On a trip to Seattle, my daughter and I were looking for
something to do on the day we flew out. We had a half day and wanted to do
something unique. I found a studio, Seattle
Glassblowing Studio, to visit and then learned that we could take a 30
minute glass blowing class. I was skeptical about what sort of learning would
go on in 30 minutes. Certainly I have zero skill and there are serious safety
issues to consider. Even so, we booked our class.
We arrived, selected the pieces we were going to make. I was
still very skeptical and of course my daughter and I chose what seemed to be
impossible creations. We were introduced to our instructor. He gave us goggles
and showed us the equipment; metal poles, colored glass, furnaces heated to
over 10000 F, and tools for shaping. He then explained the overall
process to create the items we had chosen. He was reassuring and said he would get
the glass on the pole from the hottest furnace, talk us though adding colors
and using the smaller furnace. He made suggestions for how to sit, how to move,
and what colors combine well. He explained our jobs with demonstrations. He
reiterated that he would be there to help, give verbal instructions and all we
had to do was follow instructions. He reassured us that following his lead, we would not get burned and we would be
successful.
I started tot think the task we were about to
undertake was possible, but I still felt it was very unlikely that we would
produce anything like the items we had selected. If we had just chosen to visit
and watch the artists, our learning would have already been complete. But, we dared to create
something.
Our instructor got the glass on the blow pipe and handed it
to me. My job was to keep it turning so it would stay round, add color, and reheat
the glass to melt the color into the clear blob. The instructor was kind, clear
and patient. I added the colors, heated the glass, twirled the rods and managed
to keep the blob round. Once the color was added the blowing could start. He
took the rod and positioned it so he could turn it, maintain the shape of the
glass, and instruct me on how to blow the bowl. I had to blow based on his
instructions and not grab the turning rod as it moved side to side with my hands. (I had been correctly
advised this would be a temptation.) This was quite awkward, but really amazing.
As I blew, the glass magically changed into a ball. It was
amazing how little air was needed to make any change in the shape of the hot
glass. (There’s great science stuff here!) To get the bowl shape, I had to
inhale and pull the top of the ball into the bottom of the ball. It actually
worked! I had a bowl. The instructor removed it from the rod. I was so pleased
with the work. I could hardly believe that a complete novice could actually
successfully create anything close to the model. My bowl was blue and swirly,
round and evenly shaped. Now it just had to survive the annealing furnace where it would
cool slowly and then the shipping home.
The more I thought about this experience, the more I realized
how much more my daughter and I learned from actually getting to create our own
glass items. Being coached through the experience was much more valuable than watching or listening. We had both done something I could not have imagined doing.
Neither of the things we made is perfect. Plus, we had a lot of help achieving success. I do know a lot more now about glass blowing; how hot the furnaces are on your face, how the rod feels in your hand, what it takes to keep the glass round, how to add color, and tiny breaths make big changes. If it was just a demo or lecture I would know about what I knew before giving this a try. We had a great, patient coach who walked us through a difficult process and we were successful. I blew a blow, my daughter sculpted a flower and we are going back for more lessons!
