Glass Blowing Lessons in Santa Barbara: What to Expect
Most people who book a glass class have never lit a torch, and the first thing worth clearing up is what kind of glass work you are signing up for.
There are two crafts that both get called glassblowing. One is furnace work — a big hot shop, a hot furnace, a five foot pipe, a glowing blob of glass on the end of it. The other is flameworking, sometimes called lampworking: a bench, a torch in front of you, and glass tubing and rod that you heat and manipulate up to a few inches at a time. That is what we teach. It is the same craft every piece in our gallery is made with, and it is closer and quieter and more detail oriented, and far more hands-on than the furnace version. You are sitting at the torch, holding glass in the flame to heat and manipulate it not standing back from a furnace.
What We Run
Intro to Torch Work — two hours, $150 for one person or $250 for two. The first hour you watch a demo and learn the safety, the flame chemistry and how glass actually moves when it gets hot. The second hour is yours at the torch. Most people leave with a plant decoration, a small sculpture, a ring, a drink stirrer, or a pendant.
Intro to Hollow Glass — three hours, $175 for one person or $300 for two. This one is focused on using tubing. You learn to heat it evenly, add color, blow into it to change its shape, and build a hollow vessel of your own using a few different techniques.
Intro to Sculpting — three hours, $150 for one person or $250 for two. Sculpting is the goal here: heating the glass, manipulating it, and pulling a figure or an animal or an object out of it. Sculpting glass is fun.
Who It Is For
Beginners. Intro to torch work is everyone's first class. You do not need to have done anything like it before and there is nothing to bring — the glass, the tools, the safety glasses and the torch are all here. Wear something you would craft in.
What It Is Actually Like
Hot, close, and a slower process than you expect. Manipulating glass requires an understanding of how the glass moves when it is heated and how long it will stay liquid being able to be reshaped. Glass can be challenging but incredibly rewarding. We love sharing our experience and helping new artists make something they can take home with them. Almost everybody makes something they call a bit wonky and then end up liking it way more than they thought they would! Plan to pick up your creations the day after your class, or have them mailed to you. Usually it takes overnight to anneal your piece.
Where
High Tide Santa Barbara, 334 Anacapa Street #1. We are a working glass gallery and studio — the same room where the pieces on our shelves get made. Classes are small and taught by the artists who work here.
Book a class on our classes page. If you want to inquire about intermediate or advanced classes, or a larger group rate, get in touch and we will sort it out.
