Art collective takes glass blowing on the road with mobile studio - Action News
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Art collective takes glass blowing on the road with mobile studio

The studio was built after requests from clients and students for classes to come to them. It features molten glass burners that reach 1,200 C, so it gets a little hot during demonstrations.

Molten glass burners reach 1,200 C, so it gets a little hot during shows and classes

Watch experts mould superheated glass

7 years ago
Duration 0:29
Two local artists are putting some hot air to good use with their mobile glass blowing studio.

Two Calgary artists are putting some hot air to good use with theirmobile glass-blowing studio.

The brainchild ofMandy Patchin andKai Scholefieldfrom the Glass House Fine Art Collective, the mobile studio is a rolling art creation station built into the back of a moving truck.

Mandy Patchin, left, and Kai Scholefield of the Glass House Fine Art Collective have turned a moving truck into a rolling glass-blowing studio. The mobile studio will be at the cSpace King Edward arts hub from Aug. 16 to 20. (CBC)

"One of the walls opens up into a stage for us to do gigantic shows for festivals and such so everyone can see the inside of a studio and what goes on,"Scholefieldtold the Calgary Eyeopener.

The mobile studio has three main pieces of equipment inside that generate a lot of heat. This includes molten glass burners that reach 1,200 C.

Hot hot heat

The artists were inspired to create the mobile studio after multiple requests from clients and students forclasses to come to them.

Scholefieldsaid the mobile studio adds even more flair to the already theatrical art form of blowing glass.

"And we decided we were going to start really, really small, and eventually it got biggerand bigger, and now it's gigantic,"Scholefieldsaid.

Kai Scholefield cradles a glass creation at the Glass House Fine Art Collective's mobile glass blowing studio. (CBC)

Although the studio is mobile,Patchinsaid it can't be set up at the drop of a hat.

"It takes about 30 to 35 hours for the glass to heat up," Patchinsaid."So we can't quickly move around but we can definitely come to a location, when planned and set up, and do a show."

Burning down the house

Even though the artists work with molten glass and extreme temperatures, Patchin said people shouldn't be afraid to try their hand at glass blowing.

"Generally, we burn ourselves on our tools because all our tools are metal,"Patchinsaid."So you get that burn once and a while but Iwouldn'tsay it's too dangerous."

The Calgary Eyeopener's Angela Knight tries her hand at creating a glass rose at the Glass House Fine Art Collective's mobile glass blowing studio. (CBC)

From Aug. 16 to 20, the mobile studio will be set up atcSpaceKing Edward, an artisthub and venue located in theKing Edward School building on29thAvenue S.W.

Patchinsaid the Taste of Glassintroductory classes run on Friday from 5to 9 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

Classes arehalf an hour long and students learn to make eitherawine glass, two ornaments or two paper weights. Classes cost$70.


With files from the Calgary Eyeopener