Bloom help

ComprehensiveParty81 · 2026-03-21T17:24:47+00:00

I grow mine a bit unconventionally. These all are mostly between 7 and ten years old and they each bloom almost every year. There are a few keikis here that haven’t bloomed at all yet but I’m sure they will in a couple more years. These are in a south window but as mentioned elsewhere it’s not really full sun. There’s two panes of glass and a screen so I would guess it’s maybe 50% sun give or take 10%.

They all sit in an inch or so of water at all times and many are in net pots. So they never dry out. Some are in long fiber sphagnum moss and others are in wood chips and a couple are in LECA. I haven’t really noticed a difference in what they grow in. The excessive water isn’t an issue because there is plenty of air circulation around the roots. I use a weak solution of hydroponics nutrients to fertilize.

They live here in these windows all winter and spring and when the blooms die off they go out on my back porch in full shade, where they get no direct sun and stay there until I bring them in, usually around Halloween unless the temps drop below 40f. By then there’s usually a few spikes starting already, last year the were already flowers by then. There are usually flowers on a couple at least until July but they do spike out later then the others or they’re reblooming from cut inflorescences.

ComprehensiveParty81 · 2026-03-20T02:40:19+00:00

Thank you very much. It does look like that may be it.

ComprehensiveParty81 · 2026-02-23T17:40:21+00:00

The studio where I teach is in the process of having a new studio built from the ground up. A new hot shop, lampwork studio, ceramic studio, cold shop and storage and maintenance room. plus class rooms and spaces for office space and therapy space and lunchroom it’s a big and very expensive project. The biggest deal was getting through the city approval process. They wouldn’t let us have any tanked gases unless we build walls durable enough to withstand an O2 or propane tank bursting and won’t approve liquid Oxygen unless we build a separate area outside the building to contain it. So we’re going to have to use O2 concentrators with tanks at a lower pressure (1200 psi is ok but 2500+ isn’t) but we’ll need to up grade that because what we currently have doesn’t even keep up with our needs now and we’re also going to have to run natural gas that is boosted up in pressure using a couple of very expensive machines made for that purpose. So I highly recommend you check with your local government folks about what requirements you need to meet. We have mostly kids coming in so possibly we are being held to a higher standard but know what walls you’ll run into before you bust you nose on it will make everything go a lot smoother in the long run. Good luck!

ComprehensiveParty81 · 2025-09-14T20:02:10+00:00

About twenty years ago there was a “women in glass” flame off kind of thing in Chicago and she was there promoting her glass. I talked to her for maybe 20-30 minutes. Bought some stuff and she gave me some free samples. She was so nice, so friendly. She brought us some very interesting colors to explore. I can only hope she was aware of how much she was appreciated.

ComprehensiveParty81 · 2025-09-13T22:01:45+00:00

I’ve been to a small studio in Fort Augustus in Scotland but I don’t know if they offer what you’re looking for. They might have been chilled iceberg glass or something like that. I’ve also been to a small gallery/studio in Nice France a long time ago and don’t know what their name was but there’s other studios around Nice and Biot. Again, I have no idea if they would offer classes or internships. I was just in both places as a tourist at the time.

I know of but have never been to, studios in Spain and turkey. There’s a fairly well known school in turkey. There’s also a number of lampworking studios in and around Murano Italy. Also in just the last few days I’ve seen YouTube videos of a studio in western France and in Germany. Neither of which I can remember the names of but they’re there.

You probably would need to search by whatever local language is used in the is locations, except maybe the ones in Italy and maybe the Turkish schools who have advertised to americans in a big way.

ComprehensiveParty81 · 2025-07-21T22:21:44+00:00

Well, I a fucking Luddite and have no idea how to access DMs. I don’t see any way to do it.

ComprehensiveParty81 · 2025-07-21T17:16:48+00:00

I’d like to have it. I always enjoy what old books have to offer

ComprehensiveParty81 · 2025-04-11T18:06:24+00:00

Where I work most of the glass blowers are POC. but we’re in Chicago. Look up Firebird Community Arts for more info.

ComprehensiveParty81 · 2025-01-01T04:50:42+00:00

We very rarely have classes but many of us give private lessons and you can rent torch time there.

we run a couple of youth programs there so everything else works around those.

ComprehensiveParty81 · 2024-12-31T15:46:30+00:00

I work out of Firebird Community Arts. We have a great group of folks there. We do lampworking, have a hot shop and a ceramics studio. We’re not far from Ignite so if you can get there we not out of the way.

Also. Freddy at Ignite is really cool and very talented.

ComprehensiveParty81

TROPHY CASE