Edmonton Journal - What's On
BRADEN HAMMOND GLASS BLOWING DEMONSTRATION
Out of the Fire Gallery, 12214 jasper Ave.
Thursday night at 6:30 p.m.
Info: 378-0240
Braden Hammond works with some glass tubes in his Vancouver
studio.
Glass blowing artisan's skills are clear to see
When you think of glass blowing, you probably think of those
artisans who take big globs of molten glass and blow them up
like a balloon. But Braden Hammond does lampworking, a process
that will be demonstrated in Edmonton over the course of a couple
of hours at the Out of the Fire Gallery, which represents his
work in Edmonton.
I use a torch that uses oxygen and propane that heats up to
3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It enables me to melt the glass -
clear and coloured tubes," he explains. Through this heating
and melting, he produces unique jewelry and art objects in his
studio in Vancouver. It's a passion, and he's always excited
to be able to show his skills.
A lot of people are attracted to the uniqueness of glass. But
then there's the artistic process: the shaping of the glass,
how is it done? These live demos make you realize what goes
into it, and people are really drawn to the fire and molten
glass. it's like a performance,"
Glass was never in Hammond's plans, so it's been an interesting
journey to become the glass artist he is today:
"I saw some different glass design in That 70s Show, and
I wondered, 'How do you make this? 'Those large orange ashtrays,
the drinking cups. So I got on the Internet and found a class
in Santa Cruz and booked a flight out of Winnipeg, which is
where I was living at the time. It was a really magical experience."
.
A few weeks working out of Santa Cruz and Hammond packed up
the tools for an entire studio of his own and headed home and
west. it seems like an impulsive move - in fact, he says, his
parents questioned the idea. But in hindsight, it makes good
sense given his background, as he explains.
"My parents ran a youth choir. Even to this day, I can
see how that applies to how hard I work on my glass blowing.
I sang, but I was also into sports. I played basketball on a
scholarship at the University of Winnipeg. Glass blowing is
artistic, but it's also very physical. The motions are repetitive,
and you have to keep up your stamina.'
- Mari Sasano
