Best Glass Blower Costa Mesa Near Me

4worldlovers: At the invitation of Erwin Eisch, John Barber traveled to Germany to meet with Eisch and was subsequently accepted as his apprentice. And so it was in the basement of the Eisch glass factory that Barber first set foot on the road from studio apprentice to intricate decoration assisting Eisch in the creation of his glass masterworks.

Later Eisch was instrumental in helping John gain admittance to the celebrated State School for Glass Design in Zwiezel, Germany where Barber completed an intensive two-year apprenticeship program studying in-depth the techniques of European Masters.

In 1973, John returned to the United States and founded one of Southern California’s first privately owned glass blowing studios. He continued his research, focusing his interest on the rediscovery of lost techniques which produced the breathtaking glass masterwork of the Art Nouveau period.

Beginning with Erwin Eisch and continuing for over a quarter century, John Barber has researched and utilized techniques of the Masters … and in doing so has achieved the status himself.

In European tradition, an apprenticeship lasts 20 years — in 1992 John Barber at long last earned the right to sit at the Master’s bench.

John Barber is now an accomplished, influential glassblower who has made a living working out of his home-studio on Laguna Canyon Road since 1988. His glass creations—mainly tabletop work ranging from stemware, bowls, vases, and some sculptures—have influenced a generation of new blowers, many of whom have apprenticed under him, including Gavin Heath, Marcus Thesing, Pete Lanigan, and Mike Panetta, among others. Barber and his wife Rebecca also co-founded the Studio Arts Gallery in Laguna Beach five years ago to help support and showcase local artists’ works.

Barber has refused to rest on his laurels by taking his work into the public art realm, such as an installation commissioned by the called Eternal Sunset. He created the work using an ancient glass casting technique known as pate de verre (paste of glass). The 32-foot-long glass mural rests at the hotel’s entrance, depicting a Catalina Island sunset view. The commission also included two 46-inch-tall illuminated urns named Eucalyptus Lanterns, which are placed on pedestals near the resort property’s entrance.

“There are no shortcuts. You have to develop the skill and technique over a long period of time.

4worldlovers: Christopher Jeffries handcrafts one-of-a-kind, glass blown wall sculptures. Christopher Jeffries hand-blown glasswork focuses on wall installations. Jeffries Glass has the pleasure of working with residential and corporate clients. Christopher Jeffries is accredited for his glass blowing apprenticeships and experiences. Jeffries has taught glass blowing at the well-known Corning Museum of Glass in New York. He was an apprentice for Dale Chihuly at the prestigious Boat House in Seattle, Washington. Jeffries also had an apprenticeship in the Czech Republic with master glass blower, Igor Muller. To this day, Jeffries Glass is showing his handcrafted, glass wall installations and works all throughout the United States.

Jeffries Glass directly caters to homeowners and corporations. Jeffries Glass is mindful of the wall installation’s designated location to create a custom experience for all to enjoy. To personalize, customers handpick the color palette, location, and glass series that speaks to them or suits the space most, with artist reassurance and input.

Jeffries Glass begins with a sketch and a general color palette for each client. The sketch then turns into a photoshop rendering to show the sculpture in its future space. Jeffries Glass then reconvenes with the client to get an approval of the photoshop sketch. Each glass piece is then abstracted to a piece of paper to be placed on the wall or designated area to act as a mapping of the size, color, and arrangement of each piece. Each sculpture is designed specifically for the space it will occupy and all glass is custom-made to fit its new home. Once the photoshop and paper sketches have been approved, production and, soon after, installation is in place. The installations are packaged and shipped safely to the client.

In the glassblowing process, each piece is blown and shaped on a blowpipe using hot, soft glass. Glass is gathered out of a molten furnace, closely resembling the consistency of honey. Colored glass is preheated and dropped onto a clear bubble. This bubble is blown to a squatted round or oval shape. This shape is then sculpted with a variety of wood, cork and steel tools to match a desired design. The piece is then knocked off and placed gently into an annealing oven to slowly cool down. Each piece is then cold worked and sandblasted at the Jeffries Glass Studio in Laguna Beach, California. All hand-blown glass forms undergo a process of sandblasting, which softens the tone of the glass, and allows forms to delicately dance across the wall or along the surface of a table.