Friday Find ~ Finding Hidden Talent - Glass Creations

Handblown glass has always intrigued me, the process being one that looks incredibly difficult to me. Not to mention the heat and danger associated with this art form. Even calling it an artform can be a cause for debate, because of it's functional capabilities and scientific knowledge that is necessary to make even the simplest and most functional pieces. But creativity has a major role in it as well and that cannot be discredited in the final piece. 

Without going into too much history, debate, or critiques, I want to share some of the very beautiful creations my daughter got the chance to make as part of her senior project needed for graduation this upcoming year. 

The snake (in the front above is a zig zag of glass with a curious head) is what they start with, in the torch class, to get a hang of working with glass. Then the pendant, just above the snake here, where she got to add color. All work done in this class was done with a torch.

The Hot Shop class was next, where they got to work with the large furnaces and blow the glass through the rods. They also got to add brilliant colors and play with different shapes. The glass (here) shows how brilliant red can be in glass, and you can see where she had a lot of fun with the white 'bubbles'. 

The paperweight (below with the snake again) was done in the Hot Shop Class also, and incorporates different colors and see how difficult it is to make an entirely round object. Difficult because gravity play havoc with keeping a molten piece of glass round.

Then she took another Hot Shop class, where she got to make another paperweight, and a vase. She added different colors and explored different shapes. 

Egg Shaped Paperweight with a light purple. Of course, I love it.

The vase is stunning. The shape and the color pattern are really incredible for a beginner, in my humble opinion. 



Of course, I may be a little biased, after all she is my daughter. But she has a real talent for creative things. Even the teachers said she picked up the technique very quickly.

Thanks to the Asheville Glass Center for giving her the chance to explore a new medium, use color in a way she never had before, and teach her about teamwork. 

She found a talent she didn't know she had. She was nervous at first, knowing that she didn't know anything about creating glass works, but she didn't let her fear keep her from doing it. She plowed ahead, and found she is very good at something entirely new. I hope she is always discovering hidden talents. 

We all must allow ourselves the opportunities to explore unknowns, to get through our fears, and find our hidden talents. 
Have you ever surprised yourself and found a hidden talent?Stepped past your fears and found you have a talent you didn't know you had? I would love to hear how you achieved something incredible, even if it is simply making a paper weight and vase.