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.

A boy sitting with his family looks up at a traditional Chinelo costumed dancer during a celebration 40 days after the birth of Jesus, in Xochimilco on the outskirts of Mexico City, February 2, 2015. The tradition of the Chinelo dates back to colonial times and the outfits and masks, which are supposed to resemble the faces of the Europeans and always sport an uptilted beard, became more elaborate between the 1800s and 1900s to make fun of the upper social classes. (Photo by Edgard Garrido/Reuters)

Wu Lingling, a nurse from Central Hospital of Shanghai Fengxian District says goodbye to her husband Zhao Kun before leaving for Wuhan at Shanghai South Railway Station in east China's Shanghai, January 27, 2020. A team comprised of 50 medical workers from 40 hospitals in Shanghai left for Wuhan City on Monday to aid the novel coronavirus control efforts there. (Photo by Ding Ting/Xinhua News AgencyAlamy Live News)

Composite picture of lightning strikes over Colima, Mexico in just 5 minutes on July 14, 2020. These incredible photos show over 50 forks of lightning striking a city in just five minutes – in a storm being dubbed “The Night of a Thousand Forks”. The amazing, panoramic photos over the valley shows the whole sky light up as the forks of lightning strike at different points along the length of the city's 165 square miles. (Photo by South West News Service/Action Press)

A person dressed as an astronaut is seen at a metro station in Istanbul, Turkey on December 6, 2021. A man with an astronaut outfit walked around the city's metro stations as part of the promotion of NASA Space Exhibition, which reflects 50 years of space studies and experiences of the NASA, to be opened at Metropol Istanbul Mall. (Photo by Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A woman tries to cross a flooded street as people walk on a trestle bridge during high water, in Venice, northern Italy, Friday, November 15, 2019. Exceptionally high tidal waters returned to Venice on Friday, prompting the mayor to close the iconic St. Mark’s Square and call for donations to repair the Italian lagoon city just three days after it experienced its worst flooding in 50 years. (Photo by Andrea Merola/ANSA via AP Photo)

Bosnian men urge their horses to pull logs up a hill during a competition in the Bosnian town of Sokolac 50 kms west of Sarajevo, Bosnia,on Monday, April, 13, 2015. The annual festival celebrates the centuries old tradition of pulling logs honoring the owners of the strongest horses. Owners of the horses gather from all over Bosnia and beyond, and compete in a show of horse strength. (Photo by Amel Emric/AP Photo)

A girl plays in the Eshash el-Sudan slum in the Dokki neighbourhood of Giza, south of Cairo, Egypt September 2, 2015. Residents of the slum clashed with police in late August, when about 50 ramshackle huts were destroyed and at least 20 people were injured by teargas, local media reported, as authorities attempt to clear the area and rehouse residents. The slum dwellers, some of whom have called Eshash el-Sudan home for 50 years, say there are not enough apartments built nearby to house them. The residents of the slum eke out a living by disposing of rubbish or baking bread. Schooling is too expensive for most of their children, who play with salvaged rubbish amid shacks made out of discarded wood and leather. (Photo by Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)