others, for restoring her ability of “talking” to her glass in order to bring life to the creative ideas floating around in her head.

The one thing Crystal really wants us all to know, is that the “dragon lair” she created for glass, is ready and waiting for Dragons to come back when the pandemic is over….even new Dragons from all over the world!!