The Glory Hole — Art Class RSS



A Spooky Month Full of Birthdays and Taureans

Hiya! I missed a couple posts this month but I have a good excuse I swear!  May seems to get crazier every year as more and more May babies (aside from myself) come into my life.  Essentially the past few weeks have been a non-stop birthday party for young, old and newly born.  Now that it's over, it's back to the wonderful grind of launching this studio!  The best part of the month was visiting the Grand Trunk Railway Tunnel (aka The Blue Ghost Tunnel) of St. Catharines with my lady; the lovely Lana Filippone (another Taurean) for her birthday (she's a brave one).   Some say this is one of, if not the most haunted spot in Canada thanks to...

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Throwback Tuesday: Pulling a Pony!

Hey There! Here a fun video from a few years ago when I was a Resident Artist at Harbourfront Centre here in Toronto.  I learned how to pull these traditional Venetian ponies back when I worked in Niagara Falls as an apprentice under Master Glassblower; Angelo Rossi.  Pulling a pony is seen by some as a bit of a rite-of-passage for a glassblower.  I wonder when Turnstyle Glassblowing Studio is up and running, if I'll still be able to do this!  Hopefully it's like riding a bike.  Enjoy!  Hey, it's my birthday today!   -Clayton

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Back in the Saddle

Hello! I'm happy to say that last night I actually used the glass studio that I've been working on for the past year to make some glass!  I have never gotten emotional over coldworking before but I'm not gonna lie, it was kind of a special moment. Even if I couldn't get a good picture. I'm currently working on a batch of awards for CAMH hospital called the Transforming Lives Awards.  I've made them a few times in the past but this is the first time I've done it in my own space.  Mine!  Feeling pretty great today  More to come! -Clayton Haigh

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Throwback Tuesday: GoPro Who?

This was really fun.  Back in 2012 (I can't believe it's been 4 years!) I was selected by Sony during The Artist Project here in Toronto to participate in their promo for a new camcorder.  They asked artists to make a short film using the camera to document their process in the studio and played the films on a loop in their booth section at the show.  I decided to try to view the process from a new perspective.  I rigged up a custom mount that would fix the camera to my blowpipe causing the room to spin around while the glass remained stationary in the centre of the frame.  I thought it was a cool effect (if a little...

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Throwback Tuesday: Hive Tumblers from Concept to Completion

Welcome! This week I've decided to share one of my favorite demo videos from a few years ago.  Hive Tumblers are one of the most popular items from my design company; Balance Glassworks.  The video show every step of the my process in coming up with a new set of these cups.  I start off with some card stock shapes I made for myself, assembling the layout like a jigsaw puzzle.  Once I find something I like, it's off to the studio and into production mode!  Enjoy and have a great week! -Clayton

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