Hands on Traditional skills and where to learn them

Working with glass

What is it?Glass work involves creating pieces that are functional, sculptural or both, using a range of techniques. Those who work full time with glass usually work either with cold or warm glass or with hot glass – that is, blowing glass.

How is it done?Glass-blowing is really just for experts, although some studios will allow beginners to have a go. Glass-blowers start by shaping a blob of semi-molten glass on the end of a long, hollow blowing iron. Then they blow into the cool end of the blowing iron; when their cool breath strikes the hot glass it forms a bubble in the glass. Sometimes other layers of glass are added and melted into the piece at the mouth of a furnace. Then the pieces are blown and shaped further before being cracked off the iron and baked in a kiln for 12-24 hours. "You are working with intense heat, which you have to be very careful of," says Terrence McSweeney of Kerry Crafted Glass (irishkerryglass.com).

What about stained glass pieces?This is an easier process. It involves cutting up already-coloured glass and putting the pieces back together with lead or copper foil. "You have to learn how to cut glass, how to solder it, and you have to consider your design. It's easy to learn, but it takes time to get good at it," says Linda Mulloy of the Glasshouse studio in Westport, Co Mayo (blueglasshouse.com).

And fusing glass?Fusing glass involves putting pieces of glass together, then firing them in a kiln so they join together. "The important thing here is to choose pieces of glass that are compatible with each other, because if they expand or contract at different rates they crack. The exciting part is that you put in raw sharp bits and get something out that's rounded and finished." Glass can also be melted into specific shapes in a kiln, using ceramic or plaster mounds.

How long does it take?Different processes take different lengths of time. Blowing glass is a fine art that requires precision and care, but pieces are generally finished in a day and then fired overnight. Stained-glass pieces can be made quickly, but they need to be left to dry for a few days. Fusing glass doesn't take much hands-on work, but it needs varying lengths of time in the kiln. Building layers of glass or drawing on glass are additional techniques that demand more skill and time.

Where do I sign up?The glass studio at Kerry Crafted Glass, near Killarney, is giving free introductory glass-blowing workshops from 8.30am to 4.30pm between March 15th and 19th (064-6643295). You can watch glass-blowers at work at Jerpoint Glass Studio, in Co Kilkenny, 10am-4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am-1pm on Friday. (056-7724350, jerpointglass.com.) Linda Mulloy holds stained-glass workshops for beginners and improvers at the Glasshouse studio. Her next course starts next Friday and runs until Sunday, March 13th. (087- 7981123, hotblueglasshouse@ yahoo.co.uk.)