[PA-NJ Glassblowers] Creating the world's largest GLASS fruitcake

[Tony Patti]

You don't see this every day at the Gaffer's bench. J More photos online at

http://www.nj.com/indulge/index.ssf/2014/11/glass_artists_create_worlds_larg
est_glass_fruitcake_at_wheatonarts_in_millville.html

 

http://imgick.nj.com/home/njo-media/pgmain/img/south-jersey-times/photo/2014
/11/28/-d64823516862989f.JPG
http://imgick.nj.com/home/njo-media/pgmain/img/south-jersey-times/photo/2014
/11/28/-2853b9eb69da6149.JPG

 


MILLVILLE - There's no question that fruitcake gets a bad rap. So glass
artists Deborah Czeresko, of Brooklyn, and her team of glassblowers decided
it was high time to change that. 

At
<http://www.nj.com/cumberland/index.ssf/2012/11/artists_craft_glass_ornament
s.html> WheatonArts' Glass Studio, Czeresko - and a group of fellow artists
- got to work on creating a glass version of this infamous holiday cake that
would be both beautiful - and large. In past years, Czeresko would help
craft a large glass ornament at the Glass Studio. But this year, she wanted
a change.

"They wanted to do something different this year," said Joe Mattson, senior
glassblower at WheatonArts and Cultural Center. "And it has a lot of
technical difficulties ... it's all a part of the exploration of art."

It took Czeresko and 10 glassblowers about three hours to complete the
largest glass fruitcake. The colorful fruit - in hues of cherry reds and
bright greens- were made first, and then the cake - in three different
colors of "white, transparent brown and opaque brown," said glassblower
Skitch Mannion, was created last.

"This is going to be the most beautiful glass fruitcake on the planet," said
Czeresko before the cake was started. 

And just how do you know how big the largest glass fruitcake will be?

"We'll know it when we see it," Czeresko laughed.

The fruitcake ended up being round - at first the artists weren't sure if
they should make a rectangular one or a round one - and each piece of
"fruit" was carefully placed on the hot glass individually. 

With a crowd of onlookers, the annual holiday "Big Glass Blast" event was
narrated by Steve Boyd and Angela Speakman. 

Czeresko has been glassblowing for more than two decades and has come to
WheatonArts to create the huge glass ornaments there for a few years now. 

"Traditionally, we do the largest Christmas ornament, which is one color,"
said Mannion. "So this, with all of these various colors, is quite an
evolution ... from making a simple ornament to a fruitcake."

 

Enjoy,


Tony Patti
  
www.glassblower.info
  
gaffer at glassblower.info

 <http://www.glassblower.info/qr-code.html> QR Code for Tony Patti -
www.glassblower.info

 

 

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