Ottawa Glassblowing Co-op hosted a Glass Blowing 2 class this weekend, one of several offerings aimed at fostering skill around the art of glasswork.
Founded in 2019, the co-op on Gladstone Avenue, west of Preston Street, is the only hot shop in the area, providing a space for artists to create molten glasswork in a physically demanding and safe, yet high-risk environment.
Operating as a non-profit, the co-op reinvests all funds into maintaining its facility and equipment, while also offering specialized classes to encourage public interest and to build its membership.
Photos by Ashley Fraser
Artists start their piece by gathering, a process of collecting molten glass out of a crucible, a large bowl that sits inside the furnace.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Trisha Murray and Elizabeth Scherf had the steam flying as they worked together quickly to shape a hot piece fresh out of the furnace.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Frit, the small pieces of coloured glassblowing glass is identified and organized in jars.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Granulated coloured glass, referred to as crumb glass or frit is picked up with the hot glass on the marver, a heavy steel table artists work at.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Trisha Murray (left) worked with instructor Steph Krul while swirling her piece back and forth in a tool to create the desired shape.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Tools sit, ready for use beside the glassblowers space.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA At the Ottawa Glassblowing Co-op, vibrant colours are added to molten glass through the use of small, broken glass pieces known as frit. These colourful fragments are carefully applied to the clear glass collected from the furnace crucible, giving each piece its unique design and hue. The technique allows artists to create intricate patterns and stunning visual effects in their glasswork.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Various wooden blocks, often crafted from fruit wood, are kept submerged in a vat of water between uses by the artists.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Large metal tweezers are used to help form the piece of glass, pulling it in different directions to get it to its desired shape.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Well organized tools, including, tweezers, jacks, and diamond shears hung on the wall.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA During the pandemic the normal process of blowing into the end of pipes and punties switched to a hose connected to a foot pedal to allow this art to continue in a safe way. Select tools are still used with breath work and instructor Steph Krul still uses the original method from time to time to create the desired effect.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Glassblowing is one of the few art forms where artists work directly with a material in its molten state. This intense heat allows the glass to be shaped, blown, and molded into intricate forms, but it also means that glassblowing is not only a creative skill but a physically demanding and highly dangerous craft that requires precision and control.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Trisha Murray with the help of instructor Steph Krul slid her piece back and forth in a piece of newsprint, smoothing out the shape.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Most of the heat work is done in the furnace, but occasional torches were used to spot work on a piece.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Trisha Murray (left) slid her piece back and forth in a piece of newsprint, smoothing out the shape.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Instructor Steph Krul (right) helped Trisha Murray and Elizabeth Scherf (left) as they worked to create a break point where the piece was removed from one pole and put onto another.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Once the piece is complete, it is carefully placed into an annealing kiln, where it rests for several hours — its cooling time determined by the size and thickness of the glass.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Instructor Steph Krul (left) helped explain how to properly hold a tool with Elizabeth Scherf.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA Trisha Murray moved quickly to get her piece into the furnace for a flash of heat.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA It’s a short period of time the glass is at the temperature where it can be molded and formed after it’s removed from the furnace.Photo by Ashley Fraser /POSTMEDIA
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