Click here for Glassblowing School/Class/Studio/Artist Geographical Search with 32 Criteria! |
---|
Search for "blenkoglasscompany" requested by 18.97.9.173 performed at December 10, 2024 04:10
Company/School Name: | Blenko Glass Company | Major Classification: Hot Shop (Furnace Glassblowing) Major Classification: Museum |
Contact Person Name: | ||
Address Line 1: | Fairgrounds Road | |
Address Line 2: | Sells RETAIL | |
City: | Milton | |
State: | WV | |
Zip: | 25541 | |
Country: | USA | GALLERY where you display/sell glass art |
Phone: | 304-743 -9081 | |
Fax: | 304-743-0547 | Glass Artist |
Email: | blenko@usa.net | |
Website: | www.blenkoglass.com | |
Additional Information: Exquisite color, skilled craftsmen, and creative designs have made Blenko famous in the ancient craft of hand-blown glass. Over the years, talented designers have developed contemporary new designs for our skilled artisans, who have learned the difficult techniques of glass blowing through many years of practice. The uniqueness of hand-blown glass cannot be compared to that of machine-formed glass - a process which produces items all exactly alike but without character. Because our glass is made in small batches and our processes are performed by hand, it is common to observe small air bubbles, lines or individual marks left by our craftsmen. These are not flaws - but rather the distinctive nature of the hand-made process - which identify and magnify the uniqueness of each piece of glass. In a world of increasing automation and standardization, we at Blenko pride ourselves in paying particular attention to the forms and designs, which stay true to the tradition of hand blown glass. We all need - now more than ever - hand made objects that are unique and inspiring. For over 100 years Blenko has maintained the tradition of hand made glass. The Blenko Glass Company was founded in 1893 by William J. Blenko in Kokomo, Indiana. In time, he hired and trained other glass workers. William remained in Kokomo until 1903 when economics in America forced the factory to close. In1909 he started a factory in Point Marion, Pennsylvania, and later in Clarksburg, WV. Unfortunately, both of these ventures failed. A letter indicates he was working in Bellaire, Ohio in 1919 at an unknown glass factory for $40.00 a week. William was at some time offered a job at Tiffany's in New York for $50.00 a week and he apparently took this job. Finally in 1921, he decided to move to Milton, WV because of the low natural gas prices there. William was now 67 years old, an age when most people retire. Working by himself, he blew the glass cylinders, flattened them into sheets and then went on the road in his Model T car to sell them. The original name of the company was Eureka Glass Company. It was called this because William J. Blenko spent years trying to find a ruby red sheet glass that would not change colors when painted and fired. When he developed this color, he threw his arms in the air and said, "Eureka, I've found it!" |