I started blowing glass this past year, using a technique called lampworking. In contrast to furnace or offhand glassblowing, lampworking essentially consists of working with glass using a bench-mounted torch rather than a furnace with a gloryhole. I work with borosilicate rather than soft glass. At this point, I've got about 100 hours on the torch and am working on building a studio so I can spend more time working at it, as my mentor is working more sporadically these days.

The pictures in this thread so far present my progress from my very first day on the torch through September, which is the last time I was able to get torch time. In this post I've included my first class through the first two weeks of creations.

Really great work. I love the etched jars as well.

You are off and running!

Thanks, Art!!

Here is my first study in wig wags/reversals. First I created all the tubing, then I made stuff from it. I used the same tubing to make the ring stand and mushroom at the end.

This post is technically out of order, but it shows part of the process of making the reversals and making vessels out of them so I thought I'd put it here.

Unfortunately the piece in question broke and I turned it into two interlocking pendants, but I like the process shots, so there you go.

I threw in some completed pieces that I did before the one that broke, but they weren't as clean as the one that died.

Here's a random assortment of pieces

And here are some large 2.5"-3.5" marbles, including a prototype DMT molecule encasement.

Super cool, all of em!

wow, nice work! I love that last batch of images

Nice works

Thank you!

Wow, amazing creativity and craftsmanship!

Very mesmerizing work and this is ONLY the start!

Thank you for sharing your works so far but when can we see moar?

Awwww thanks

I'm currently without a studio as my mentor has been quite flaky and hasn't been responsive about studio time. This is why I started the molecule jar project for the moment, as the vast majority of the work can be done outside of his studio and none of it requires using my torch. I'm hoping that the funds from that will help finance the shed that I'm working on building so that I don't need to rely on anyone else to get studio time.

I think I have a few odds and ends lying around that haven't been photographed yet. If I can find them, I'll take some pics and throw them up on here.

Thanks for all the support, it's been quite the journey so far

Nice work! Keep it up!

Thanks!

Finally got back into the studio and should have more pics next week when I can get stuff outta the kiln. Here are some sneak peaks from today.

Eye see you...

Nice work. I do love me some eyeballs!

Thanks for letting us know, its beautiful work!

You've got the skills my friend. This is great to see.

Peace

Macre

Thanks all!

I don't know how more established artists feel, but I find I feel so vital and vibrant when I'm behind the torch and everything is just flowing. It's like a trance state, no thoughts, just interaction between me and the glass. I love the sensation and it's a real inspiration to get more technically proficient.

A few things had hairline cracks and had to go back in the kiln after I fixed em, but here's a look at what I did last Friday.

NICE WORK! have you tried making those spillproof bubblers?