A few weeks ago we at Southside Craft Soda were invited to Garcia's Art Glass to watch a live glass blowing demonstration.
Glassblowing is the art technique of molding extremely hot liquid glass into intricate and unique shapes. Whether heating in the furnace or adding color, the glass constantly has to be in motion, rotating at all times on a metal rod. Color is added by using various forms of colored glass, such as powders. The glass is rotated over the powder and the color is distributed while the glass is being rotated. The glass goes through a repetitive process of being turned and put back into the furnace until it is time to start blowing. One artist blows into a blow pipe while another continues to rotate.
Opened in 1998, Garcia's Art Glass is the first hot glass studio in Southtown San Antonio. Garcia's specializes in whimsical, one-of-a-kind hand blown art creations; no two pieces are exactly alike. Gini Garcia and her sister DoraElia Esparza, along with DoraElias daughter Claudia, have carried on their mother, Dora E. Garcia's legacy of transforming spaces into magical and meaningful masterpieces. Garcia's Art Glass offers glassblowing demonstrations open to the public Tuesdays-Saturdas from 9am-12pm and 1pm-3pm.