The art of glassblowing

By Christian Price, News9.com INsite Team

Andy Boatman is a middle school teacher by day and a glass artist by night. His specialty is glass blowing.

Five years ago Boatman went away for a ski vacation and never made it to the slopes.

"I went to visit my aunt out in Santa Fe. She had a glass studio there," Boatman said. "We were going to go skiing, my brother and myself, and we ended up blowing glass all week."

The art of glassblowing is more than a hobby for Boatman. He spends more time creating his art than if it were just a hobby.

"It's very much a passion. The process itself, creating something basically out of sand is pretty amazing," Boatman said.

Glass isn't as forgiving as other mediums such as clay or metal.

"It's not easy to do. It's complex. There's a lot of steps involved," Boatman said. "There's a lot of different factors, but it's so limitless. You can do so much with it."

One walk through Boatman's studio and you can see creations varying from glass conch shells to spun glass platters. All the art work is done by artists who rent time and create.

"You can just do anything. Whatever you can imagine, you can create," Boatman said. "It just takes skill, time and practice."

Glassblowing classes are even offered through the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

"People schedule through them and then we come to the studio here to learn the process and make glass," Boatman said.

People are encouraged to take a class or stop by the studio to watch the process.

"I think as people see it, they gain an appreciation for it," Boatman said.

Blue Sage Studios is located at NW 11 and Western Avenue in Oklahoma City. The studio is available for rental and the artists are available for demonstrations, tours and lessons. For more information, log on to www.bluesagestudios.com .