Are these really made of glass?

Yes, they're soda-lime glass, to be technical. It’s the same glass that beadmakers and glassblowers use, and that you drink your beer out of.

Do you really make them yourself?

Yep, it’s just me, with a blowtorch, in my art studio. I started out in my basement, but after the spiders became too numerous and organized I moved it all upstairs.

This is glassblowing, right?

Sorta. The technical term for what I do is lampworking, or sometimes flameworking. Glassblowers tend to work big, using a large furnace to melt pounds of glass at a time, scooping out the melted glass and working with it that way, usually making larger items. On the other hand, lampworking is small-scale; I sit at a desk and melt rods of cold glass with a gas- and oxygen-powered torch. It’s the same technique that beadmakers use, and a cousin to scientific glassblowing.

Aren’t they incredibly fragile?

Generally speaking, no. They won’t survive a drop onto concrete, but they’ll just bounce on a wooden or carpeted floor. They have survived both toddlers and cats at our house. Longer, thinner elements will of course be more delicate, but on the whole they’re quite sturdy.

Will the flowers pop off the wire?

NO. They’re fused on to the wires; the melted glass has bonded with the metal. You can, of course, trim the wires short if you wish, but those flowers are only coming off the wire with the help of a hammer.

How come you don’t have many bright purples or pinks?

Glass chemistry is complicated. Some colors are easy to make, using inexpensive and stable minerals and metals. Others, like purples and bright pinks, are difficult, expensive, toxic, fussy, or just flat-out impossible to create. Just like the royal purple robes of old that were too expensive for any but kings, the few deep purples and pinks that are available can be $100/lb or more.

Do you sell at any stores or galleries?

YES! When I’m not out doing art shows, my current stock can be found at Fleur Des Lis Gallery, 318 Central Avenue, Faribault, MN. The owner, Jess, also carries artwork and handmade items from many other excellent Minnesota-based artists. It’s just a few minutes off of Interstate 35.

https://www.fleurdelisgallery.com

Do you sell wholesale?

At this time, no. I’m just keeping up with my current art shows, children, and teaching job. Maybe someday!