Vintage Bazaar Fall Festival

There’s something special about bringing glass into a place where people are already gathering.

I recently set up Glass Forest Glassworks at the Vintage Bazaar, bringing my work, my mobile gallery, and the tools of my craft along with me. My work is made entirely by hand, directly in the flame. There are no molds or production lines each piece is shaped, sculpted, spun, and refined through a process that demands patience, attention, and a lot of time at the torch.

But lately, I’ve been thinking about the experience surrounding the work just as much as the finished pieces.

When I set up at an event, I’m not simply putting artwork on a table. I’m bringing a small working glass studio with me. People can see the pieces up close, ask questions, watch the process, and get a glimpse into what actually goes into making something from a glowing piece of molten glass.

That’s becoming an increasingly important part of what Glass Forest is about: creating a mobile gallery and experience that can travel to different communities, events, festivals, and gatherings.

The Vintage Bazaar was a great example of why I enjoy doing this.

After setting up and spending the day surrounded by artists, collectors, vendors, and people simply coming out to enjoy themselves, I also got to watch my friends from Town Meeting take the stage.

There’s something pretty cool about seeing people you know creating something in a completely different medium. One person is standing behind a microphone, another is working a torch, someone else is making something with their hands, and everyone is contributing their own piece to the atmosphere.

That sense of community is a big part of why I continue to take Glass Forest on the road.

Glass can sometimes feel like something that belongs behind a gallery wall or inside a display case. I want to bring it back into the environment where it is made to the flame, to the people, and to the moment.

Every piece has a story in the way it was made. Every event adds another story to the life of the work.

And that’s what I’m interested in building with Glass Forest: not just a collection of glass, but an evolving experience around the craft, the people, and the places where those things come together.

If you see the Glass Forest mobile gallery and live glass demonstrations at an upcoming event, come say hello. Watch the process, ask questions, and see what happens when glass meets the flame.