Glassblowing Your Mind

     What gave birth to glass is unclear. Apparently, the right ingredients—sand, ashes from vegetation and perhaps a dash of lime—together found their way into a very hot fire, melted and voila. One of those human endeavors that bridges past and present and already forged for itself a place in our future, glassmaking is simply a fascinating study. According to historians, the creation of glass thousands of years ago was kind of like the creation of money is today. It was the exclusive domain of pharaohs and high priests—the Federal Reserve chairmen of their day. Few others could just up and make the stuff, if you know what I mean.

     The earliest glass dates back to about 2500 BC and took the form of beads and lucky charms. Crude vessels used for holding things made their debut in the Middle-East about 1500 BC. It is thought that the knowledge of glassmaking spread to the rest of the world through trade and military conquest. Indeed, early Egyptian and Mesopotamian glass have been discovered as far away as France and Russia.

     The earliest vessels were made by wrapping hot glass around dung. But somewhere about 50 BC, someone made the astounding discovery of glassblowing, heralding a new age of infinite shapes and possibilities. The Romans excelled at glass blowing, perfecting the use of molds to create lavish glass objects and adorning them with brilliant colors and even gold.

     During the Early Middle Ages or so-called Dark Ages, the period following the decline of Rome: 400 to 1000 AD, glassmaking seemingly disappeared in Europe, while in the Middle-East craftsmen perfected the art of enameling and were adept at making glass that resembled precious stones. During the 12^th century European glassmaking revived, mostly for making stained glass windows for magnificent gothic structures.

     In the 1200’s, the Venetians attempted to monopolize the glass trade, even making it a crime punishable by death to disclose glass making secrets beyond the Island of Murano, Italy. According to Veniceforvisitors.com, “they were the only people in Europe who knew how to make glass mirrors. They also developed or refined technologies such as crystalline glass, enameled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicolored glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo), and imitation gemstones made of glass. Their virtual monopoly on quality glass lasted for centuries, until glassmakers in Northern and Central Europe introduced new techniques and fashions around the same time colonists were immigrating to North America.”

     In 1607, the settlers of Jamestown colony introduced glassblowing to the New World. In the 1820’s, the mechanical press was introduced making production easy and fast. Mechanization led to factories and the individualism of the craft diminished. But in the late 19^th century, the utilitarian nature of glass branched into art and design. In 1851, the first World’s Fair was held in a gigantic crystal palace sprawling over twenty acres and consisting of three hundred thousand panes of glass. Twenty-seven years later, well known designers and artists presented their creations at the Paris Exhibition in 1878. But it was not until fairly recently, about 1960, that individual artists once again began to experiment in their own studios, ushering in what has come to be known as the studio glass movement.                 

     I wanted to experience this burgeoning movement and see the art of glassblowing first hand, so I visited Aaron Gross, in his Austin, Texas studio. The Forty year old father of two got his start at the California College of Arts and Crafts two decades ago. His wife Lacy said, “I can tell you Aaron is the real deal, in my opinion, a true professional artist. Our family lives off pure art sales. Aaron says often that he feels so lucky that he is living the dream to wake up in the morning and do what he truly loves. I know just watching from the sidelines that it didn’t come easy. He worked hard for many years in factories under other glassblowers. At one time he commuted 80 miles one way just to have a job blowing glass. His prodigious passion is what has made him successful.”

     Also Aaron’s business manager and sales rep, Lacy makes a considerable contribution to his work. “He’s lucky to have my help. I honestly think that’s what holds so many talented artists and craftsmen back. They lack that driving force to help them with all those loose ends and most importantly—sales! I handle everything to allow him to be focused on the glass. As Aaron says, ‘the glass can feel it, if your full concentration’s not on her.’ So I let him stay focused. We have a modest but great life. Glassblowing is one of the most expensive mediums to work in. Most studios close within the first two years due to the expense of blowing glass. Everyday we feel like we are defying the odds, making the operation work day in and out. We are one of the only retail locations in Austin that locally hand-make one hundred percent of its products. We get lots of support because of this. We just hope with a changing world we can keep the flame going for many more years.”

     According to Aaron, there are few real “masters” of the art. He explained, “A true master can articulate any form with any process.” His own favorite technique is known as Latticino: rows of vertical threads that spiral around each other. He created an award presented to the family of former president Lyndon B. Johnson for their support of the National Parks Foundation and has created many other such works, and his art has been highlighted in Texas Journey Magazine. 

     The Gross’s are planning a trip to Venice to see Italian masters at work, but they’ll have to plan well ahead. Aaron’s glassblowing classes are booked out three months, evidencing the growing interest in the craft. He estimates there are perhaps thousands of glassblowers right here in the U.S. and over two million world-wide Websites dedicated to the trade. That’s a lot of people working where glass melts—about 2,380 plus degrees Fahrenheit!

     Aaron utilizes essentially the same tools used by ancient artisans: wooden blocks for shaping, jacks, tweezers, shears, a solid rod of metal, paddles and a blow pipe; one notable exception: a pad of wet newspaper. When the fire is hot enough, Aaron has twenty seconds to blow a bubble. He then shapes the material, takes gathers, that is, takes more glass onto the bubble. Then coloring is gradually added. His inspiration usually comes from nature: reproduction of flowers, coral reef life, and rain forest themes.

     Aaron views the future of his passion with enthusiasm, pointing out a huge proliferation of glass artists all over the world. For now, he’s alone in the Austin area but would welcome other artisans, saying, “It would be nice to have a community of glassblowers here.” He produces a variety of pieces ranging in price from $10 to $2000. For more information, visit his Website at www.austinartglass.com.

I found Aaron’s “hot shop” a cool place to visit.