Glass Blowing at Black Stone River

https://www.blackstoneriverglass.com

I’ve dragged my feet on posting this due to all the prep work for upcoming art shows, but really wanted to say something about the Black Stone River Glass Center where Donna and I attended a one night glass blowing session. We had a blast and I was truly impressed with the work I saw while we were there.

For the class we each got to create a glass of our own. These are the two Donna and I created:

As you can see from some of the photos, it’s really a hands on class. That being said, we couldn’t have done it without our fabulous teachers every step of the way. I have to admit that I selected photos where we were hands on, but for most of the class it was observation and listening to what was being done. Perfect for the first time glass blower!

By the way, the fashion choice was the recommendation to ensure you don’t burn yourself. That glory hole (official name) where you re-heat the glass would definitely keep you warm all winter long in the coldest of climates!

I think the most fascinating thing I saw during the whole process is the different states the glass would go through. What I really loved watching is the glass swirling around when you were re-heating it. You get the swirls with the color by rolling it while it’s really hot and it has this magical look like the colors are the clouds circling the planet, which in this case was rather small and was red hot glass. Maybe more like clouds of color circling a small sun!

Anyway, the glass could be red hot and would cool down to a pretty amber to almost a coffee color while you were working it. Once it really cooled down and was ready to go to the next stage it had turned a dark green.

It stayed in a heated box that was slowly cooled down over a time period of a day or so to keep the glass from cooling unevenly and cracking. A day or two later you come by and get to pick up your final pieces!

Lastly I just want to give a big shout out to everyone we met at the glass center. You made it a magical and educational experience. I’ll be back for more just as soon as I can!

https://www.facebook.com/blackstoneriverglass