Bucketlist Check: Glass Blowing
2:21:00 AM
When I was really little, I went to the Renaissance Faire for a field trip. And it was a really hot day, but I remember being mesmerized by the glass blowers who somehow braved the heat of the Summer Sun not to mention the 2100 degree ovens. I remember wishing I could be like them and create such beautiful and delicate things.
Fast forward about 10 years, A friend of mine emails me out of the blue, "Do you have time over winter break to attend a glass blowing session with me?" Obviously my answer was yes, but in my excitement, I forgot to reply to her because I must have expected the level of my emotions to somehow telepathically transport that information to her. Anyhow, it all worked out in the end.
I GOT TO GO GLASS BLOWING,.
The space doubles as a Studio/Gallery.
They had these elaborate chandeliers but they were getting a new roof installed because it had started to rust so they needed to cover them to protect the pieces.
Glass pigments and torching station.
More glass pigments. In the back you can see some of the options we had of things we got to make: Flower, ornament, bowl, or a paper weight.
Vivian chose the flower, this is how it starts.
Somehow I knew she'd choose to make that. She always used to make the most beautiful origami flowers and things, I guess she's just always had a knack and appreciation for artful beauty.
I was being such a proud mom, taking pictures of everything. Vivian was so good at keeping the glass evenly on the rod, I was so panicky my glass kept flopping around as the glass melted. Seriously, imagine trying to keep a gigantic glob of honey on a stick while staring into what feels like the sun 4 feet away from you. I'm just happy I didn't drop it.
The flower didn't actually involve any glass "blowing" but it involved a lot of intense shaping.
Forming the stem. As the glass cooled, you could start to see the colors coming though. A man watching had actually asked if she had chosen the color red. The glass was so hot, you couldn't even see the cobalt blue through it.
Tada.
I decided to make a bowl because I wanted something nice and something that I actually made to keep my plants in. I didn't get any pictures but basically you just dip the glass in pigment. Heat it up, shape it, blow it out into a sphere, and suck it back onto itself so it forms a bowl. Yay.
I made mine blue and yellow.
This is my bowl. I'm very happy. Look, proof that I actually made it.
Uhm. I actually keep my Q-tips in this right now... but I have have a little spider plant pup that I'm trying to propagate so it'll serve its original purpose soon.
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