Understanding the Beauty of Glass Blowing

    Glass blowing has wowed people for centuries with its high-energy process and stunning artistic glass pieces. Dancing the line between dangerous and fine art, glass blowing possesses the sense of excitement and sensational skill far closer to that of a spectator sport than a craft project. And during my visit to watch glass artist Casey Hyland at Louisville Glassworks, I became one of the millions upon millions of people who have watched in awe as glass blowing artists have practiced their art.
    The first step you take into the hot shop, the room that contains the furnaces and tools used when glass blowing, is not monumental. In fact, it's a naive step - one that fails to see the beauty and amazement before it. And even after you've walked all the way into the hot shop and felt the immense heat from the furnaces, you still don't understand the significance of your visit. You watch the glass blowing artists, and see their casual nature, assuming that glass blowing is no different than your grade school art classes. It just requires a little more advanced tools.
    But then something changes. You begin to sense the rhythm between the artists. You see the methodical movements and disciplined form. It's no longer just an end result. The process is art. The teamwork between the two glass blowing artists that exchange commands as smoothly as roles. The trust. The undeniable talent. It's all a part of what makes glass blowing an art.
   At first it may seem unbelievable that glass blowing is calculated in its movements and form, but after considering the highly dangerous temperature of the glass and the fragile nature of the medium, you quickly understand the need for a systematic rhythm. Like a well-composed symphony, a beautiful piece of blown glass requires immense calculations and an understanding of math and science. And the most impressive part is that the science of glass blowing took root during the Roman Empire - roughly two thousand years ago.
    "Glass blowing was a Roman art," Casey said. "If you were to go back 2,000 years, you would see a setup very similar to this - as far as the hand tools, the bench, the whole working environment. Obviously they would not have controllers on their furnaces like we have them, but not much has changed. That's one of the more captivating moments about glassblowing. Not only is it a fire art, but it is a relatively old art as well."
    The history of glass blowing only adds to its mystique and captivating aura. The very fact that not much has changed about the art over 2,000 years shows the importance of craftsmanship and the excellence of the method. That time tested method begins with molten glass that has been heated in a furnace at 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit.
    "You start with a blow pipe and it is a matter of gathering materials [glass] from the furnace," Casey said. "In this case applying color or some sort of color application, and then using the steel table, the newspaper, the wooden block and the other hand tools that we have to begin to shape that molten mass to where we can control it by blowing, by using gravity, by using heat from the glory hole to begin shaping the vessel that we want."
   And that is no easy task. Glass blowing artists must learn to master the glass medium, knowing what movements and temperatures are necessary to achieve the look they desire. If they aren't completely focused on the process, the blown glass can end on the floor shattered in pieces.
    Adding heat to the pressure is the immense temperature of the glass. During the summer months, temperatures in the hot shop can rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. But more importantly, the glass itself is hot. To shape the glass by hand, glass blowing artists place a wet newspaper between the molten glass and their hand. Moving the newspaper back and forth, the water keeps their hand from burning while the ashes allow the newspaper to easily slide around the glass.
    The process is nothing to shrug at. In addition to guts and staggering skill, glass blowing artists must have a fierce determination.
    "For most people just starting out I would say, takes two and a half to three years would be a good time frame to really feel like you have some control over the materials," Casey said.
    It's hard earned to become a glass blowing artist. And that fact alone makes me ashamed for my flippant attitude when I first walked into the hot shop. As I walked out, I wanted to take my first steps again. I wanted to appreciate the entire experience. Most importantly, I just didn't want to go. It was too fun to watch.