Texas To-Do List: Dallas Glass Art

Whether you’re looking to start a new hobby or you’re just wanting to spice up your weekend plans, Dallas Glass Art will blow you away.
DALLAS – Whether you’re looking to start a new hobby or you’re just wanting to spice up your weekend plans, Dallas Glass Art will blow you away.
“I started Dallas Glass Art with the idea that glassblowing changed my world,” said Carlyn Ray, the owner of Dallas Glass Art. “The process of it is beautiful. So, it’s really a joy for me to share it with the public.”
Glassblowing classes are open to ages 6 and up, and, fortunately, don’t require any prior experience or artistic ability.
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“Our group events and private classes usually are between 1 to 2 hours long. My personal favorite class that we offer are our private lessons because it’s you, the instructor and the material. You choose your music, you can bring in food and make it your own personal party, and you can make as many pieces as you can within a designated time frame. We also have public classes if you’re just like, ‘hmm, I want to see how I like glassblowing.’ And then a lot of people then further dive into the private lessons,” said Ray.
The public class varies in size between 12 and 20 people, depending on what item is being made. Here’s a little insiders tip: if you choose to make beer, wine, or whiskey glasses, a little bonus treat is included. 
 
“Those come with a little token where you can cash it in for a free drink at Community Beer,” Ray said. “When you pick up your glasses from here, you can take it and they will fill up your glasses with the beverage. So, it makes for a really fun event that keeps cheers-ing.” 
The options for what can be made are based off of which package you book. 
“Some of my favorite things to make are our bowls, because you blow up a sphere, it sucks in and it creates what we call a bubble bowl. Vases are beautiful because I like the functionality of it. Christmas ornaments are just fun because it’s around the season. Also seasonal, our pumpkins, and of course, the drinking glasses,” Ray noted.
Once you finish your glass art, it starts the process of cooling. This will take a few days, so you’ll need to come back to collect your work.
“When you make your piece, it has to go into the oven to cool down, and it’s not actually available until it cools down overnight, and then we make sure that it sits flat, and it’s all nice and pretty, and we bag it up for you. As glass cools, it shrinks. And if it shrinks too quickly, it’ll explode and break. So, we have to cool down very slowly. Science comes alive in our studio,” Ray said.
Ray is hopeful people will walk away feeling like they made a piece of art.
“It’s really a joy for me to make pieces that people are proud of,” she said.
You can learn more about Dallas Glass Art at their website here.
It’s a planner, it’s a motivator, it’s a challenge!  Get out and experience the wonder and fun around you with FOX 4’s curated list of fun and unusual activities all across north Texas. Keep checking back as the list keeps growing. Got a suggestion for us? Email us here.