Entry No. 23 — the Los Angeles file — filed under: outdoor-weird
Phantasma Gloria
In a residential Echo Park front yard, artist Randlett 'Randy' Lawrence has spent years building a towering web of rebar strung with more than a thousand teardrop glass vessels filled with colored water. In morning sun the bottles refract into shifting patterns, including a Virgin de Guadalupe and stylized dolphins, glowing like a stained-glass tapestry. Randy welcomes visitors himself, often happy to explain the optics and the vision that started it all while washing dishes one morning in 2000.
The story
Walk down Lemoyne Street in Echo Park and you will run straight into a residential front yard that looks like a high-altitude optical experiment. In 2000, Randlett "Randy" King Lawrence was washing dishes inside his home when sunlight caught a glass vessel on his sink, refracting a spot of color onto the wall. That quiet moment launched a multi-decade project of structural engineering and light refraction, resulting in the massive installation he calls Phantasma Gloria.
The artwork is a sprawling web of heavy rebar strung with over a thousand teardrop-shaped glass bottles and lenses, each filled with colored water. Each vessel acts like a oversized camera lens. When sunlight strikes the front yard at the right angle, the suspended liquid refracts the rays into glowing, pixelated figures against the sky—most notably a large Virgin of Guadalupe and stylized dolphins swimming through the metal grid.
Lawrence hasn't turned the site into a sleek commercial venue; he still lives directly behind it on Lemoyne Street. He continues to tweak the setup, adjusting fluid levels, welding new rebar extensions, and adding metal cutouts like "Bodacious Betty." In a neighborhood that has gentrified rapidly around it, this front yard remains a rare piece of self-built, visionary folk art operating entirely in public view.
What it's like
Head over on a sunny Sunday morning around 9:00 AM when the light hits the bottles at their sharpest angle. You will often find Randy out in the yard, ready to explain light refraction and show off the bottle construction himself. There is no ticket booth or gift shop—you simply walk up the residential street, step onto the property if the gate is open, and look up. Entry is free, but toss cash into his donation box to help cover rebar and bottle replacement. If you visit on an off-day or weekday, you can still get a clear view of the entire sculpture right from the sidewalk.
The move: Show up on a sunny Sunday morning to watch the colored glass catch the light while Randy himself tells you how it all began.
📍 Before you go Best in morning light; the artist welcomes visitors Sundays roughly 9am-dusk or by appointment. It's his private home, so be respectful; donations appreciated, no fee.
- 📍 Echo Park
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 1646 Lemoyne St, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- House of Intuition — Pair Randy's sun-refracting glass lenses with a quick walk down Sunset to this steep-stairway flagship for hand-dressed candles and crystal supplies.
- Wacko / Soap Plant & La Luz de Jesus Gallery — Continue your route of Eastside folk art and visual obsession by heading two miles over to browse pop-surrealist art galleries and thousands of niche books.
- Tiki-Ti — Follow up a morning spent inspecting liquid optics with an evening crammed into this historic, twelve-seat family-run tropical bar on Sunset.
Good to know
When is the best time of day to view the glass?
Morning light hits the front of the yard directly, making sunny Sunday mornings between 9 a.m. and noon the prime viewing window.
How much does it cost to enter?
There is no entry fee, but cash donations are appreciated to help the artist cover structural materials and maintenance.
Can you visit if Randy isn't in the yard?
Yes, the sculpture faces the street directly at 1646 Lemoyne St, so you can always view the entire setup from the sidewalk even if the gate is closed.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Atlas Obscura · californiathroughmylens.com · lamag.com · Yelp · latimes.com
last checked: 2026-06-23