A while back the embassy organized a group of kids to take a tour of our local Glassworks building and do some creating themselves. It was a treat to see all their back rooms and machinery in action. As always though, the actual glass blowing was the most impressive. We watched him cool/harden a ball of hot glass mid-drip and then blow glass bubbles and shatter them. What a medium to work with. I can't imagine the stress as just the tiniest mistake in timing or temp can ruin weeks or even months worth of work.
The tour included a special exhibit they had on display - can't even begin to appreciate how hard it is to get glass to cool in these shapes.
At the end they got to create their own glass tiles. They were all over this. Safety goggles, diamond edged glass cutters, glass dust and shards in all colors of the rainbow... The hardest part was choosing their design. Pretty fun.
The final product was fired then cooled and ready a week later. And although it doesn't look like the professionals above, it was pretty eye-opening to what an impressive art form glassworking is.
