Every once in a while I like to look for something completely different from my day-to-day experiences. When I found out that glassblowing classes were available in the tiny community of Harmony, CA, I couldn’t resist the chance to check it out. One of the hazards of being my friend is that I’ll often recruit you to join me for random day trips just like this, so I collected three of my closest friends and we headed to Harmony Glassworks.
From time to time I’ll feature experiences like this that aren’t offered in Win Country, but that may help you to plan the perfect itinerary for your next outing to our area. If you aren’t familiar with Harmony, you probably aren’t alone. The town has a total population of 18 people, and if you blink on Highway 1 you might miss it. Located just 90 minutes north from Santa Ynez Valley, the drive is easy and the views are spectacular.
The instructor is Harmony Glassworks gallery owner and artist, Eric Dandurand. Eric introduced us to the glassblowing process while he completed a vase that he had started just before our arrival. And then we dove right in to the lesson. Eric is a delightfully hands-on instructor. He began by putting the blowpipe in one hand and a grip of wet newspaper in the other. We went through the general steps for molding and shaping the material and then the fun began!
I have selected a few of my favorite pictures to demonstrate what we learned and the steps that each of us took in creating our very own glass pieces. To learn more about scheduling your very own glassblowing experience click here!
Small tiles like this one are melted down to create molten glass used in the class.
That's right, glassblowing is a literal term for the activity of blowing air into a long pipe that shapes the molten glass.
Each of us had the opportunity to use tools to mold and shape our glass creations.
There are only a few moments before the glass starts to cool for shaping and styling, so the piece has to be rotated constantly and reheated throughout the process.
This is what happens when hot glass falls into a bucket of water!
When it's time to color the glass, the molten material is rolled through colored "frit".
While we don’t offer glassblowing classes in Santa Ynez Valley, there are a number of wonderful art experiences in our own backyard. For example: The C Gallery is hosting a one-day workshop on making Tin dolls in March. Check The C Gallery for their upcoming art classes by clicking here.
What type of tradeskill class would you be interested in taking? Paper making, glass engraving, or perhaps armor-smithing: tell us here!
BROWSE
Deep dark red and silver blue
The color so dense you can’t see through
Blowing and shaping to make it sleek
A strong thick figure that isn’t weak
Blowing and shaping an elegant piece
Not knowing there in, lives a beast!
Another heat to work with the tools
Not knowing this shape, you will soon lose
The sides now begin to collapse
And on its self it begins to wrap
You try to RECAPTURE the way it use to be
But it will have NONE of it! … It wants to be free
Now all lumpy, and twisted inside and out
Your heart sinks and begins to pout
You finally surrender, to this work of art
And quit working with your mind, but instead with your heart
There’s something there, not a bowl or a vase
But an emotion captured without a face
You put the lip wrap on and reduce the color
The piece you have now is like none other
In the heart of the piece a thin thread resides
A symbol of how our life abides
(I am a glass blower, and this was one of the first pieces I ever worked on. At the Fireworks Glass Studios, in Williamston MI)
Hi Rhonda,
Thanks so much for sharing! Yes, we had a few very interesting learnings with our pieces, but I think that’s what made it all the more fun. Sometimes when everything folds in on itself we see how beautiful things truly are!
Most Sincerely,
Megan, The Local Tourist