Art has trickled into Centralia over the years, but it’s become more and more popular in the past decade. One of the most impressive and beautiful types of art that’s come to town is glassblowing.
For more than 10 years, Central Glassworks, a glassblowing studio and glass art gallery, has thrived in downtown Centralia. Kevin Regan, founder and owner of the business, chose Centralia for its central location—the halfway point between Seattle and Portland. A glass artist since the age of 16, Regan opened the business in November 2005 at the age of 26. Regan now spends his time either in the studio or with his eight-year-old daughter, Iris, and five-year-old son, Elliott.
I walked into the Central Glassworks studio on a hot day in August with one of the glassblowers while Regan worked on a custom order with two of his artists, Christopher Kinney and Tim Jaquet. Apprentice to Regan since she was 11 years old, Annabelle Thomas was introduced to the artform when she showed interest to family friend, Regan. She was able to answer any questions I had about the process and business while still popping up to assist with the order.
“1,000 degrees is cold for glassblowers,” Thomas says of the heat they have to deal with to blow glass. “1,500 degrees is the melting temperature for our glass and it’s stored at 2,050 degrees.” A big oven, known as the annealing oven, then holds the products at 915 degrees until the end of the day and overnight it cools very slowly in a 10- to 12-hour cycle.
Due to the overwhelming amount of heat, the studio is roughly 10 degrees hotter than it is outside when the furnace is running. But the artists are prepared with plenty of water and Gatorade in the back, as well as spray bottles to cool themselves off.
Their studio has a relaxed atmosphere and they were all calm, cool and collected, even with the intense heat of the stove. As Regan worked, he joked when asked if they worked full time. “Anna’s a professional poker player at night and my main job is as a hamster farmer.” Their light-hearted banter while dealing with the constant heat makes you forget the heat yourself.
Thomas was kind enough to then explain the glass blowing process to me. You start out with a hollow pipe and you dip into the molten glass. Then you place the glass ball at the end of the tube onto a table, using the table to shape it, and constantly rolling it back and forth so that the glass doesn’t fall or become uneven. Next, you have one person blow into the end of the tube while the other person continues to roll the hollow pipe back and forth. The product goes back to the furnace to heat up again, since the glass cools down as its worked, and the process repeats itself until the object being blown is the correct shape and size necessary.
There are multiple other tools the artists use to shape the object, including soaked newspaper and wooden paddles. When the artists finally decide the product is finished, they use tools called jacks, which are like a pair of tongs with two sharp blades, and he or she pinches the two blades together where the glass connects with the blowpipe. And, if someone messes up, they just reuse the glass by melting it down again and recycling it. The shop—almost unbelievably—goes through 50 pounds of glass a day.
They then moved on to stretch their creative legs by sculpting glass pumpkin after glass pumpkin in different colors. Though they have slow days and busy days, during the fall they have to stock up on glass pumpkins because they sell roughly 10 a day. One October, Regan was able to sell almost 50 pumpkins in three hours at the Arts Walk in Olympia.
Creating glass artwork requires multiple helping hands and a team-oriented spirit, and creates unique pieces that can be decorative or practical. Luckily, anyone out there who wants to experience the beauty of glassblowing can take classes. Beginner’s classes are offered for those interested in making a paperweight and ornament or float for $70. For private group sessions of up to four people participants can either make two small pieces or one large piece for only $150.
Both workshops are approximately two hours (and if you check Groupon.com ahead of time you might be able to find a good deal). Children as young as three years old are allowed to participate, so the classes can make a great family activity. While glassblowing and the heat involved might sound dangerous, the shop makes safety their priority.
“We don’t stress safety so we don’t freak the clients out, but we’re constantly on the lookout,” Thomas tells me. They’ve even had a group of women in their 90s before, which goes to show just how versatile they are. Thomas says they’re willing and able to work with anyone who is handicapped in order for them to join in on the fun. “We’re very adaptive. It’s all about the experience.”
Almost all of the pieces in the gallery are made by Regan. Custom orders can be anything from glass roses, which are also available in his gallery, to candle holders for churches, and even using the cremains of loved ones in a work of art. But they have a lot of beautiful vases and even jewelry made from recycled glass. So feel free to stop and check out his ready-made pieces or ask about something specific. And if you’re looking for something to do with friends or family, the workshops are worth a shot to make your own unique glass marvel.
Central Glassworks
109 W. Main Street
Centralia, WA 98531
360-623-1099
