We talked to glassblower 23Glass about his career, the pandemic, and how he has embraced social media to connect with his fanbase during the COVID-19 lockdowns. 23Glass started glassblowing around 2014, but had been interested in learning the craft since around 2008. After years of searching unsuccessfully for someone to teach him, 23Glass met a glassblower named Nic Asturino (@annealed_innovations) and took some lessons from him. Nic already had an apprentice at the time, but 23Glass started doing side work for him in exchange for lessons and torch time. This arrangement continued for about two years until 23Glass was able to buy his own torch and tools and it was then that he began blowing solo works.
The earliest pieces that 23Glass made were marbles, pendants, and simple spoon pipes with fuming or frit work or a combination of the two. During these early years 23Glass found another mentor in shop mate Kai Brown (@kaibrownglass), and they learned various techniques from one another during the time that they worked together. They continue to collaborate regularly, and 23Glass has even collaborated with his first mentor Nic Asturino a few times over the years. Now 23Glass prefers to learn on his own terms, often under pressure which he says acts like a fuel for him, pushing him to do the best that he can with every piece that he makes.
The COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to everyone's plans in 2020, and 23Glass was no exception. He had been planning to attend several glassblowing classes throughout 2020 but they were all canceled as the virus spread more and more aggressively. During this time 23Glass turned to social media to broaden his horizons in the art of glassblowing, and eventually he started doing a regular live broadcast on Twitch called "Torched". At first 23Glass was nervous about streaming on Twitch, but he quickly warmed up to the community and started to build quite a following on his channel.
Lately 23Glass' favorite items to blow have been recyclers, and his work is truly something special. 23Glass has a scientific curiosity about the design of recyclers, focusing on the "chug" or "chop" which are achieved by the width of the uptake channels. He wants to try to achieve a perfect balance between these two qualities, and 23Glass continues to experiment with colors, favoring transparent colors like North Star Yellow for his recycler builds. Every January 23Glass likes to completely reinvent his styles and techniques, so you can be sure that you will always be seeing something new and fresh from his studio.
In the future 23Glass intends to continue broadening his palette of techniques and skills. He's recently become interested in cold-working and purchased a lapidary wheel for faceting and other cold-work methods. 23Glass also intends to explore millefiori works more in the future to refine his techniques in that uniquely artistic side of the glass world. You can check out 23Glass' regular live streams on his Twitch channel (@23Glass), and you can check out more of his incredible glass works over on his Instagram page (@23glass).
