Habatat Galleries

You could be forgiven for wondering whether you're in an art gallery or a plant nursery when you come upon the work of glass artist Debora Moore, now on view at Habatat Galleries in the Gallery Center art mall in Boca Raton. Such is Moore's mastery of her medium. She has been quoted as insisting, "It's not my intention to be a realist. What I make is my interpretation." Don't believe her. Moore's beautifully wrought orchids, not to mention the mossy glass logs to which they're attached, are so amazingly realistic that you halfway expect to see dew glistening on the petals or to smell the moist earthiness of the mosses and lichens. The Seattle-based Moore has been working in studio glass since the late 1980s, and she has built her reputation on her orchids, which, whether mounted on the wall or freestanding, are invariably dazzling. Her efforts paid off last year when New York's prestigious Corning Museum of Glass commissioned her to create a new work for its collection. Moore is currently one of the featured artists at Habatat, where her work is perfectly complemented by that of Thomas J. Boone, who creates similarly realistic oil paintings of plants, fruits, and vegetables. (Ongoing at Habatat Galleries, Gallery Center, 608 Banyan Trl., Boca Raton. Call 561-241-4544.)