The magic of glass

Glass blowing was a huge industry in the neck of the woods into which I was born, but it wasn’t long before one after another plant closed.

I remember a field trip to several remaining small manufacturing sites in north-central West Virginia. It was near the end of my sixth grade school year. At the time it was clear to me that this was a “dying art,” even if no one spoke those words.

We watched men blowing into what looked to me like long horns out the end of which appeared bulbous balloons of liquid glass. They wobbled and swayed and never fell. I was mesmerized.

Glass blowing is not a dying art. People still blow glass, just not in factories.

One is artist Christopher Belleau of Providence, R.I. I discovered his glass flowers at the 3RAF the other day. This photo of sunflowers comes from his web site.

His booth is in Point State Park.