Ela Smrcek (1985-) is Czech glass artist from north Bohemia, the heart of Czech glass industry. She has been influenced by glass making since her childhood. Her particular interest is creating glass sculptures by melting glass into moulds. Smrček’s sculptures are therefore unique with each one having a hidden narrative. After leaving secondary school, Ela Smrcek first expressed her art through photography and later created clay models of her own works. She then went on to study glass technology to improve her technical skills, working with glass as her medium because of its beauty, malleability, brilliance and colour. Her techniques respect the long tradition of Czech glass making.Ela Smrcek has always been fascinated by nature, in which she searches for internal peace and energy. This fascination can be seen in her sculptures. Glass as an organic material has huge strength, but is also brittle. The sea, forests and weather inspire her sculptures. More recently her sculptures have reflected her relationship and opinions within contemporary society: life, relationships, attitudes, religion and a universal approach to humanity. Smrček’s perception of the world determines the harmony within all her art: shape, material, technique, colour and size. Every sculpture carries a message: take care, enjoy life, be tolerant and avoid violence. However, whatever the narrative one hears in her work, there is a simple pure and innocent joy in each piece of her beautiful crafted crystal art.