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
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