Glassblowing: Master Glassblowers Create a Celebration Bowl at Simon Pearce

Watch Simon Pearce glassblowers work as a team to create a hand blown Celebration Bowl at our workshop in Windsor, VT.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• simon
• pearce
• vermont
• glass
• glassblowing
• glassblower
• blowing
• blower
• windsor

[morethansalt]

Hey, this is CRAFT, not ART. It's fine to use a mold to guide the blower when you're making so many pieces! Lighten up! I'd MUCH rather have a piece of Simon Pearce than a piece of Libby.

[SimonPearce07]

Thanks for the comment morethansalt!

[Dierwolf2000]

im an artist, pure and simple. and i find making molds and using them in the shop as gratifying as offhand working. and Chris, production may suck to you but for many people its a goal, and for many more its a way to get good at it while you get paid.

[HawtGlass]

production suuux

[d3tach3d]

Maybe when its a one off piece. This is obviously a production piece which is probly made 50 times a day or more. Molds create pinpoint accuracy and max speed for more profit for your time.

[aguafiesta69]

lammmeee. real gblowers dont need to use a mold.

[spininglass]

I hear everyone on their opinion. I have blown glass in many molds and freehand. I'd have to say I can make nicer glass outside the mold. Molds do make for more consistent size and shape which I think all glassblowers strive towards. I've seen many awesome glassblowers want to sledgehammer molds because they make them look like bad glassblowers. Molds definitely aren't "presto" there's the piece by any means. Anyway, I hope everyone continues to make glass and have a good time!

[SimonPearce07]

Thanks for the feedback. I understand where you're coming from.

We operate 10 retail stores, an online store, and offer our product in 350+ locations around the world, so offering consistency in shape and size while retaining hand blown individuality is important to our customers. We use molds to help us maintain some shape and size (of course, we still end up with variance).

[russ1618]

Same here, I'm all for production glass blowing, but mold blowing seems to be detrimental to the pieces' value; and frankly I think passing off mold blown as hand blown should be insulting to the artist.