Swinging and rolling a molten blob from a pipe seems like a haphazard way to do anything, let alone create something of value.
But Kriss Rogers of the Uptown shop Outside Envy knows differently. In 2007, she opened this local Garden of Eden that sells a great number of these blobs, which are commonly referred to as glass art. As April brings National Art Glass Month with it, these blobs are more prominent than ever.
Outside Envy has moved the spotlight from its usual unique garden treasures to handmade glass in honor of Art Glass Month. The pieces (mostly made by a father-daughter duo in Ontario, Canada) create an eye-catching display in the middle of the shop, the colors of which shine vibrantly despite the gray Ohio weather.
"My own garden is full of glass pieces, and it's so nice because you have wonderful color even when it isn't from the plants," Rogers said.
It's hard to imagine something colorful and beautiful coming from that aforementioned molten mass before it's shaped, but according to local artist Therese Medley, "Glass is so dimensional; you see composition, color, texture, and you see through it. It can be awesome to create then view from different angles and see many different colors."
Though many of Outside Envy's larger art glass pieces are from the Ontario-based company Kitras, Rogers said, "Local artists are a big part of our store. They allow us to tell a story through each of our pieces in three ways: through local art, North American art and if the customer requests, imported art."
The origin of each glass piece is kind of an ugly duckling story. Beginning as a variety of raw materials, the soon-to-be glass is heated at roughly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. From there, it sits as the bubbles rise, not unlike kneaded dough, and cools to 1,300 degrees. The newly formed glass is pliable enough to blow into bubbles and create some form of container, roll and sculpt into a desired shape or even create some abstract pieces.
Since the early signs of artistic glass pieces (some dating as far back as Mesopotamian ages), America has not had a huge presence in the art glass world. Recently, thanks to renowned glass artists like Harvey Littleton and Dominick Labino, America has made itself more known in the artistic field of glass. "The importance of art glass is doing it and enjoying what it brings to others," Medley said.
