It's Hot in the Hot Shop

This is the centre of the Pilchuck Glass School campus, the Hot Shop is really at the heart of it. It's this distinctive shaped building that is the logo for Pilchuck and instantly recognisable to anyone who knows it.

I knew nothing much about hot glass working but this place is like a magnet, you start watching people working and then you stay for ages to see how things turn out - alot is experimental which is one of Pilchuck's pioneering philosophies. I'm not sure what caused the steam above but it just added to the atmosphere.

I think there were at least 7 of these glory holes and work stations which makes it one of the best equipped communal glass studios around. This is my fellow instructor Nanda Soderberg with whom I'd been invited to teach an experimental chandelier making course; this entailed hot-working found glass objects and glass from the dump and incorporating them with metal or wooden structures made from things we found or bought in thrift stores.

This is Nanda making a Veronese shape vase from a wine bottle.

One of our students Jonah hot-worked alot of beer bottles and made a beautiful wall mounted light piece.