Glass blowing is one of the most romantic art forms in the world. Its origins date as far back as 40 BC in the region of Canaan (now Israel), however it wasn't until the 1st century AD in Italy that glassblowing really started to spread.

There are several techniques for blowing glass. The two most common are mold-blowing and free-blowing. Mold-blowing can include slumping and fusing glass. Generally hot molten glass is spread out into a wooden or metal mold. Once the glass has taken the shape of the mold, it is cooled. When the glass is cold, it will retain the shape once the mold is removed. In free-form glass blowing, the most prominent and respected technique, molten glass is gathered at the end of a blow pipe, and small puffs of air are blown into the tube. Free-form glass blowing usually requires a team of people, but talented individuals have been known to use this technique as well. The gaffer, or lead glass blower, will cap the tube once the desired shape is reached. More layers of hot glass can be added to this shape, and tools along with flat surfaces can be used to further shape the piece. Because the process is difficult to describe in words and much more beautiful to watch, I have selected a few of my favorite glass blowing videos:

Afro Celotto, one of our glass blowers is a master glass blower from Murano, Italy.

Here is another one of our artists, Kelly-Schaffermeyer, creating a vase.

And finally, because the process of reticello is difficult to explain, here is another one of our artists doing a demonstration of the technique while making a goblet. About 5 minutes into the video is where Kenny Pieper drops the second glass cup into the first. The technique is explained below.

Reticello Definition

"The Italian name for crisscrossed glass canework. Glass canes are heated, twisted in one direction, and blown into the form of a cup. The cup is set into an oven. Then, a second cup is made in the same fashion, however the glass cane is twisted in the opposite direction. The second cup is blown into the inside of the first cup. As the two cups come together, the grooves between the cane rods are sealed, causing air bubbles to lock into the crisscrossed pattern. The connected cups are then blown and formed into the final shape."

Selected images from SmithKlein Gallery: