Glass blowers shape molten material into art

CELINA - Glassblowing is like working with lava, artist Alexa Adamczyk said.

She and Michelle Pennington, 33, of Mobile Glass Studios, gave glassblowing demonstrations during the Mercer County Fair all day on Sunday, forming molten glass into a variety of objects. The two of them have been on the road since July, hauling with them a furnace and annealing oven.

To make any object, Adamczyk, 21, said they first extend a steel blowpipe into a crucible filled with 81 pounds of molten glass at 2,100 degrees.

They gather a layer of glass on the end of the pipe and then roll it on a steel table to give it a cylindrical shape. Adamczyk and Pennington make multiple trips putting the glass back into the crucible to keep it at about 1,000 degrees while they continually twirl the pipe.

Blowing glass starts with the puff at the end of the blowpipe, Adamczyk explained, comparing it to blowing up a balloon. Then it's back into the crucible for more heating and turning and then back to the bench for more shaping. This cycle gets repeated many times, depending upon the size and shape desired by the artist, she noted.

When the glasswork is completed, the women put it into an oven to protect it from the elements, which could cause it to crack. The oven is heated to about 920 degrees, allowing the glass to keep its shape as it cools down, Adamczyk pointed out. By the next morning, the piece is ready.

Working outside presents many challenges, as a sudden gust of wind or too much sun could cause glass to shatter, Virginia native Adamczyk said. Having a limited number of tools also increases the difficulty. The women use tweezers, shears, rods, pipes and even a meat tenderizer, which "leaves a really nice texture on the glass," Texas resident Pennington said.

This is not easy work, Adamczyk noted. Seeking a challenge, she recalled taking a glassblowing course at Tidewater Community College in Virginia about four years ago and has never looked back.

"It's a work of passion," she said. "It's not something anybody does for money. I love what I do. I encourage everyone to try it."

As for Pennington, she has been in the field for 10 years and "likes everything about it."

"I like the heat, the fluidity of it. I like it all," she said.

Although they have more than 14 years of combined experience, they "still have a lot to learn," Adamczyk said, as "it can take a lifetime to master."

Their work is on display at the fair office near the grandstand. It will be auctioned off and funds raised will go back to the community, Adamczyk said.

See a photo album of the process.

Fair schedule:
Today
• 6 p.m. - harness racing; Wolves of the World show; beef show

• 7 p.m. - "Social Media, The Advantages & Pitfalls," by sheriff Jeff Grey

• 8 p.m. - Kaitlyn Schmit and The Move; Wolves of the World show

Tuesday

• 10 a.m. - beef showmanship

• 11 a.m. - senior citizens lunch/activities, age 65 and up; New Outlook; alpaca show

• 12:30 p.m. - senior citizens king and queen contest

• 1 p.m. - scavenger hunt, sponsored by Coldwater Explorers 4-H Club

• 2:30 p.m. - New Outlook; Rhonda Hager painting demonstration

• 3:30 p.m. - senior citizens bingo and trivia

• 4 p.m. - rides and games open

• 4:30 p.m. - Ohio's Historic Farm program and Veteran's ID program information; New Outlook

• 5 p.m. - open swine show, followed by men/women/peewee showmanship; sidewalk chalk contest; Wolves of the World show