My Early Days in Glass
I got started doing glass about 10 years ago. My wife, Laura was already working in kiln formed glass in a studio in our former house across town. We went out to Portland, OR where she was going to attend a national glass convention. Since we had never been to the northwest, we went out a week early and rented a car to drive down the coast staying in B&B’s and taking in the sights. One day while passing through Bandon, OR, I noticed a sign that said “See live glassblowers at work” and we pulled into the studio. I had never seen glassblowing before. The studio was owned by a glassblower named Dutch Schultz (no relation to the notorious mobster in the 20’s) Dutch and his team were in the process of making one of his signature large vases. I was totally captivated. We bought one of the vases, which I still have. I was determined to learn more about glass and glassblowing.
When I got back home, I signed up for a one day glass paperweight workshop at Susan Gott’s studio in Tampa. My first effort at gathering hot glass from the furnace was inauspicious to say the least, but the experience was enough to make we want to do more. I met a great fellow and now long time good friend, Ed Kozlowski. Ed had a small glass studio at his home. He agreed to teach me how to make glass paperweights and ornaments. I spent a few Saturday mornings learning the basics of gathering hot glass from the furnace, adding color and shaping them into round globe paperweights. Summer was coming on, and many glass studios in Florida shut down because the summer heat makes it too unbearable to work. Laura suggested I try to enroll in a class at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. I was fortunate enough to get into a glass taught by an outstanding glass artist Richard Jolley. That intensive hands on experience was the inspiration I needed to make the commitment to set up my own studio.
We already had a couple of kilns and other glassworking equipment for Laura’s work, but a glass “hot shop” wo
uld require a serious investment in several more fixtures including a glass melting furnace, glory hole, gaffer’s bench, and marver table. Fortunately, Laura had been collaborating with a master welder and metal artist, Jim Fasting, who was able to make me a wonderful bench and marver table. Because of zoning restrictions, I could not install a gas fired furnace since our studio was attached directly to our home, so I opted for a turn key electric glass furnace from Denver Glass Machinery Company.I also went ahead and purchased a Denver glory hole, and a Denver polisher/grinder.
The furnace arrived on a semi tractor trailer. The furnace had been seriously damaged in shipment and had to be sent back. A few weeks later, the furnace again arrived. It weighed well over a ton. Fortunately, it is on wheels. When I measured the width, I found it was a couple inches too big to fit through the door from the garage to the studio. Fortunately, by removing the door, it could just squeeze through. My furnace is the same one my friend Ed has used for years, so he was able to get me up and running with a minimum of problems.
So in early 2000, I was now a novice glass blower with my own studio.
When I got back home, I signed up for a one day glass paperweight workshop at Susan Gott’s studio in Tampa. My first effort at gathering hot glass from the furnace was inauspicious to say the least, but the experience was enough to make we want to do more. I met a great fellow and now long time good friend, Ed Kozlowski. Ed had a small glass studio at his home. He agreed to teach me how to make glass paperweights and ornaments. I spent a few Saturday mornings learning the basics of gathering hot glass from the furnace, adding color and shaping them into round globe paperweights. Summer was coming on, and many glass studios in Florida shut down because the summer heat makes it too unbearable to work. Laura suggested I try to enroll in a class at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. I was fortunate enough to get into a glass taught by an outstanding glass artist Richard Jolley. That intensive hands on experience was the inspiration I needed to make the commitment to set up my own studio.
We already had a couple of kilns and other glassworking equipment for Laura’s work, but a glass “hot shop” wo
uld require a serious investment in several more fixtures including a glass melting furnace, glory hole, gaffer’s bench, and marver table. Fortunately, Laura had been collaborating with a master welder and metal artist, Jim Fasting, who was able to make me a wonderful bench and marver table. Because of zoning restrictions, I could not install a gas fired furnace since our studio was attached directly to our home, so I opted for a turn key electric glass furnace from Denver Glass Machinery Company.I also went ahead and purchased a Denver glory hole, and a Denver polisher/grinder.The furnace arrived on a semi tractor trailer. The furnace had been seriously damaged in shipment and had to be sent back. A few weeks later, the furnace again arrived. It weighed well over a ton. Fortunately, it is on wheels. When I measured the width, I found it was a couple inches too big to fit through the door from the garage to the studio. Fortunately, by removing the door, it could just squeeze through. My furnace is the same one my friend Ed has used for years, so he was able to get me up and running with a minimum of problems.
So in early 2000, I was now a novice glass blower with my own studio.
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