Mexico has long been known as the land of the master craftsman. If the master craftsman is considered an artist, then glass is certainly seen as his preferred canvas. Glass blowing has long been a cherished form of art by Mexican artisans. The very first glass pieces produced in North America, were created in Puebla Mexico around 1535 by artisans brought from Spain.
The tools are simplistic as the artisan starts out with some molten glass and a long hollow pipe. The skill of the artisan is really in creating the glass items in many, shapes and sizes. The trade flourished in Mexico, based on the simplicity of the raw materials and the ingenuity of the artisans, to inspire and push the boundaries of their work.
The History of Glass Blowing
Glass blowers use a technique that is over 500 years old, which involves placing a metal conduit up to their mouth and blowing it through a blob of molten glass, which has been heated up by a classic hearth especially made for glass blowers. As the glass maker blows, he starts to model the glass blob by constantly turning it around with the conduit until it takes shape, however he may have to start all over if he blows too hard, as the glass is malleable and will break. They occasionally use a form for the width and the peak of the glass, to make the glass texture more consistent.
As the sections of glass start to cool it forms into the desired style, whilst the color is added to the rim or the whole glass in many such fashions. If you look through it and hold up a glass to the sun, you’ll see numerous bubbles that are trapped throughout the outside of the glass, this is regular and part of a hand blown procedure.
This procedure also makes them very sensitive to abrupt temperature changes so some additional care is needed: Extreme temperature changes can cause the bubbles to grow which could cause a cracked glass. A brief cooling off period is necessary, after the removal of the glass from any extreme temperatures.
UNICEF Market is a great place to explore artisan-crafted glassware, plus every purchase helps UNICEF save and protect childrens lives. You can find some incredible glass blown pieces such as:
The uniqueness of each piece is inspiring and the hours of labor make the product extra special. Enjoy this video from NOVICA, that really shows the art and skill required by the artisan to produce each individual piece:
