Picture a glass bouquet of flowers fanning out of a glass cowboy boot. This is just one of the many creations by glass blower Karen Willenbrink.
"They tend to be a little bit on the gaudy side," she confides about her art. In Willenbrink's world, a little bit gaudy is a good thing. If her art is loud, it reflects the exuberance she has for her craft.
Willenbrink works in Stanwood, Washington, in the studio of an established glass blower. She says it's a career to be envied. "When people come in and watch us work, I think they wish they were us."
Willenbrink's inspiration comes from all around her. After a weekend at the rodeo, Willenbrink designed the glass cowboy boots. From her gardening and bird watching, she designed glass branches for her wall -- complete with magnolia blossoms and a bird.
"It's nature stopped in time. I like my house thick and warm," she explains. "The branches bring the outside in."
Her current career is the realization of a dream she'd held since she walked into her first glass-blowing class at college. "Immediately, I knew it's what I wanted to do forever."
Willenbrink was taking a program of general studies, thinking she wanted to get into graphic design. But she didn't really like drawing and was wondering about her career choice. Then she saw the red-hot glass and something clicked.
"Imagine taking up honey. When glass is hot, it has the consistency of honey with a wonderful glow about it."
Being a glass blower requires dedication and hard work. Willenbrink says the craft takes years to learn and new glass blowers are often discouraged when they can't transform their ideas into art right away.
"You have ideas, but when you're a beginner, there's no way you have the skill. Now I know how to do a lot of things -- it frees you up to pinpoint your ideas and make them."
For example, glass flowers are incredibly intricate. Each petal has to be heated and cut separately. One flower may have 20 to 30 petals, each formed individually and then attached to the stem.
"It's not a lazy person's sport," Willenbrink cautions. "You need lots of energy." Her energy comes from the passion she feels for her work. "I love what I do and I think there are a lot of people who don't have that passion."
Mike Glover is someone who shares that passion. Glover does his work in his basement studio. He gets a feeling of deep satisfaction when he gets a piece just right. "I guess that's the thrill of it for me."
Glover does some glasswork to order for customers, and the rest of the time he experiments with different techniques. Often, he'll happen across something that adds a new dimension to his art. "It is actually quite interesting. It's like one thing leads to another."
For the moment, Glover is hooked on making glass beads. A hairdresser dared him to try it and now he can't stop. "People are really wild about beads. At Mardi Gras, I understand people actually kill for beads."
Glover says he has to make saleable glass objects in quantities that can support his lifestyle. "Mass producing is a necessary evil of the trade."
Glover sometimes wishes the money was better, but he knows one day he'll be able to tell his grandchildren he spent his life doing what he loves. "I believe a person should do what they want in life -- I mean develop talents, not rob banks."
Glover may also tell his grandchildren about the time he nearly blew up the house. No one was hurt, but it was a close call.
Glover was working over a ribbon burner one afternoon and mixed up the ratio of the gas and oxygen. He was working on a half-meter piece of glass and had just made an adjustment when the whole thing blew up with a loud boom. Glass flew everywhere. "That was very exciting!" he laughs.
For her part, Willenbrink has avoided explosions, but certainly has cleaned up her share of broken glass. As soon as the glass becomes cool, she feels awkward handling it. "I'm very clumsy away from molding hot glass."
Willenbrink says she is so afraid of breaking something she likes that she avoids handling the glass when it's cool. Willenbrink leaves that to her apprentices as much as possible. It's the only thing she doesn't like about the job.
Yet it usually takes more than broken glass to dampen her spirits. Most days she goes home happy. "I'm lucky. I know I'm lucky."
Glass blowing is an outlet for both her joy and creativity. Willenbrink says most people have a need to express themselves -- they just need to find a way to do it effectively. "Maybe art is only being able to communicate a passion, and there's nothing more fulfilling."