Glass Blowing......... Awesome. That's actually something I've been interested in for a long time. It's amazing that they can make just about what ever one can imagine. I'm not sure if you guys have heard of Annie Glass, it's an extremely popular store in Santa Cruz that has been becoming very popular across the nation. They glass blow a variety of things- but I think they specialize in dinner and kitchenware. I enjoy the more abstract designs and colors. I actually tried to commission a glass blower to blow me a long industrial piercing to replace my metallic one but I haven?t been able to persuade anyone yet. Their all concerned about the glass breaking----which makes sense.

Have you been taking the class for long? If so how long has it taken you to feel comfortable at making tangible objects? I'll try and watch you on the web. I'll be driving that day but maybe they'll have a replay link. Nonetheless that sounds really fun :)

I can't wait to see the fruits of your new hobby. Is there much equipment that you will need before the event or does the studio provide the items for you?

That male primal instinct of dealing with fire and burning/melting things is very magnetic. Hopefully you will have better luck than Craig when it comes to heating things - sorry Craig, I had to jump on that fastball.

Not sure I can connect on ship BUT what fun! Glass blowing I am insterested in heazring more! Creativity fantastic....I am bing Vana White to Bridge players...definitely 2nf fiddle to Gerry's talent but I CAN be friendly and that is something! So far my emails don't seem to be working. If ths gets through We are fine....ship very rockie...in a CREW cabin fun and interesting. Dress up tonight. Ship is nice we hav sailed on it be4. Hope everybody is doing good. Sorry our addresses don't show up:( Maybe if this connects say hello from Gerry and i to all. He is really well received on his lectures and even humor....WOW We can not eat alone because he is a xcelebrity of sorts!

Mom- glad you and Gerry are having a good experience on the cruise. Enjoy! Crew quarters must be neat to experience. Sort of like going being the scenes at ClubMed?

Adam- my first class is coming up so I'm still a long ways from knowing if I'm any good at this. But I'm hoping that my microbiology lab work (where we use flames to sterilize things, and need to pay attention to where our hands are) will help.

Kris-
I think the reason this guy started the studio is so people could use shared equipment. Apparently when he got the bug he had to keep his punty rods (I think that's what they are called) in the trunk of his car, looking for glass furnaces to work with. Ultimately, I may get to rent studio time, and avoid all the infrastructure building myself. We'll see. Avoiding burns is job one for now.

Trivia fact - serious glass work eminates from Italy, where apparently it was a reason for deforestation 100s of years ago. It took lots of trees to keep the furnaces going, and it was a major source of GNP at the time.

Hope life is treating everyone well. Thanks for the interest and updates from your lives. Best regards. -j

hey! i checked out the (tail end) of the web cam - pretty rad. i'm not sure i could see you, though not sure if i'd really be able to tell - but looked fun. did you get any pieces made? you'll have to post some pics if/when you do.

Thanks for the check-in Craig. Having 3 guys in my class wearing long sleved red shirts wasn't what I'd planned - it made a visual ID tough. Plus, I was usually looking down at a very hot blob of glass instead of up at the camera. The camera system may be so they get a better property insurance rate, for all I know. I only got burned once, and I didn't jump around very much - but I can try to be more dramatic next time.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the class. Superb teachers, and glass is a substance that really appeals to my materials science and physics sensibilities. Finished pieces (by real artists) still excite me - during a stint of homesickness/seasonal depression in the UK there were some old but elegant glass pieces in the museum that I took real solice from. Funny what works for different people in those situations.

I made a few "objects", but I wouldn't call them pieces yet. I'd like to get to do more, however. I particularly like the steps of marvering and blowing, and the general process of spinning the glass on various rods to get and keep the center of gravity in a stable spot. For me, it's actually fun to have something where 100 things can go wrong; it keeps things exciting until the very end, and also offers a lot of interval steps for partial mastery.

So- Long live art, and its rich range of forms.
Thanks, too, to artists who let the rest of us tap into that world, even if only as visitors.

-Jeff