Sunday was one of those serendipitous days when I had the wonderful opportunity to see a master at work. Robert Gary Parkes gave an exclusive glass blowing demonstration to members of my camera club. He was articulate in explaining a little of the history of glass blowing, talked about various kinds of glass, and showed us how he combined glass to create stunning colours.
We were all happily snapping away trying to catch his every move. I experimented with a variety of aperture and shutter settings and used a tripod to help capture some of the action. If you’ve ever seen glass blowing you will know how fast the artisan has to work to keep the molten glass from hardening too quickly.
Here’s an image I took while Robert was swinging the rod with hot glass back and forth in an almost dance-like rhythm.
With twirling and whirling and crimping and shaping, Robert created an exquisite glass bowl. I captured this image while he was in motion and just before he was ready to cut it off the rod.
If you live near Vancouver, it’s an easy drive to Robert’s studio in Surrey, BC. He’s more than happy to give demonstrations for groups and has a beautiful collection of glass pieces for sale in the gallery. His website is http:/robertgaryparkes.ca Don’t forget your camera!
Here’s a tiny portion of a vase on display in the gallery.
© all images copyright Marion McCristall
You may also enjoy my images on my photography website http://marionmccristall.com
Everything Neat 
Great capture, so sharp and clear, good for you, loved looking at your photos
Thanks for your encouragement Irene! It was a great afternoon in Robert’s studio.
These are SPECTACULAR photos. I have a friend who does glass art … I had no idea what her process was like!
🙂
Every time I pick up a piece of blown glass I take a moment to admire the amount of effort and the creative process that went into making it. Thanks for your comment Mikalee.
I saw this done several months ago during an Artisan Tour…its as phenomenal in real life as you portrayed it here!(:
The Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington puts on excellent demonstrations as well. It’s an intricate and intriguing art form. Nice to hear from you.
Ciao! Beautiful pictures!
I saw blowin glass in Murano, in Italy! It’s a really “magic” thing to watch!
Greetings!
Laura
Thanks for your comment Laura. I bought some little blown glass candies when I was in Chuisi, Tuscany a couple of years ago. How wonderful that you were able to see someone blowing glass in Italy.
Beautiful!
This is so unique. And that last one! So awesome!
Great photos, allowing people to appreciate glass art!
Amazing! Love the colors and the images.
Thanks for sharing, & congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
Lovely work! We saw a glass blowing demonstration in Santa Fe last summer and were impressed with the process and dedication of the glass blower.
Ronnie
I’ve also been fascinated with glass blowing and have always wanted to learn how to do it. These photos are gorgeous!
great photos!
Congrats on the fresh-pressed Marion…..how did you put that together so fast?…your pictures are fantastic!
Superb photos capturing hair-raising movement and manipulation of the cooling molten glass. Thanks for sharing them
I love the first and fourth shot! Great work.
I have always found glass blowing fascinating. Then again I also find sword smiting fascinating. I guess I just love unique crafting skills. Beautiful work by the creator and thanks to the writer for the information.
Very beautiful!
This is a fascinating method. Beautiful photos too.
Great pictures! I can’t imagine it’s easy photographing glass blowing.
Bonjour Marion, et félicitations!
Excellent photos.
Well controlled exposure and excellent use of blur to convey the message
Take a look at two of the images in the ‘Home Page’ slideshow on my site (http://peter-evans-photographer.com) – et voila! Snap! 😉
Best wishes
Pete
Cool photos of an amazing art! I just gave glass blowing a whirl last week…simply awesome!
I was blessed about thirty years ago in dating an Oklahoma gal from Ponca City. Her Father was a glass blower out of Ponca City, of a very high level, who made tubes and glassware for labs. She spoke of his work and his love of it, many times. I was blessed in being able to see some of his extra art work in this media which she had, which was very beautiful. Thank you for sharing this blog. It brought back great memories.
Cool shots. Nicely done.
amazing photos! congrats on being pressed!
the 4th image is just great. It seem to capture the ethereal nature of the glass as it moves from one state of being into the next. Really nice.
So beautiful
these are awesome! i just photographed a glass blower in austin for the UT orange, check them out!
http://utorange.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/inside-glass-blowing-austin/
hook em
WOW! Fantastic! I’ve never seen anything like this. I love it.
Beautiful photographs!
Wow, such a cool post! It’s hard to believe the glasses that fill my cupboards are crafted through such an intricate process. Thanks for sharing with us!
Hey, if anybody’s interested, I’m blogging about my body transformation to six pack abs! Any support would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
-Micah
http://micahstransformation.wordpress.com/
You don’t want it to drop on your foot. Connie
http://7thandvine.wordpress.com/
Awesome! The pictures talk by themselves!
Very cool concept to share!
Congrats Marion! Great pix, especially those capturing the movement.
WOW! Such talent,beautiful work.
My daughter did a glass art course for 2 years. I spent hours whenever I could watching the students. She has moved on to photography and I know what a fantastic job you did to catch these images!
Great photos! A ceramics artist I photographed also passed along the names of a glassblower and a coppersmith here in Los Angeles to shoot. Shooting artisans at work is really rewarding and inspirational!
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Thanks so much for sharing the experience and photos!
Now I wish I had gone with you guys. What a beautiful documentation you have presented. Each shown in real time how a master of his craft creates such beauty! And with each of your images you’ve made some beautiful artwork yourself. Well done … just gorgeous.
I love the motion you’ve captured in the third shot of him dancing with the piece. I’m sure we’ll see some interesting stuff at the next competition. Thanks for sharing!! I’ll have to visit his shop one day for sure.
Congratulations on getting onto Fresh Pressed! Awesome!
Really great concept! Love the first photo!
You should check out photos of Dale Chihuly’s work. He makes remarkable glass work.
Kudos on FP! I remember watching glass artisans at work in Vancouver, near Emily Caar maybe? It’s fun to see vases and bowls come to life out of fire.
Beautiful… I just love the craftsmanship of glassblowing, the weight of the pipe in your hand and the heat from the glass.
Wonderful and magic.. :O
Reblogged this on paintboxtalks.
Beautiful photos! I am a WordPress photographer as well. Great job.
Looks like you had an awesome experience getting to watch ordinary glass get turned into something extraordinary.
Great work and the first picture is esp.wonderful.
Seeing these photographs really shows you the work and effort put in to making a glass piece! A real work of art, great pictures! – Roisin.
have been fascinated with glass and glass blowing since i saw reese witherspoon’s movie sweet home alabama from waaay back 🙂 been searching for great photos that will somehow bring me back to the feeling of awe i had when i saw it on film and i have to say that yours are the only ones that did the magic for me. thank you for such lovely photos! i can only wish i get to have the same privilege that you do witnessing glass blowing in action
That’s just too cool, I’ve seen it on TV but this feels much closer 😀
Love the photos. Glass blowing is an amazing art that I was lucky enough to have exposure to at the high school I went to. Very well done!
Amazing how you were able to capture the motion. I really enjoy watching glass blowers at work – They make it look so easy, yet it’s definitely an art which requires physical strength.
Very Nice! Since I’m putting a link in here, WordPress may treat it as spam, but I thought you might enjoy my post on Chihuly and some finished glass work.
I would love to be able to visit his studio…or any other glass blower, to do just what you did.
Thanks
Great job! Makes me wanna own a camera and watch a glassblower at work 😀
Amazing! Beautiful pictures! I worked in a stained glass studio for a while, although never had the privilege to see glass being blown. I would definitely like to one day.
cool stuff!
really great images of a fascinating art form!
Great photos! Glassblowing is such an amazing process.
Very nice!
Images and inspiration…what I blog about as well!
Enjoyed visiting your site!
Thanks for sharing – Lee
Thanks for sharing
Reblogged this on thisstrangethingmust and commented:
Cool stuff and source material for something I need to write for work shop.
Love the photos, glass blowing is so fascinating to me, I watch them at dolly wood all the time!
Made sure my wife, who is a secondary school art teacher, had a link to this post for her students. The “glasssmoke” image and “glassblowing” shot are very dramatic well executed compositions. Well done ! Thanks for posting.
Love your photos! (especially the first one when you click on it and magnify it and you can see the swirls of steam by the red part of the glass)
These are really great. Way to make the most out of a very cool photographic opportunity, well done!
Nice! I got the opportunity to visit a glass blowing studio in Quebec, the blast of heat from those furnaces is enough to knock you over. Great pics!
just amazing..we learnt this schools but you brought it alive..thanks
I love watching glassblowers at work. You really captured the process with your photos–I especially love the second-to-last. Nice!
Awesome! Having done a 2year glass blowing/kiln glass course, and during that time trying to capture some of the work, I know how hard it can be to keep up with the artists. You’ve done a brillliant job, I love the photos! Thanks so much for sharing.
Excellent photos – my wife used to be the General Manager at Bristol Blue Glass in the UK and we never tired of watching master craftsmen and women at their task. When they worked in pairs or teams of three it was like a dance with firs. Very elemental. Thanks for posting and good luck to the photography club. Jim
I love the second to last photo here – amazing!
Wonderful Marion — thank you so much for sharing.
I have tried this myself before without much success. Your images are very nice especially I love the second one, very nice..
Wow – great pictures!
Nice job and congrats on the ‘freshly pressed’.
The first pic is my favourite from the lot.
What an inspiring subject matter! Your pics truly capture the artistry and the craft going into glass blowing… great job!
I enjoyed looking through the photographs of the man’s craftsmanship and the captions were nice & sort of like to the point. Thank you for sharing!
A lost art. Isn’t it amazing to think this is how all glass was once made, including window glass
I love the very first picture with the whisps of smoke and that stunning golden amber colour! What an interesting thing to photograph and to listen about the history too!
Truly beautiful photos. Love the use of motion contrasted with the crystal clear focus (pun intended). Jo @ Let’s Face the Music
Fantastic photos! When I lived in Victoria, there was a glass-blowing studio, and I used to spend a great deal of time standing on the balcony, watching the artists do their work. It was wonderful.
Terrific post!
Reblogged this on eighteenthousand.
wow! amazing photos… envious! i wish i could witness such artistry.. congrats on being FP.
chance less…awesome collection
Good job!
I’ve seen glass blowing a few times, and I was fascinated every time. Incredible how these artists can form beautiful objects from the hot glass. You’ve got great photos of the action!
This is wonderful! I would love to experience this, it seems so surreal.
http://realeasemysoul.wordpress.com/
yes, yes. This is beautiful.
They have glass blowers near where I live here in South Jersey. I’ve watched them do this before and it’s very hot just watching, I don’t know how they do it all day long! Beautiful pictures and congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
Congratulations making freshly pressed!
Very nice post and really enjoyed your website.
Reblogged this on sarahmyersart.
You’re photographs are beautiful. My grandfather started the glass blowing department at SIUC, the university I know attend, and since he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s he has not been able to create art anymore. Seeing these photographs reminds me of how amazing my grandfather really is. Thank you.
Some years ago I had the opportunity to visit quite a few glass blowing factories, it is an amazing and fascinating process and you have caught it beautifully here with your pictures. Fabulous to see and has brought back great memories! My favourite is the first image which is quite stunning.
Very beautiful photos! I enjoyed the first one the best, where he is cradling the bowl. Very delicate maneuvering.
Reblogged this on #TimeOfOurLives and commented:
This is quiet extraordinary!
Very beautiful pictures!
Beautiful Photos!!!
Those (skills in both glass-blowing and photography) are gorgeous! Any advice on best capturing steam? Many thanks.
Beautiful pictures!
Beautiful Post! Glass blowing is fascinating!
Amazing photographs. We had the opportunity to watch some glass blowers create some beautiful pieces. They did not allow, however, photographs. Yours have brought back that memory 🙂
I really enjoyed your photos and blog! I would love to learn how, but my husband would kill me if I picked up another expensive hobby:) I love the idea of a camera club. How does that work?
Great photos! I always wanted to try glass blowing…I still do 🙂
These are greaqt shots… I particularly loike that you have captured the movements necessary to blow good glass..
Amazing pictures of such a distinct art!
These are so awesome! Gorgeous colors and textures, I really like these photos!
krikey! AMAZING PHOTOS! :O
Love the first picture especially. Watching master glassblowers is true pleasure, and photographing it too must make it even more so. Top work 🙂
You’re absolutely right – his work is exquisite! What an amazing talent he has. Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed, as well.
Your glass blowing photos are great! Your website has amazing photos too!
I saw some of Dale Chihuly’s work a while back. Incredible! Thanks for taking us with your camera into the production line of these fantastic pieces.
Amazing stuff!
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These pictures are AMAZING 🙂
Great story! Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
Your pictures are beautiful! I have always to take a glass blowing class to create some beautiful master piece like your artwork.
So cool! I’ve always been mesmerized by glass blowing! Thanks for reminding me!
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I love glass as a medium and I love glass blowing! Went to Murano and watched for hours how they make their vases. Now if I could only make a career shift to glass blowing, that would be perfect. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
just awesome…great clarity and creativity…just loooved them… 🙂
oh wow! awesome clear photos! Very nice!
wow, these pictures are really good!
Glass blowing is so amazing! i could stare at these pictures forever!
Reblogged this on nevertoooldforfairytales and commented:
Ahhh, photography!!
excellent pictures. I always love seeing the arduous craft of glass blowing being captured. My favourites are the first two photos.
http://artisantrove.wordpress.com
Wow, these shots are stunning!
Reblogged this on finnegan2749.
wonderful insight into glass blowing – it’s on my want-to-learn list!
Love how that bloke is in shorts!
I understand this text a little (but I´m from Czech Republic and I can germeny more), but this photos are interisting. I like hissing molten metal (if this is wrong, the compiler for it on google and I, that I use his) … I wonted write you just, have a nice day 🙂 Ester
Wow! These are awesome! I love them all, but the very top one is my favorite. Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos!
AMAZING photos! Really stunning!
– Great blog post and nice photos!
What a great opportunity to take photos in a glass factory – such a beautiful subject to cover! I was in Venice this past summer and visited Murano Island for the first time and visited a few glass studios – simply amazing!
great…
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These are awesome! -bethany
That is so cool!!
Thank you all for your great comments about the glass, and the photos.
please see my website at http://www.robertgaryparkes.ca if you are interested.
Cheers! robert