A Dream Came True
- Jan, 28 2009
- By admin
- My Life, Home & Studio
- 3 comments
It’s intrigued me ever since I was a little girl… how an artist can take hot melted glass, put it on a stick, and turn it into something remarkable and useful. The swirls of color, the specks of detail… How do they do it?
On our honeymoon, my husband and I passed a unique little shop that had big, beautiful blown glass pieces. We walked over to them and Nate commented on their stunning colors, and I said how great it would be to learn how to do that someday. Little did I know that my sneaky, creative husband had already arranged for a private lesson from a master the very next day.
We arrived at Keila Glassworks, and a big, dreadlocked man greeted us with a smile. He bore a striking resemblance to one of my fellow art students at Union University, or for you, perhaps the “typical” art student. But he handled hot glass with perfection, and somehow managed to not catch his massive amount of hair on fire. For about 2 hours, Nate and I learned the basics of glassblowing and made three pieces with some assistance: two tumblers and a vase. Did you know that it actually takes two people to blow glass? One to blow into the pipe and one to keep the pipe moving.
It was so much fun, and one of my dreams came true. (Thanks Nate!)
What is something you’ve always wanted to do? Why not make it happen in 2009? Email or comment with your dreams. I want to know!
Rachel R
awww, that’s so sweet! I’ve always been intrigued by the blown glass thing too. How fun that you got to learn!
Shannon C
I have always wanted to live with older people and do pet therapy with them.
Tracey
Hi Kelly,
Just a quick FYI, it doesn’t take 2 people to blow glass! I worked for a glassblower for many years and know many others – it only takes one. There are exceptions of course, considering the size of the piece or if you are Dale Chihuly for example. I think you would find that most glassblower crafts folk are single person studios or a single glass blower with support in other areas like grinding, polishing, or other studio duties. It is a blast though and like the violin in music, the most difficult medium to master.