I have always been enamored with glass art.
As a child, I marvelled at stained glass windows (especially the dalle de verre style pieces in my parents’ church). As a teen, I obsessed over the work of Dale Chihuly, and I took every opportunity to watch glass-blowing demonstrations at fairs or galleries. Today, I could easily spend an entire blissful day in my own little world exploring the Imagine Museum and similar exhibits.
Only recently did I realize that there wasn’t much stopping me from trying my hand at glass art!
Over the past year, I’ve taken three workshops at the Pittsburgh Glass Center: two day-long classes focused on fusing and slumping, and an eight-week stained glass workshop. That number is soon to be four: I’ll be attending a hot glass sculpting class next week (stay tuned for glass cacti).
These workshops have been a great reminder of how rewarding (and sometimes frustrating) it can be to try new things. They’ve also reminded me that “practice makes perfect.” This is especially true when it comes to cutting glass into specific shapes.
Somehow, what I’ve found to be even more rewarding than having the finished objects is seeing my very first piece featured as the sample image for upcoming workshops, as shown in the screenshot below. It’s also in a printed brochure. Yes, I saved a copy.
Without further ado, here’s a little gallery of my finished pieces. Maybe someday I’ll learn how to take better photos of my artwork. 🙂
Beyond the tactile objects, the learning experiences, and the personal satisfaction of being a featured artist, these workshops have also given me a pretty fantastic earworm: I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass, by Nick Lowe.
