Masked men ride in a morning procession as part of the “Cavalhadas” festival in Pirenopolis, Brazil, Sunday, May 19, 2013. The popular festival is a tradition that was introduced in the 1800's by a Portuguese priest to mark the the ascension of Christ. The 3-day festival reenacts the Christian knights' medieval defeat of the Moors. (Photo by Eraldo Peres/AP Photo)

California-based glass artist Loren Stump specializes in a form of glasswork called murrine, where rods of glass are melted together and then sliced to reveal elaborate patterns and forms. While the murrina process appeared in the Mideast some 4,000 years ago, Stump has perfected his own technique over the past 35 years to the point where he can now layer entire portraits and paintings in glass before slicing them to see the final results. His most complex piece to date is a detailed interpretation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks, which involved hundreds of glass components that were melted into a final piece.

Afghan firefighters spray water on a U.S. armoured vehicle after a suicide attack on the outskirts of Jalalabad, January 5, 2015. A suicide attacker targeted a U.S. convoy on the outskirts of Jalalabad on Monday but so far no causalities have been reported yet, provincial spokesman Ahmadzia Abdulzai said. (Photo by Reuters/Parwiz)

A swimmer reacts after finishing his competition in a pool carved into thick ice covering the Songhua River during the Harbin Ice Swimming Competition in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province January 5, 2015. The swimming competition was held on the official launch day of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Former top models Carla Bruni (L), Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen display iconic creations of late Italian designer Gianni Versace's during the Versace Spring/Summer 2018 show at the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, September 22, 2017. (Photo by Stefano Rellandini/Reuters)

This picture taken on January 6, 2018 shows macaque monkeys looking at a man's camera during snowfall at Wulongkou Nature Reserve in Jiyuan in China's central Henan province. (Photo by AFP Photo/China Stringer Network)

Race fans watch from the grandstands as Air Force One circles the Daytona International Speedway as President Donald Trump makes his arrival to attend the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, February 16, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Photo by Jim Topper/AP Photo)

Veiled Thai women take a selfie on the Talo Kapo beach enjoying Eid al-Fitr on June 5, 2019 in Pattani, Thailand. Today is Eid al-Fitr, or Festival of Breaking the Fast, which marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)