In this fun episode of Art of the Aperitif we take a look at the art of glassblowing: exploring the craftsmanship and artistry!
Dan Neff is a glass artist and founder of Lake Superior Art Glass, a studio, gallery, and classroom just down the street from our distillery in Canal Park.
In our conversation we talk about what drew Dan to working in glass, including his penchant for making marbles and optical illusions. He explains different styles of glassblowing and some of the challenging aspects for planning to make artwork from glass. I was intrigued to learn about the amount of planning that is required for making a piece from glass. You have to have every step mapped out in your head as you build a piece from the inside to the outside, visualizing where it is going to go, how different colors of glass will behave, and so on.
We also discuss a favorite type of glass of mine – stemware! How are beautiful wine glasses and cocktails made? Where does an elegant lip or beautiful stem come into the process. And last but not least, Dan demonstrates some glass blowing using a flame torch method. So cool! Or, well, hot technically. 2,400 degrees Farenheit actually. You’ll definitely want a crisp, cold Frenchie in a lovely coupe to cool off with for this conversation. 🙂
Blowing glass is a fascinating combination of artistry and craftsmanship. Dan and his team excel at both, always pursuing technical excellence so they can experiment with new designs and refine old ones.
