Have you ever tried to make a REALLY big snowman? The snow is heavy as you begin to roll it, and you have to work fast so you can get the snow in the right shape before your hands become numb with cold. When it’s done, you sit by the fire and drink hot chocolate … and hope that the snowman doesn’t melt too quickly.
Well, making a 6-foot tall snowman out of glass is kind of like that … only different.
Imagine trying to hoist 50 lbs of 2100°F molten glass on the end of a 4-foot blowpipe to make the giant snowman’s body parts. It takes at least four people to turn the pipe to keep the snowman’s shape. You constantly reheat to keep the glass from freezing up. It’s hot, sweaty work … and the reward after is moving away from the fire of the glass furnaces and drinking something cold while you wait to see if your glass snowman anneals properly (cools slowly overnight). The good news is, if you are careful, glass snowmen never melt.
George Kennard and a team of glassblowers from the Hot Glass Show made two snowmen (actually, a snowman and snow-woman) last spring that are 6-feet tall, and you can see them on view at the GlassMarket through the end of February. The rumor is that there may even be offspring soon. Check back often at the Museum to find out.
And, while you can’t make a 6-foot glass snowman yourself, you can Make Your Own Glass Snowman at The Studio through the end of February. Great for all ages!