Grendal, also known as Nicholas Marcelja, is that rarely found breed, a craftsman, an artist, a…read moreteacher, and a man of few words. In his blazing forge and on his ringing anvil, he hammers out a symphony of beautiful handcrafted knives and solid soulful works of iron. He un-self-consciously fits the image to perfection, a large and burly man with a huge gray beard and enormous solid biceps, he appears to have stepped straight out of time. If you want to understand the spirit of the blade, he offers classes in the forging of knives which I found to be rewarding on many levels. He also has a great reputation for teaching children. I can imagine little more exciting and rewarding for a child than to take a class in blacksmithing with Nicholas. It would be something a child would never forget... In fact it was something that I will never forget either.

I completed the knife making class today with my boyfriend and two friends and it was absolutely…read morefantastic. The class was all day (9-5 with a break for lunch) and it flew by. I had never done any black smithing before and I was worried I would end up with a sad lumpy mess, but Nick is an amazing teacher and really works with you to teach you how to make a knife. I have taken other hands on classes (like glass blowing) where you dont get to actually do anything, but this class you are really learning and getting hands on experience. Because there were 4 of us in the class I was able to start a second knife while the others were using the sander to grind their knives. Nick is obviously super knowledgeable and is happy to explain to you not just how something works, but why. We all walked away with really cool knives and I am looking forward to going back. I highly recommend taking a class at Red Troll Forge!!!!!

OMG what can I say about the work performed by the skilled glass artist at Firehouse. My father…read morerecently passed away. His wish was to be cremated which we honored. My mother had passed away a few years ago and was also cremated. I wanted to find away to keep them TOGETHER FOREVER. My wife and I worked with Jessica to design a glass orb. The center of the orb contains the ashes of my Mother, surrounding her ashes are the ashes of my Father. This symbolizes the LOVE they had for each other and allows my Father to protect my Mother for ETERNITY. We then surrounded their ashes with a layer that contained their favorite colors. These came out so BEAUTIFUL. The work put into these make them PRICELESS to our family. The price for each orb was extremely affordable. I was expecting a higher cost. I will recommend Firehouse to anyone that is looking for a special memory. Thanks Firehouse.

This was my first time taking a beginner glass making/blowing class with 3 friends at Firehouse…read moreGlass and I had an amazing time! Our instructor, Andrew, was fun, entertaining, and skilled at teaching to a variety of learning styles. He created a positive and safe space for us to practice multiple techniques. We completed three projects in the 4 hours of class time and were given a tour of their expansive studio space. If you have ever been interested in learning about glass art, I highly recommend this studio!

It was so cool to see the glass blower working and all the beautiful examples of art they had done…read more If you are ate Edgefield, don't miss this fun experience!

I bought a blown glass picture from Peter about 10 years ago, it was for my mother's Christmas…read morepresent She passed last Decembe. I am at her house now and holding the piece of dark blue glass with gol swirls It is a beautiful piece and I am so glad that she got to see and display it The Gorge shop is one of the best places in the Portland area I want to Thank the shop and Peter Neff for the beautiful work and for being there that December! Jon Reynolds

Confession: I've never been to a glassblowing session. I am one of those weirdos that likes to…read morewatch all kinds of crazy YouTube videos featuring various arts and crafts. Glassblowing has always held a special fascination for me. When our family mentioned that we were going to make ornaments with the kids, I guess I was not sure what to expect. When we arrived at a genuine glass works, I admit - I got a little excited. I also got a little worried. Molten glass is obviously something that must be handled with care. Lots of opportunity for small people to get injured accidentally. I have never been happier to eat my words (and my concerns). Elements Glass had a very organized setup that let adults or children choose the type of ornament they wanted to make. From there, we were partnered with an individual artist who guided my niece and nephew through the creation of their own ornament. She was so gentle and patient with the kids. It made the entire morning very fun and exciting. We can't wait to go back and pick up the completed pieces (the glass orbs have to anneal). Art glass well, my friends!

My daughter & I went and made ornaments today! The staff was helpful & patient. The cost was…read morereasonable & now we have a new family tradition! Thank you Elements!

Had a 4 hour class with Rif and it was really awesome experience! He was really patient and…read moreinformative on the basics of Lampworking and standard technique. Enjoyed my time and made a really nice pendant to take home too! Will be coming again

Iv always loved glass art and decided to try my luck at it. So after doing some research I…read morecontacted kifglass and from the start he was very helpful and professional about his lessons. We set one up and I ended up having an amazing first class with Keith. He was extremely patient and helpful. I very much look forward to working with you again really soon !!!!

Bullseye Glass Is a familiar name in the Dallas, Texas área among glass artists, so coming to the…read moreBullseye Factory and Resource Center Is a huge bucketlist item. My trip did not disappoint! I was able to see glass sheets being made and take a tour of the factory and Resource Center. The staff was friendly and helpful and I had a whole new appreciation for the amount of work and quality controls that go into each sheet of glass. I really appreciate that the company works hard to retain their employees and create an atmosphere of collaboration. Seeing the thought that goes into creating the glass not to mention the choreography of the adding and mixing (and yes, I DO mean choreography!) to make the combination of colors. I can't wait to visit again and see and do more. Thank you for a wonderful and unforgettable first visit!

We stopped in here last weekend for I wanted to get some mosaic glass. This place does mainly fused…read moreglass but it's worth the stop! We made snowflakes this visit. So cool!! My boyfriend after that wanted to take a class so we are doing that in March. This place is pretty cool. The people there are very friendly and the glass is well organized

I bought a living social deal a few months back for Jennifer Wells Design. My husband and I used…read moreour vouchers yesterday. What a cute place! I got to make a plate, sun catcher, pendant and ring. We're waiting for them to be fired. Jennifer is EXTREMELY nice and what a great way to de-stress and have some fun. Can't wait to try her open studio night. $6.00 to get in with cosmo's following freely. You just pay per piece that you make. She also does parties!

This place! Are you looking for a fun thing to do for a girls night, but tired of the typical bar…read moreor spa scene? This place is perfect - Becca has the greatest environment for getting your creative juices flowing - chocolate, wine and great music! I came here with a group of gals looking for a fun time that wasn't your usual "Girls Night Out" - exactly what we received! Her studio is a great space where you can create anything you like - earrings, jewelry, belt buckles, coasters, trivets, display pieces, and anything you can think of! Becca has an incredible assortment of glass, colors, frit, and the possibilities are endless. Becca is a great instructor that encourages everyone to just go with the flow - she can help generate ideas, but is also in great support of letting you do your thing. Let her know what you need and she will have 5 ideas for you! She has lots of examples and visuals on the wall that help you get some ideas. Jennifer Wells Design is a hidden gem - the decorating pottery thing is so cliche, this is not! Once you complete your item(s), she will fire it in her kilns on site and have it ready for your pick up. The piece I made turned out awesome and I can't wait to get back there to make something else!

Glass artist extraordinaire. Go feast your eyes on beautiful glass. Buy yourself a gift that will…read morespend a lifetime making you happy.

I started with glass fusing at one of those places where you come in, you pick a pre-defined…read moreproject and then hand it over to the facilitator - you come back later to pick up the final piece. I enjoyed that and did it a couple of times. I wanted to do more however I didn't have all of the equipment you need to finish a piece of glass (kiln, grinder, sandblaster, diamond saw). The equipment is both massive and expensive. Some of it is very dusty (sandblaster) and other pieces require water supply (grinder, saw). Some requires special ventilation (kiln, sandblaster) and a lot of knowledge to use these pieces safely. My next step was to take a couple of classes with Bullseye, again, somewhat pre-defined projects with limited opportunity to go in your own direction. The good news is that they offer "studio time" which allows you to use their equipment, for a fee. Finally I met Nathan. While he didn't invent the vitrigraph kiln, he did a lot of original innovation in what can be done with it and has taught classes far and wide to others who want to learn his process. He is also very experienced and talented with kiln glass - creating your design in a piece of glass, perhaps dropping it through a mold to create a vase or a bowl and then all of the "cold work" that I alluded to above. Nathan is a great teacher and after taking a couple of on-line classes from him, I've taken a class from him in his studio. I've made a couple of projects there and I am continuing to go back to work on other projects, expanding on the knowledge I've accumulated. When I started my most recent class I was not very successful with cutting circles of glass. Nathan identified part of the problem was that I had a similar but not the right tool. The other part was to get out of my head and just do it until I was comfortable. Now I'm feeling very comfortable cutting circles, loading terracotta pots with glass, pulling cane (rods of glass) out of the bottom of the vitrigraph kiln and chopping those up into murrini and moving them on through other processes. Nathan is available to answer questions as I am assembling my work, his studio has all of the equipment I need to create my own projects and it's more affordable than Bullseye. I am eager to see what he still has to teach me as I keep moving forward in my own learning. He is also an artist that creates a variety of pieces that you can purchase for your home or a gift. Additionally, he makes very high quality molds that will likely outlast you unless you drop them. Finally, if the finished piece of glass or the molds he has on offer aren't exactly what you are looking for, he might consider taking on a commission to make exactly what you want. I highly recommend Nathan to people who want to get into kiln glass. He knows his stuff, has a well equipped studio that will take you as far as you like and his rates are very reasonable.