Workshop with glassblowers Micke Johansson and Wilke Adolfsson

For the next 2 weeks, my class will be doing a workshop here at Pukeberg glassworks.  Each student will get the opportunity to work one on one with the glassblowers, and through presentation of our sketches, the blowers will produce our designs.

For my first blow slot I designed a tumbler, which was a play on the Swedish overlay technique...

Starting bubble (transparent green)

Pushing a 2nd bubble into the bottom of the 1st bubble

tweezing and trimming

Transferring

soffietta

Measuring up

Final opening

Micke Johansson's website

Class Trip to Kosta with Erika Lagerbielke

This week our instuctor is Orrefors designer Erika Lagerbielke.  She has been designing for Orrefors since 1982, and today she is taking us on a private tour of Kosta Glassworks.

In 1989, the companies Kosta Boda and Orrefors merged to form Orrefors Kosta Boda AB (as well, the Åfors glassworks is part of the company).  So although Erika designs exclusively for Orrefors, some of her designs are produced at the Kosta factory.

First we visited the glassblowing factory.

Erika`s `Intemezzo` champagne flutes being producted.  This was the coolest colouring technique i`ve ever seen!

 Erika discussing her design, which was also being produced at Kosta.

Duck head being made for an Ernst Billgren tumbler

Then it was off to the storage/packing area...

Erika explaining torch cutting

 Scoring the glass before torching

Hand polishing the lip

Coldshop

plethora of belts

Then we made our way over to Kosta glass school, where we were given a short glass lesson and then had a few hours to blow glass for ourselves...

Lap wheel sculpture in the court

Erika and a Kosta glass instructor

Hotshop

Coldshop

After lunch, we visited the museum and gallery...

Åsa Jungnelius

Åsa Jungnelius

Ludvig Löfgren

Ernst Billgren

Ernst Billgren

 Göran Wärff

 Göran Wärff

In the summer of 2009 the Kosta Boda Art Hotel opened, and was filled with art glass from Kosta designers.  In addition to decor and art tiles, there are also cast hand basins, as well, the large art glass pool is a sight to be seen.

Waiting in the hotel lobby

The outdoor pool. Check out the `floating` stepping stones!

Indoor art glass pool.  The underwater windows display glass sea sculptures. Amazing

Large glass nail polish bottles, lining the walkway to the spa.

Lounging by the spa. This is the life :P

Kosta Boda art hotel

Kosta Boda

Erika lagerbielke's website



Kingdom of Crystal with Pernille

As there were no formal classes today, we decided to spend the day with one of our classmates.  Pernille is originally from Norway, and has been living in Sweden for a few years now.  She attended The Glass School at Kosta Glascenter and is very familiar with Swedish glass, so she offered to take us on a little drive around the forest to visit glassworks.  Very exciting!

The first glasswork we stop at had a giftshop, a small museum of Swedish glass and a hotshop.  The two glassblowers (Christopher Ramsey and Fredrik Nielsen) invited us to sit and watch, as they were about to start blowing a 'Disco duck'. 

Starting work on a 'Disco Duck'

Last step -Puttin on the ducks head 

Disco Ducks for sale in the shop

Other Ducks for sale.  There were flocks of them!

The second glass shop we visited was located in Åfors.  Åfors Glassworks was built in 1876.



Ludvig Löfgren

Olle Brozén

Åsa Jungnelius

Ludvig Löfgren

Flower power by Ulrica Hydman-Vallien

Bali vase by Kjell Engman

 

Our third stop was Transjö Hytta.  Started in 1982, it is the smallest blowing room in the Kingdom of Crystal.  It is in an idyllic location right next to Lyckeby river.  The atmosphere at Transjö is delightful and the surroundings beautiful.  Unfortunately, the hotshop was closed the day we stopped by.

Our last stop of the day was Kosta.  Kosta began operation in 1742, more than 250 years ago.  This location has the largest blowing room in all of sweden.  Furthermore, there is a massive sales outlet, Kosta Köpmanhus, which sells glass, home furnishings and other products, as well as Kosta Outlet, with 20,000 square metres of shopping space offering designer clothing, shoes, books, sporting goods and more.  There are also multiple cafes, one of which we stopped at for lunch before starting our tour of the glassworks.

”Hytta” (Blowing Room)

Furnace

Ceramic rings floating on the surface on the glass.  The blowers gather from inside the rings,  for better quality glass.  

A worker blowing into a graphite mold

Kjell Engman

Åsa Jungnelius

Small section of the sales outlet