BLOG – 35 YEARS AGO BLOG 7

Right from the start of Glass Creations I wanted my studio or workshop to be personalised and a little quirky. At first glance it all looks chaotic and this is confirmed on further glancing! Visitors entering my “space” to watch me work I found became bored quickly so I wrote on the walls. I wrote sayings which are glass related and slightly “off the wall”! Idea was and still is if those watching me and the flame battle away is not that exciting then they can always amuse themselves by reading all the sayings.

Over time the ink has faded but most are readable today. Some I gleaned from books whilst others have actually be said to me and the odd ones I just made up. One of my favourites is “glassblowing is like sex. It’s better to do it than watch it!” Obviously I agree

My plan was to fix glass related photographs and posters to the wall to create a real experience but with the heat and condensation then paper was not a good material to last any time in my working environment. Then I thought, stuff everyone! I am creating something which many cant take part in, cant understand and certainly don’t appreciate. Why isn’t me working with glass rod and tubing in an open flame at temperatures around a thousand degrees to enough to keep peoples attention?

Ahhh but my original set up of workshop and “showroom” (laugh) means I could display photographs and posters on walls without disturbance of quality. I found it still weird to display photographs of glass that could be seen, in so called in “the flesh” and hence did not travel far down this route. White, white, white walls and clear glass. That was me take it or leave it. I had confidence that this was the way I wanted to go.

Signs had to include the obligatory “do not touch” but strange thing is the kids weren’t the issue. It was the oldies that became a pain and wanted to touch everything”! Stuff ‘em!!