Mother’s Day Glass Sale takes over Pico Farmers Market, Courtesy of SMC Art Department
Students and instructors from Santa Monica College brought handmade glasswork to the Pico Farmers Market at Virginia Avenue Park for the Art Department’s annual Mother’s Day glass sale on May 2.
The sale featured glass art handmade by students and staff, including vases, jewelry, ornaments and small sculptural pieces like flowers or animals. Each piece was created using one of three primary methods: glass blowing, glass fusing and torch work.
Glass blowing involves shaping molten glass using air and tools at high temperatures. Glass fusing combines layers of glass, powders or frit that are heated in a kiln until they bond together. Torch work uses a handheld flame to shape smaller, more detailed components such as beads or figurative elements.
Laboratory Tech Andy Berney described how all finished pieces undergo a controlled cooling process in an annealing kiln set to approximately 960 degrees, where glass is slowly brought down to room temperature over about 24 hours to prevent cracking.
“Everyone puts their things in the oven at 960 degrees,” Berney said. “As far as all the pieces made that day, they go into an annealer oven, because if they don’t, and the glass cools too quickly, they’re just gonna crack.”
Berney said shoppers looking for gifts ahead of Mother’s Day often remark on how different vases will hold specific types of flowers.
“I've had three people tell me, like, what they envision, the flowers they're gonna put in the vase.
They're very color conscious,” Berney said. “What's the color flower that's gonna go with that vase? Maybe they're looking for something more neutral, that all sorts of flowers would fit in, or they're looking for a different color that one specific flower would fit in. There are flower people out there where really, the vase is part of that presentation.”
Artist’s sales were marked on a dry erase whiteboard, and each piece was labeled with a number corresponding with the artist's name on the board. Proceeds get split 70/30, with 70% of the money going directly to the glass artists, and the other 30% split 15/15 between the SMC Art Department and Virginia Avenue Park.
Haneul Park, a glass student at SMC, said she included both early and more recent work in the sale, including pieces from her frist and second semesters in the program.
“I would like people to partake in purchasing some of them because it goes to helping me buy glass working tools, which are quite expensive, and also towards attending class workshops in the future,” Park said.
Artist Eden Hayer demonstrated torch work techniques used in small decorative pieces, including how she shapes details by reheating specific areas and manipulating the softened glass with tools.
Describing how she formed a small glass bunny with a bent ear, Hayer said, “I heat up the ears and use a tool that’s basically giant tweezers to turn it down.”
She also explained the use of frit, which Hayer said are “small chunks of colored glass, which can be the consistency of sand… or it can be huge, huge chunks.” Finer frit creates a dust-like effect, while larger pieces created more distinct color variation.
According to multiple glass artists, vases and floral-themed pieces were among the items shoppers asked about most frequently.
Shopper Sandee Terzis said she discovered the sale while visiting the farmers market and decided to stop and look for Mother’s Day gifts.
“I didn’t realize this was happening. It’s truly serendipitous,” Terzis said. “I love glass. How can you not?”
She said she selected several pieces for herself and others, and was still considering one more piece as a gift.
“I have loved glass all my life. I love the handcraft of it. I love the imperfections in it,” Terzis said. “It feels more personal than a card or flowers, and I’ll always support the arts.”
The SMC Art Department will host an Open Studio Day on Saturday, May 23, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the SMC Art Complex. The event will showcase glassblowing in Art Studio 125 and a glass sale in Art Room 124. According to the department, visitors are invited to “come watch the artists turn molten glass into amazing works of art,” and 30% of all sales will be donated to the SMC Art Department.