About a year ago I visited Martinsburg, W.Va. If you’re not familiar with it, I’m not surprised. It’s a small little town that’s located maybe 2 hours west of Washington, D.C. The town’s not far from Harper’s Ferry if that gives you any remote idea as to the location of which I speak. So, while the town wasn’t much to talk about I did find a great little shop called West Virginia Glass that sold hand-made, decorative glass items. Now this is my kind of place! I remember thinking, praying, as I walked through the door, I could maintain some spending control. 
Sure, it was hard to not buy every beautiful vase, display bowl, even sculptures and art. There was a lot I would like to have bought. I finally narrowed my selection to two Blenko Glass pieces (www.blenkoglass.com): a yellow sunflower bowl or limited edition amethyst bowl. Decisions, decisions … while sunflowers are my favorite flower, I’m also a stickler for anything “limited edition.” So, in the end, the purple bowl won out. I took a picture … but it’s hard to see all of the color and details … sorry, it’s a pretty dismal day.
Since I got started in this business and learning about glass--mostly architectural—I am still so fascinated by how absolutely beautiful glass is. What you and I know, that many others do not know, is how simple a material glass really is. It’s the skill and craftsmanship that truly create such works of art.
I started thinking about decorative and art glass for a couple of reasons. The simplest of which was the fact that earlier this week while shopping for a wedding shower gift I found myself in a store that sold Blenko Glass. The bowl was green and when you looked straight down on it, it resembled a starfish. I resisted the urge to buy it.
More specific to the flat glass industry, I’ve been talking to a lot of companies that make decorative door panels and sidelites. Looking at their catalogs and websites, it’s clear that incorporating these products into a home can, in some cases, really be like adding a work of art to the architecture.
Glass really can be pretty amazing and never fails to impress me.
Sure, it was hard to not buy every beautiful vase, display bowl, even sculptures and art. There was a lot I would like to have bought. I finally narrowed my selection to two Blenko Glass pieces (www.blenkoglass.com): a yellow sunflower bowl or limited edition amethyst bowl. Decisions, decisions … while sunflowers are my favorite flower, I’m also a stickler for anything “limited edition.” So, in the end, the purple bowl won out. I took a picture … but it’s hard to see all of the color and details … sorry, it’s a pretty dismal day.
Since I got started in this business and learning about glass--mostly architectural—I am still so fascinated by how absolutely beautiful glass is. What you and I know, that many others do not know, is how simple a material glass really is. It’s the skill and craftsmanship that truly create such works of art.
I started thinking about decorative and art glass for a couple of reasons. The simplest of which was the fact that earlier this week while shopping for a wedding shower gift I found myself in a store that sold Blenko Glass. The bowl was green and when you looked straight down on it, it resembled a starfish. I resisted the urge to buy it.
More specific to the flat glass industry, I’ve been talking to a lot of companies that make decorative door panels and sidelites. Looking at their catalogs and websites, it’s clear that incorporating these products into a home can, in some cases, really be like adding a work of art to the architecture.
Glass really can be pretty amazing and never fails to impress me.
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