Watching the entire process of Jason creating a single seed takes a good 30 – 45 minutes. Many steps are involved in the making of each individual seed. Good timing and control of the glass is essential. ..
Blown Glass Sunflower Seed (large)
Category: glass
Coiled Czech glass seen at Glow Glass Studio …
Sometimes walking around the glass studio we see some surprises, here is some antique czech glass stemware belonging to Alex Abajian.
The coils that you see the foot being made with: these demonstrate one of the oldest glassmaking process that were used before glass was even blown; whereby molten glass was wound around a clay core to create vessels..
(in the background Jason’s tabelware)
This process was followed by the advancements brought by mould making and casting glass and only in 50 BC did blown glass enter the scene.
If you are interested then you can read up more about the history of glass here: http://umich.edu/~kelseydb/Exhibits/WondrousGlass/RomanGlass-Making.html
White cane work sample
A beautiful finely made drinking glass with fine white cane work, creating these gorgeous helix patterns embedded within the glass.
This process requires quite some time to prepare each cane of white glass, which then gets cut into shorter strands, heated until soft like stiff honey, stretched and twisted with other clear and white cane to create each individual helix form. These are cooled in the annealer overnight. Cut again into short strands, laid in order, a hot glass cylinder os rolled over the strands of cane, the canes stick to the hot glass, then more heating, more shaping occurs; then finally the shape of a drinking glass emerges after shaping and blowing and shaping and reheating..
This process requires finely tuned skills, patience, focus and a level of endurance, because this is not something you can put down for half an hour when you want to take a break..
Sets of 2 or more made to order.
Another flash from the past:
#2 from the day of working with Alex Abajian and Ivan Mora
(written from the perspective of a glass-layperson)
This was one of the most exciting projects that I have been able to witness at the Glass Studio so far. The teamwork among these glassmakers is really great, there is a huge amount of competency coupled with fantastic working atmosphere. The day is spent working incredibly hard with serious concentration and yet there is always a surprise moment when Alex’s intelligent sense of humour gives occasion for laughter and short refreshing relief. I have rarely seen people work so incredibly well together as here at Glow Glass Studio in Oakland.
Witnessing this process and the attitudes the makers and artists here have with each other has done a lot for my appreciation of the craft and technical skills-manship but also is taking dusting influence over both Jason and my (Birgit’s) future choices of places to live and creative paths to pursue.
Having this opportunity to be here is incredible. Seeing all this hard work affects hugely how I, as an artist and glass-layperson, am able to appreciate this material and the possible forms of expression. Coming from a conceptual arts background it is refreshing to be surrounded by the down to earth labour these creatives are bringing to the table each day.
After witnessing just how much dedication and years of skill are required to excel in this field, seeing the amount of dedication as well as equipment required to build a smooth running glassblowing workshop changed my perception a lot. The value of glass in our society is huge, this is an age old but simultaneously incredibly fresh and contemporary medium that can teach us something about the value of an object that a China or Mexico produced (knocked out) mass ware item will never be able to.
When you see or hold handblown glass there is a connection that you will not experience with mass market products. In theory wine, juice or water should taste the same out of every drinking glass for example, however in practice: if you have any sensibility at all then the experience of drinking from a handmade vessel will be far superior and infinitely more pleasurable than from a throwaway valued glass or paper cup..
Alex Abajian holding the blowpipe with the large body cast glass (project for Ivan Mora)Don’t let the price fool you: you will receive what you pay for. A lifelong heirloom treasure or an anonymous object that is the same the world over…
Back to Ivan Mora: look him up! He is a really successful artist making his way in the world; quite literally globally! And all the while he is also a real pleasure to speak with. This is the best combination in an artist isn’t it? Talent, success and absence of attitude. Brilliant stuff!
Making large cast glass work to commission for Ivan : at Glow Glass Studio – teamwork
Watching the casting process for a large glass art piece for Ivan Mora, another inspired and talented glass artist who works internationally! Today we had the opportunity to catch up with him a bit and I learnt that he was artist in residence for an extended period of time at the glass studio Berengo in Murano, Venice, Italy.
In Spring – summer 2013 Jason spent some time at Berengo Glass Studio before moving on to getting more hands on involved at Zanetti (practically around the corner from Berengo).
These are some of the world’s utmost renowned glassmakers and it was really exciting to hear personal stories of Ivan’s time there as well as to get to know him a bit better over a cup of coffee.
Happening in the Glass Studio the other day
A flash from the past when Jason was full time employed making glass…
A flash from the past when Jason was full time employed making glass for somebody else than himself. He used to make ornamental pumpkins, apples and pears, some vessels, some special projects. In the 6 years with his previous employers Jason quickly rose to head gaffer (aka: head maker) which means that he was the one holding the highest responsibility for that each glass product is finished exactly as designed.
The high pressure work environment left a couple of physical injuries but also gave Jason complete confidence in his skills as a technically competent maker.
working with Glass Artist Jess Wainer at Glow Glass Studio…
Yesterday Jason assisted Jess Wainer creating her beautiful luminescent large glass lampshades for a client commission. In the light these shades virtually glow and diffract colour into these gorgeous washes of green, yellow, red.. When not hit by direct sunlight the shades are a warm golden honey yellow with a whitish fog over towards the rim.
The picture shows Jess’s work straight from out of the annealer after their overnight controlled cooling process; before the items are cold worked and finished, hopefully we can show her final pieces, too.
Each lampshade will sell for $1000, 3 were ordered.
glassmaker’s tools in the glass studio
Here are a selection of tools made especially for working with hot molten glass as well as some more familiar ones that you will recognise from home diy projects.
On the far left is a cork yoga block that Jason cut into half, glued to a sheet of plywood and turned into a tool that can shape molten glass. He often uses this one when he is making blown glass chestnuts for example. Keep an eye on other studio photographs and you might spot him using it. He calls this a cork paddle.
Jason Stropko Glass 