Glass Blowing!

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to go glass blowing with my group from work. We went to Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle for a 3 hour class. After a demonstration, we broke up into three groups and began working with 2000+ degree glass.

First you begin with gathering some glass from the furnace.

Add some color (I asked to add some 'dicot'-formal name for what I refer to glitter glass)

Heat it up in the Glory Hole (yes, that is really what they call it)

Add some swirls (I asked for this addition)

Mold the glass

Blow in air to increase the size

What? Did you say 'stop'?

Shape the glass

Look at those beautiful colors and swirls!

Cut the base

Little assistance from Kari

We made 'sucky' bowls, you suck the air in, which creates a bowl (cleaver name)

Heating the bottom, so it is even

This is a globe that someone else made

Kiln that decreases in temperature for 24 hours, then they are ready

Interesting fact, Kari, my groups instructor, worked on a team at another studio that made all the glass pendant lights for Starbucks stores world wide. The lights were all made with a mold, so they would be uniform. The group worked for three years making all the lights. That comes to 150 a day, seven days a week. What a great contract, but that is a lot of the same thing everyday. I will never look at the lights the same!

Finished product, isn't it pretty?

Love, Love, Love the 'Glitter Glass'

I highly recommend taking a glass blowing class, it was an amazing experience! Living Social actually has a deal for a glass ornament class at Redmond School of Glass now, it is available until tomorrow for purchase, however it doesn't expire until Feb. 2013.