Glassterpiece in progress.

Glass is an amazing discovery, and people are still venturing into new and creative ways of sculpting its use. Brush Fire is a pottery-by-you, contemporary paint-it-yourself studio that offers a fused glass class once a month. I was curiously drawn to the enticing form of artwork that I had seen in town, and was overjoyed when I stumbled upon the class through a flyer that I received in the mail. I took this message as a sign to delve in to the wondrous artwork. So, this week's adventure was discovering the more artsy side of my town, and my creative authentic self!

The walls were decorated with many beautifully bright ceramic bowls and fused glass hangings that ornamented the white walls, bringing a vibrant ambiance to the place. Jude and her husband Dave opened Brush Fire studios after a visit to Seattle, where she said she fell in love with the idea after visiting a studio there. "After experiencing it in Seattle, I couldn't live without something like this here," she said. She is very passionate about what Brush Fire promotes: spending time together being creative. It nurtures the creative side of people and brings together families, friends, work groups; they have the opportunity to enjoy, relax and laugh tons.

The room was bustling with many groups of people chatting away while carefully and care-freely working on their creations. Paintbrushes of various shapes and sizes were planted in the center of the tables and colorful paint bottles stretched across the tabletops where people were working. Shelves of white ceramic pottery rested in stacks, waiting to be embraced by an eager designer. Though I was not there for the ceramics I enjoyed searching through the endless collections of pottery, which you could easily devote hours to paint.

There were five other people involved in the fused glass class. Everyone sat zealously, listening attentively to every word that poured out of Jude's instructions. She mapped out the foundation of our fused glass journey by teaching us the basics of fused glass. There are three types of glass we were working with:

• Transparent, a thin see-through glass,
• Opaque, which is a denser glass that is a solid color, and
• Dychroic glass, which is a mermaid-colored, dazzling colored decorative glass.

Glass pieces were piled on a table next to the group's working space. The group was excited to commence after the knowledge of how to use the cutting instruments and numerous other shaping devices. Jude unleashed us to find our materials among the rough mosaic collage of colorful glass. Each person choose a wide array of colors that would provide their means of self-expression through fusing glass together – "What a cool thing!" I thought. You'd never think that glass could be such a beautiful creative instrument of artistic expression. It allowed us a tool to journey into our authentic selves, providing us a means of expressing emotions, simply through melting glass together.

The group chatted for a few minutes in our fervent energy to invent our masterpieces. The mountainous pile of glass in front of us to begin our designs grabbed my eyes. The dazzling colors and splendid shapes enticed my mind to envision the endless possibilities. The group quickly faded into their artistic and elaborate masterpieces. Concentration filled our minds. Ahh the potential and endless promises of grandiose creations! I completely seeped into my project... Looking up only to discover that everyone else was just as focused, hooked on the masterful venture of glass artistry. "It's hard not to be successful in designing fused glass because it always turns out exceptionally beautiful," Jude said. I had no worries and allowed myself to go at it, wholeheartedly!

I designed layers of glass on a clear, tile-like square glass slab, mixing shapes and all shades of colors to puzzle together what best pleased my eye. I had designed a collage of magnificent colors, sharp and curvy shapes that jumped out of the tile. Some colors jagged with sharp jutting edges, and others sparkled with an opalescent tint and smooth curves.

I was in a time warp, easily spending an hour on this one article of glass. I was so enthralled with the endless mix of expressive possibilities that I sunk into my own fused-glass world. The rest of the group was right there with me, captivated by their own creations, zoned into their masterpieces – or experiments, in my case. Jude would stroll by answering questions and providing a few pointers or just insightful encouragement. She gave me support through her confidence in my experimental creation.

Élan's finished glass pieces.

I had nearly finished my devotion in the last hour, and I stepped back to look at the mixture of colors and geometric designs. The glass sparkled in the light, and I grew excited, imagining my piece after it was put through the kiln. I placed it on the shelf to be heated and began working on my second piece.

This time I felt more comfortable with the cutting tools and had more confidence. I worked furiously on my project as though I was an artist waiting to be discovered. Time was short and closing was nearing. I quickly glued my vision to the glass. Now all I had to do was return in a week to allow enough time for my artwork to go through the firing. I was pumped from this new activity, that was so full of creative possibilities. What a beautiful way to expand your horizons and spend time with new people, friends or family.

Create Your Own Glassterpiece
So, even if you're saying to yourself, "I'm not artistic or creative," trust me, you will love the experience. As Jude said, it's hard not to be successful with fusing glass. Look around in your area, or in the phonebook under "art" or "pottery"; there may just be something similar right around the bend.

If you're really enticed by where I went, why not stop off at Brush Fire in Eugene, Oregon! If you'd like more information about it you can reach them at (541) 485-7161.

Happy creative passion – whichever genre of art you choose!

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