The Art of Glasswork

If you are a fan of Netflix's “Blown Away” and have dreamt of making your own glass masterpiece but don't know where or how to begin, you're in luck. Sara Sally LaGrand and her husband Robert have been teaching torchwork and lampwork glass techniques for decades, opening their own home studio in Lenexa for workshops and master classes in 2013.

Years ago, the two traveled to Arizona and noticed beautiful beads for sale for jewelry making and they decided to learn how to make beads of their own and sell them. Through talking to other glass artists, finding a few books on the topic (this was pre-internet, and pre-Netflix), and a lot of trial and error, the two cultivated a career in glass artistry and instruction. 

Recently, my husband and I took beginner classes learning the art of melting glass to participate in both bead-making and marble-making at Public GlassWorks.

The Basics:

Public GlassWorks offers private classes for up to six people for 3-hour blocks ($75/student, ages 16+ with parental permission).  Beginners choose either marbles or beads for their first class.  They provide all materials and equipment, and students keep their pieces. You'll find a variety of options for lessons on their website.

The basement studio offers multiple workstations so up to six students may learn at the same time, or some local artists even rent the space to work on their own glass projects. They use Arrow Springs kilns to fire the completed work and the studio is equipped with an “over-ambitious” ventilation system keeping the air clean and pure for your safety.  

Sara and Robert teach glass lampworking, a specialized art form that requires fewer tools and materials than other glasswork. Lampworking, also known as flameworking, uses a torch to melt and shape glass, once the glass is molten, artists form it using shaping tools (we used large tweezers at one point), special hand movements and twists, and for masters some glassblowing. 

Students who successfully complete a beginner class are eligible to take Beyond Beginners and even work up to renting space and work on their own projects. Additionally, you'll even find special classes throughout the year including classes where you paint on glass beads or make Christmas Ornaments. Check the schedule on their website for information.

They host all levels of glasswork instruction from beginner all the way to master classes and international tours in Italy. They have hosted hundreds of students from all over the world - both novices and advanced artisans who want to perfect their techniques. And, they've even taught their art form all over the world in England, Denmark, Canada, France, and Italy. Sara is a recognized glass artist in the community, especially known for developing the technique of bunching the glass and wrapping hot glass around a stainless steel tig wire to create a bunched effect (seen on this glass sculpture below).

Our Experience:

Ron and I took our class on a Monday evening in the fully equipped studio where we learned how to use Bethlehem torches to melt glass and make tiny works of art. 

Sara begins each lesson teaching students how to safely light the torch, how to hold glass rods, and how to form the glass into a bead on a mandrel that had been dipped in graphite so the bead would not stick in the end.  We were equipped with aprons and purple glasses to protect us from the light of the bright orange flare produced when the glass is in the flame. She then taught us the hottest part of the flame was known as Brazil, Kansas in the middle where it is more neutral, and Canada as the coolest. She demonstrated this as distances from the flame to help us remember where to work with the glass. Sara also showed us how to hold the glass rod and the mandrel and how to twist the mandrel to receive the glass and form a bead.

Our first bead was solid black. With our second we learned how to add dots. We then learned more design techniques.

After demonstrating each step, she lets the students begin, first making a plain black bead, then adding dots to a bead, then learning more techniques and design. We each made multiple beads over our time in the class. My husband has a lot of experience with delicate handwork, soldering electronics, and working on delicate projects, so he took on the task like a pro. I am less experienced, so it took a little more time to figure out hand-eye coordination. Sara did a great job explaining what to do and how to adjust your technique along the way.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning something new as well - and I LOVED LOVED LOVED our teachers! As you can see - they are a lot of fun!

After learning beadwork, Robert taught marble making. Marble making used much of the same techniques, but rather than wrapping the glass around a mandrel, we had to form a connection with two glass rods (a primary, and a punty that was melted in to help hold it while it was forming), learn to separate the stems from the marble itself, and use a mold to form the round shape.

Robert and Sara had slightly different techniques for dripping the melted glass on the wire, and we each found one easier than the other. We liked learning different methods over the course of our classtime.

My husband, Ron, especially enjoyed the class and even tried his hand at Venetian Beads (the blue, green, and silver bead below), which incorporates a bit of silver leaf in the design.

If you're looking for a new experience in Kansas City and love trying new things, I highly recommend a class with Public GlassWorks.