Breaking Glass
Opposite Waitrose in Sunningdale on a parade of shops, alongside some restaurants and a hairdresser stands a rather unlikely business. Jo Downs Glass is home to a vast array of ornamental glass ornaments, jewellery, wall coverings and so much more. The colours are vibrant, the designs are inspiring, and the whole place oozes style. I couldn’t believe my luck when I found out that at the back of the shop were tables laid out for workshops to run. Filled with enthusiasm, I booked myself and two friends onto a workshop. After a friendly greeting and a cup of tea, we were introduced to some of the basic techniques of glass fusion. And shown how to use the various tools which were laid out at our respective work stations. Little did we know before we started how many different types of glass there were; from fret to sheets and everything in between. This was followed by a demonstration of the different items we might choose to make and some tips on the most effective way of making the said item.
Although I hadn’t seen my friends for quite some time, we were all so engrossed in choosing our design and our colour scheme that we hardly said a word to one another. I had been particularly taken with a handkerchief vase which is created on a flat template and placed on the stand in the kiln. Gravity then creates a rather stunning irregular shaped vase! Quite amazing, yet relatively simple to do and the result looks far more complicated that it is.
Fired up with the success of my vase I moved swiftly on to a colourful coaster. Now on a roll, I decided I had time for one more item. Time for a Christmas decoration. I shaped green glass into the form of a Christmas tree and added some glass balls and in no time I had a very elegant decoration. Whew! Such concentration.
And so to lunch where my friends and I shared what we had learned and what we had made with our husbands. We girls were on quite a high having learnt a new skill and achieved a goal which meant something to each of us. Our pieces had to be left with the workshop tutor, who would put them in the kiln and then they would be available for collection in a weeks time. When you, like me, don’t consider yourself to be artistic or creative, there is something very rewarding about being able to make something attractive using step by step guidance. And it is so nice to be proud of the result. A bit like I used to feel when I did “painting by numbers” as a seven year old child.
When I went to pick up our items a week later, I was really thrilled with the results. My husband was pretty amazed by my handkerchief vase and I was particularly happy with my Christmas decoration.
If you are looking for a new hobby and for something fun, creative and inexpensive to do, I would recommend one of these small workshops. I will certainly be going back to try my hand at some more pieces.