Working with glass artist Evan Kolker on his high quality Pitcher Plants for exhibition later this year.
Working with glass artist Evan Kolker
Tag: blown glass
creating an extra large blown glass acorn
THIS acorn is now SOLD. Jason can make more. We welcome your custom orders. Please use the contact tab to let us know that you would like your own glass acorn (s). Blown acorns as well as solid acorns are available.
Jason Stropko creating a special order, extra large, blown clear glass acorn.. The small ones are usually solid glass and weigh about what a good paperweight does. All size acorns are available well in time for the Thanksgiving Winter season, we strive to complete your orders at the first opportunity. If we have a lot of work in the studio we will try and fit acorns between other production items. We know your order is special to you and it is to us, too. If you have a deadline by which you need any custom made pieces then please give us a call or send us a message before placing your order. We always try our best but it is still best to check in.
Prices for all acorns vary depending on size. For current pricing please check our shop or use the contact tab on our website.
(Limited acorns are available for $– please check current prices on our website shop or send us a message. Our prices have changed as our business grew since 2015.)
Also worth noting is that we do continue to have occasional seconds sales of pieces that are beautiful but have small irregularities – perhaps a small air bubble or a slightly unintended shape. As the years have gone on we have less seconds these days than we did 7 years ago but it’s worth asking us about seconds if you love what Jason Stropko creates but need a more wallet friendly option.
All our glass is, yes the seconds, too, is tactile, beautiful and daydream invoking but may contain a small defect, which can be that the size doesn’t match it’s brothers and sisters or that it’s cap sits a little differently or it may have caught an unintended dent. Still a beautiful heirloom piece with a character all of it’s own)
introducing glass making colleague: Evan Kolker
Glassmaker and Artist Evan Kolker at work in Glow Glass Studio in Oakland, working on a pitcher plant, September 2015. This is very technical work requiring years of glass working experience. Evan is regularly assisted by Jason Stropko and sometimes assists with Jason’s projects, too. There are some things that are very difficult if not impossible to create without having a competent assistant who also has a thorough understanding of how glass works.
(September 2015)
then there was the day when everybody was at the Glass studio…
… there was a hive of activity, everybody was working.. David worked on his line of drinking glasses with rocks embedded in them, Evan assisted, Jerry worked with a group of clients with another glassmaker assistant, Heather was just outside the field of vision working on a deadline…
..but where was Jason?
Sunday special: Introducing a new elegant glass bowl
This handblown glass bowl takes a total of 26 hours to create. There are 2 separate hot glass blowing processes used, each requiring a 12 hour annealing (precise temperature controlled cooling) and a cold worked engraving process, which takes another craftsman up to an hour for each bowl.
The making of these bowls requires a high level of competent glassmaking craftsmanship, something that Jason has dedicated himself to full time for the past 12 years..
Assisting Alex Abajian making large blown glass lampshades for a commission
As an outsider I just keep finding it amazing how much physical energy and simultaneous fine tuned technical skill goes into making each object that emerges from the hands of any of the glassmakers here at the studio.
Alex Abajian has some serious skills and a few more years of experience than most of the other glassmakers around the studio. It is always additionally exciting when two or more talented makers work together!
flashback: A day in the studio in August
spending the day developing project ideas and making more of the blown glass table set items.. drinking glasses, bowls and functional vessels will be ready soon!
The process benefits tremendously from teamwork. Good communication, a sense of humour a steady hand and years of skill are all requires from both the gaffer (Jason) and his assistant; today Evan Kolker who is an incredible glassmaker, on other days Jason assist him in the making of his intricate and highly technical skill requiring glass art objects! It is a real stroke of luck that Jason found this glassmakers community. Where many colleagues also have very high skills levels. There is also Alex Abajian, the studio owner and another outstanding glassmaker. A series of glassmakers rent the studio and there are a lot of fantastic projects happening here. You wouldn’t know what you are missing until you see what these people make out of molten glass..
these are the tools of the day…
#teamwork #jasonstropko #glassblowing #glowglassstudio #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
Today in the studio
spending the day developing project ideas and making more of the blown glass table set items.. drinking glasses, bowls and functional vessels will be ready soon!
The process benefits tremendously from teamwork. Good communication, a sense of humour a steady hand and years of skill are all requires from both the gaffer (Jason) and his assistant; today Evan Kolker who is an incredible glassmaker, on other days Jason assist him in the making of his intricate and highly technical skill requiring glass art objects! It is a real stroke of luck that Jason found this glassmakers community. Where many colleagues also have very high skills levels. There is also Alex Abajian, the studio owner and another outstanding glassmaker. A series of glassmakers rent the studio and there are a lot of fantastic projects happening here. You wouldn’t know what you are missing until you see what these people make out of molten glass..
these are the tools of the day…
Preview of one of the latest additions to the line of Jason Stropko’s glass works…
Fresh from the Glass Studio are these sample vases / wine decanters. Beautifully made, elegant and intricate but not too fragile for daily use.
Jason Stropko Glass 