Glass Half-Full Kind of Artist

Glass has always intrigued me. I may have mentioned it on here, but anyone who knows my artistic endeavors knows that I really want to work with glass as well as metalsmithing (Is this one word?). Sometime this year, I'll at least get the chance to work with glass for the first time! I recently discovered the Pittsburgh Glass Center and I'm quite astounded at all they have to offer. The photo to the right is from their Flickr stream, specifically from the Art on Fire Auction in 2009. When I found their website a few months ago, the beginner classes taunted me. So many! What to choose? I can't take all of them, it's just too cost prohibitive. And I suppose it would take me quite a few weekends on top of my already busy schedule... And then I saw the Sampler Series! I decided pretty quickly that I was going to start saving up for the Hot-to-Cold Sampler. It's a mix and match combo in which you take 4 of the 2-hour classes. Each class is a different type of glass-making: hot, warm, flame, and cold. I really like this sampler idea because it gives me the chance to figure out which type I prefer before heading into intermediate (or more beginner) classes. It will give me a direction; however, knowing myself, I'll probably like all 4 types!

As of a couple of weeks ago, I had about half of the amount I needed. And then a lucky deal! Offermint.com has some great deals in the Pittsburgh area, featuring local businesses putting up gift certificates for half the price they are worth. As long as enough people buy into the deal, it goes through. Check out your own city! Recently the Pittsburgh Glass Center was featured with $50 gift certificates going for $25. This helped me out tremendously and I'm now ready to book my classes. And no worries, I'll be posting pictures of all my novice attempts!